BRIGADIER-GENERAL DAVID FRASER IS 2006 VIMY AWARD WINNER
11 August 2006. Ottawa. The Conference of Defence Associations Institute (CDAI) is pleased to announce that Brigadier-General David A. Fraser has been selected as the recipient of the Vimy Award for 2006.
Instituted in 1991, the Vimy Award recognizes one Canadian annually who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the defence and security of our nation and the preservation of our democratic values. The award will be presented on Friday, 17 November, at a mixed gala dinner in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec.
Currently the Commander of the Multi-National Brigade in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Brigadier-General Fraser is a distinguished Canadian who has exhibited the highest standards of leadership throughout his career of service to the Canadian Forces and to Canada. He was commissioned as an infantry officer with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) upon graduation from Carleton University in 1980.
In 1994/95 he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his actions during the Bosnian Civil War. In 1996 Brigadier-General Fraser assumed command of 2nd Battalion PPCLI and took the Battalion to Bosnia as the first Canadian Battle Group with the NATO Stabilization Force (SFOR). On 29 June 2005, Brigadier-General Fraser assumed command of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group and was promoted to his current rank shortly thereafter. Brigadier-General Fraser officially assumed command of the Multi-National Brigade (Regional Command South), based in Kandahar, on 28 February 2006, and will hold the position until November.
The CDAI, which sponsors the Vimy Award, is an Ottawa-based think-tank dedicated to increasing public awareness of Canada’s security situation and the vital role played by the Canadian Armed Forces in our society. In announcing the 2006 award, the selection committee chairman , General (Ret’d) Paul Manson, acknowledged that the naming of this year’s recipient was unanimous, and was a reflection of
Brigadier-General Fraser’s outstanding leadership and dedication in a very challenging and high-profile international position in Afghanistan. Said General Manson, “David Fraser has brought great credit to himself, to Canadian Forces personnel serving in Afghanistan, and indeed to Canada. He is a worthy recipient of this year’s Vimy Award.”
The Selection Committee was composed of The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of Canada; General Rick Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff ; Mr. John Watts, President, General Dynamics Canada; Mr. Harry Wilmot, President, ATCO Frontec; M. Richard Bertrand, Vice-President – Government Affairs, Pratt & Whitney Canada; Lieutenant-General (Ret’d) Richard J. Evraire, Chairman of the Conference of Defence Associations, and General Manson, who is President of the CDA Institute.
Remarks (English) – Gordon O’Connor, Minister of National Defence
Remarks (French) – Gordon O’Connor, Minister of National Defence