The Order of Prince Edward Island is intended to honour any current or former longtime resident of Prince Edward Island who has demonstrated a high level of individual excellence and achievement in any field, having made "remarkable contributions to the social, economic and cultural life of [Prince Edward Island] and its people."[2] Although Canadian citizenship is not a requirement, those who are elected or appointed members of a governmental body are ineligible as long as they hold office,[2] and only three people per year may be inducted into the order.[3] The exception to these rules is the Chancellor of the Order, who simultaneously serves as the Lieutenant Governor of the province, and whose induction into the Order does not count against the three-person induction cap.
The process of finding qualified individuals begins with submissions from the public to the Advisory Council of the Order of Prince Edward Island, which consists of the Chief Justice of Prince Edward Island, the President of the University of Prince Edward Island, the Clerk of the Executive Council, and two Members of the order from each of the province's three counties.[2][3] This committee then makes its selected recommendations to the Cabinet,[3] which vets the list and passes it on to the lieutenant governor. Posthumous nominations are not accepted, though an individual who dies after his or her name was submitted to the Honours and Advisory Council can still be retroactively made a Member of the Prince Edward Island.[3] The lieutenant governor, ex officio a Member and the Chancellor of the Order of Prince Edward Island,[3] then makes all appointments into the fellowship's single grade of membership by an Order in Council that bears the viceroyal sign-manual and the Great Seal of the province; thereafter, the new Members are entitled to use the post-nominal lettersOPEI.
Upon admission into the Order of Prince Edward Island, in a ceremony held at Government HouseinCharlottetown, new Members are presented with the order's insignia. The main badge, called the Medal of Merit,[2] consists of a gold roundel medallion, the obverse in enamel bearing at its centre the escutcheon of the arms of Prince Edward Island, all surrounded by a blue collar with the words MERIT • PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND.[2] The ribbon is patterned with vertical stripes in green, white, and rust, reflecting the colours of the province's foliage and oxidized soil; men wear the medallion suspended from this ribbon at the collar, while women carry theirs on a ribbon bow at the left chest. Members will also receive for wear on casual clothing a lapel pin, appearing as a smaller version of the Medal of Merit.[1]
^ abcMarsh, James H. (ed.), "Culture > Awards > Order of Prince Edward Island", The Canadian Encyclopedia, Toronto: Historica Canada, retrieved 13 November 2020
^ abcdefOffice of the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, Order of Prince Edward Island 2009, Charlottetown: Queen's Printer for Prince Edward Island, p. 2
