Stolen Valour Canada
Stolen Valour Canada is a self-funded, apolitical, all volunteer group of Canadian Forces veterans with well over a 100 years of combined service, our military experience has taught us how to quickly identify uniform and medallic anomalies.
Through the use of open source research including the Canada Gazette, Access to Information (Cda) / Freedom of Information (US) requests regimental / association websites, newspaper articles, photographic images, searchable data bases of medal recipients and extracts from online military documents in Canada, the UK and the US in order to determine whether an individual is in contravention of laws, rules and/or regulations, and/or the legitimacy of any public claims.
Our organization’s goal is achieved when an individual is charged, convicted and sentenced under s419 CCC – “Unlawful use of military uniforms or certificates” or, a restorative justice process is applied to the case. Imposters (posers) are those individuals that falsely portray and present themselves as either a serving member, or a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, having never served in military service to their country, or perhaps had served unsuccessfully without completing their training.
This criminal action is NOT a victimless crime. Some of these posers, fakes and embellishers may well be harmless, but all are detrimental to the high standards expected of those who served. Many more are involved in fraud and theft from veterans, veterans organizations and civilians who are trying to assist legitimate, impoverished vets.
Criminal Code of Canada (CCC) – Unlawful Use Of Military Uniforms or Certificates 419.
Every person is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction who, without lawful authority,
(a) wears a uniform of the Canadian Forces or any other naval, army or air force or a uniform that is so similar to the uniform of any of those forces that it is likely to be mistaken therefor, (b) wears a distinctive mark relating to wounds received or service performed in war, or a military medal, ribbon, badge, chevron or any decoration or order that is awarded for war services, or any imitation thereof, or any mark or device or thing that is likely to be mistaken for any such mark, medal, ribbon, badge, chevron, decoration or order,
(c) has in his possession a certificate of discharge, certificate of release, statement of service or identity card from the Canadian Forces or any other naval, army or air force that has not been issued to and does not belong to him, or
(d) has in his possession a commission or warrant or a certificate of discharge, certificate of release, statement of service or identity card, issued to an officer or a person in or who has been in the Canadian Forces or any other naval, army or air force, that contains any alteration that is not verified by the initials of the officer who issued it, or by the initials of an officer thereto lawfully authorized, is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction. R.S., c. C-34, s. 377. http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/page-196.html