This is a table of the ranks and insignia of the Canadian Armed Forces. As the
Canadian Armed Forces
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The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
is officially bilingual, the French language ranks are presented following the English (in italics).
Commander-in-Chief insignia
The
Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces
The commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces (french: Commandant en chef des Forces armées canadiennes) exercises supreme command and control over Canada's military, the Canadian Armed Forces. Constitutionally, the command-in-chief is ves ...
() rank insignia is a special sleeve braid embellished with the crest of the
Royal arms of Canada
The Arms of Canada (french: Armoiries du Canada, links=no), also known as the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada (french: armoiries royales du Canada, links=no) or formally as the Arms of His Majesty the King in Right of Canada (french: Armoiries de Sa M ...
and this same embroidered crest is worn on the shoulder straps.
The rank insignia for the Commander-in-Chief.
Officer rank insignia
The rank insignia for commissioned officers for the navy, army, and air force.
Non-commissioned member (NCM) rank insignia
The following are the rank insignia for non-commissioned members for the navy, army and air force respectively.
NCM rank insignia for the rank of petty officer 1st class/warrant officer and above are worn on the lower sleeve, while those for the rank of petty officer 2nd class/sergeant and below are worn on the upper sleeve. The Royal Canadian Navy has directed its personnel to use the English rank titles for OR-1 through OR-5, but they are not yet legally in force pursuant to the
National Defence Act, as they are not yet updated in the
King's Regulations and Orders issued by the Governor-in-Council.
Rank slip-ons
The tables above describe the rank insignia worn on the service dress jacket. On
DEU shirts, sweaters, and outerwear; and
operational dress shirts and jackets, rank insignia are worn on
slip-ons with the word "CANADA" or a regimental/branch title embroidered underneath. Flag/general officers' slip-ons include only the crown, crossed sabre and baton, and maple leaves worn on the shoulder straps; they do not include the braid worn on the sleeve. Army NCM slip-ons for DEU shirts, sweaters, and outerwear display only the word "CANADA" or a regimental/branch title, rank insignia being worn instead as enamelled metal pins on collar points or lapels.
Service stripes
From 1955 to 1968 Militia personnel were permitted to wear service insignia on the right jacket sleeve. There were one to five silver chevrons on drab backing for every two years of service or a maple leaf in silver thread on a drab cloth circle to represent 10 years of service. Chevron points were worn either up or down; even official documents and photos were confused on the matter. Further awards after 10 years were believed covered by the
Canadian Forces Decoration
The Canadian Forces' Decoration (post-nominal letters "CD") is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to t ...
, which was awarded after 12 years and a clasp added for every 10 years afterwards.
Qualifying service could include prior active service in the active reserves of the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force or the regular or territorial forces of a fellow Commonwealth member nation. Service in Canadian Army reserve forces units (like the regular reserve, supplementary reserve and reserve militia) did not count. The awarding of Service Stripes ceased in 1968 after the
unification of the Canadian Armed Forces
The unification of the Canadian Armed Forces took place on 1 February 1968, when the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force were merged to form the Canadian Armed Forces.
History
A white paper was tabled in the Parliam ...
.
Canadian Army distinctive corps insignia
Every branch or corps of the Canadian Army uses a distinctive colour. Applicable only to officers, they are indicated by coloured borders of rank insignia on DEU shirt and sweater slip-ons and on
mess dress
Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of uniforms used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white d ...
.
Distinctive rank names
Some branches and regiments use distinctive job titles for privates in those regiments:
Additionally, the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery uses "bombardier" for corporals and "master bombardier" for master corporal. In the guard regiments, warrant officers are known as "colour sergeants" and second lieutenants are known as "ensigns".
![NAVY-LtCmd-Surgeon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/NAVY-LtCmd-Surgeon.png)
Except for those who acquired the Canadian Forces mess dress between 1968 and 2010, naval officers have always worn the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
-style executive curl rank insignia on mess uniforms (see
Royal Navy officer rank insignia
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a c ...
). The colour designations for specialist officers are not used except for naval medical officers who may use a variant of the standard rank slip-ons and shoulder boards incorporating a scarlet red background between the gold braid of their rank insignia and naval medical service officers (nursing officers, pharmacy officers, health care administration officers, social work officers, physiotherapy officers, and bioscience officers) who have shoulder boards incorporating a dull cherry red background between the strips of their rank.
Reinstatement of Royal Canadian Navy rank and insignia
When the Canadian Navy was established in 1910 it was natural to adopt the same straight rings with the
executive curl
The executive curl, or the "Elliot's Eye", is the name given to the ring above a naval officer's gold lace or braid insignia. It originated with the Royal Navy.
Origins
The precise origin of "Elliot's eye" is somewhat of a mystery. One story i ...
for the permanent navy that was designated as the
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...
(RCN) in August 1911 and subsequently the "wavy" shaped rings for the
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) was a naval reserve force of the Royal Canadian Navy, which replaced the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR).
Foundation
The RCNVR was created in 1923. The organization was established ...
(RCNVR) and the rings of narrow interwoven gold lace for the
Royal Canadian Navy Reserve
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...
(RCNR). Other variations in rank insignia included sky blue lace with a diamond shaped loop for officers of the
Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service
The Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS or "Wrens") was an element of the Royal Canadian Navy that was active during the Second World War and post-war as part of the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve until unification in 1968.http://esask.ureg ...
, and warranted
Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps officers, who had a small anchor in place of the executive curl.
Following the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Navy was reorganized with a single reserve component. In 1946 the distinctive wavy gold braid of the reserves gave way to the straight braided executive curl of the regular force until 1968. With the integration of the
Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
the sea element was designated as Canadian Forces Maritime Command. Unembellished straight braid became the common rank insignia for officers of both the regular and reserve forces. The executive curl rank insignia has been in continuous use in the Royal Canadian Navy, but from 1968 to 2010 it appeared only on navy mess dress.
On 5 March 2010, the Canadian House of Commons passed a motion (moved by
Guy Lauzon
Guy Lauzon (born April 6, 1944) is a Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry from 2004 to 2019 as a member of the Conservative Party.
Background
Lauzon was born in St. A ...
) recommending the executive curl be reinstated on the Canadian navy uniform. Subsequently, in recognition of the Canadian Naval centennial,
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015 and has served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General (2013–2015), Minister of National Defence (2007â ...
,
Minister of National Defence, authorized the use of the executive curl for the Canadian Navy on 2 May 2010. The insignia became effective on 11 June 2010, on the occasion of the Pacific Canadian Naval International Fleet Review parade of nations in Victoria, B.C.
More than 54 countries, including Canada and 18 other of the 22 Commonwealth navies, use the insignia. Most navies that do not use the executive curl insignia, such as the United States Navy and the French Navy, substitute a star or other national device above the top row of lace.
Timeline of changes (sleeves only)
Reinstatement of Canadian Army ranks and insignia
The Minister of National Defence,
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015 and has served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General (2013–2015), Minister of National Defence (2007â ...
, announced on 8 July 2013 the intention to reintroduce a more traditional style Canadian Army officers' rank insignia. Instead of the sleeve stripe rank insignia used since unification, officers would use the older St Edward's Crown and Star of the Order of the Bath insignia, commonly called "pips and crowns". The traditional gorget patches were also restored for officers of the rank of colonel or higher. The reinstated insignia for officers, instead of using the current British rank insignia for brigadier (used in the Canadian Army until 1968), had the pre-1920 brigadier-general insignia (crossed sabre and baton) instead.
On 2 April 2016, the
Commander of the Canadian Army
The commander of the Canadian Army (french: commandant de l'Armée canadienne) is the institutional head of the Canadian Army. This appointment also includes the title Chief of the Army Staff (french: links=no, chef de l'état-major de l'Armée) ...
announced that general officers would revert to the unification-era rank insignia worn between 1968 and 2013. This rank insignia is based on the shoulder board rank insignia of Royal Canadian Navy flag officers. The rank insignia of general officers now consists of a crown, crossed sabre and baton, and a series of maple leaves on shoulder straps. Additionally, general officers wear one broad gold band on each of the lower sleeves of the service dress tunic.
On the centenary of the
Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9 April 2017, the Bath Star pip was replaced by the "Vimy Star". It depicts a maple leaf and is surrounded by the Latin motto ("we stand on guard for thee"). Commissioned officers of the household guard regiments (Governor General's Foot Guards, Canadian Grenadier Guards, and Governor General's Horse Guards), plus Army personnel stationed to the seasonal Ceremonial Guard, use the Guards Star in place of the Vimy Star on their shoulder boards.
Timeline of changes
Reinstatement of Royal Canadian Air Force rank and insignia
In April 2015, the Royal Canadian Air Force adopted new rank insignia reminiscent of the pre-unification RCAF system. The new officer rank insignia uses pearl-grey-on-black rank stripes instead of gold.
Non-commissioned members A non-commissioned member (NCM), in the Canadian Armed Forces, is defined in the Queen's Regulations and Orders as: "... any person, other than an officer, who is enrolled in, or who pursuant to law is attached or seconded otherwise than as an off ...
(NCMs) rank insignia is pearl grey instead of gold. The colour gold found elsewhere on the uniform was also changed to pearl-grey. The air force rank of private, formerly indicated by one chevron, became aviator (Fr: ''aviateur''), and is indicated by a horizontally-aligned two-bladed propeller. All other ranks titles remain as they were.
Timeline of changes
Mess dress
Contrary to the
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...
and the
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
,
mess dress
Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of uniforms used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white d ...
uniform ranks for officers of the
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
follow the naval pattern, without the executive curl. General officers do not wear shoulder straps with this order of dress.
See also
*
Former ranks of the Canadian Forces
Before Unification as the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, the Canadian military had three distinct services: the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Canadian Army. All three services had a Regular (full-time) component and a ...
*
Historic Royal Canadian Air Force ranks (1924–1968)
*
Ranks and insignia of NATO
Ranks and insignia of NATO are combined military insignia used by the member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The rank scale is used for specifying posts within NATO.
Definitions
NATO maintains a "standard rank scale" in ...
*
List of comparative military ranks
This article is a list of various nations' armed forces ranking designations. Comparisons are made between the different systems used by nations to categorize the hierarchy of an armed force compared to another. Several of these lists mention ...
*
Comparative army officer ranks of the Americas Rank comparison chart of all armies and land forces of North and South American states.
Officers
Warrant officers (WO1–CW5)
Warrant officers (WOs) and chief warrant officers (CWOs) in the US military rank below officers but above officer cand ...
*
Uniforms of the Canadian Armed Forces
The uniforms of the Canadian Armed Forces are the official dress worn by members of Canada's military while on duty.
Prior to the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces, the uniforms of the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and ...
*
Cadets Canada Elemental Ranks
References
External links
Canadian Armed Forces ranks and appointment insignia– official site with images of rank insignia for Navy, Army and Air Force.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Forces Ranks And Insignia
Canadian Armed Forces
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...