Commissionaires Canada is a Canadian non-profit security firm, originally established to provide employment to ex-servicemen.
History
Modeled after the British
Corps of Commissionaires The Corps of Commissionaires refers to a global movement in Commonwealth countries of societies created to provide meaningful employment for veterans of the armed services. The Commissionaires movement traces its roots to 1859, when Captain Sir Edw ...
, the Canadian Corps was formed in 1925 with the opening of offices in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
,
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
and
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
.
[{{Cite web, url=https://www.commissionaires.ca/en/about/mandate-and-history, title=Mandate and History {{! Commissionaires, last=, first=, date=, website=, access-date=] A national organization was realized by 1950 with the opening of the office in
St. John's,
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
. In 1982, the Canadian Corps had grown to more than 10,000 employees, which virtually doubled the complement of its British parent.
To meet its growing demands for personnel after the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
in 2001, Commissionaires began accepting civilians. While in today's organization not all Commissionaires are veterans of the
Canadian Armed 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.
...
or
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
service, the organization's mandate still is to provide meaningful employment to veterans. A significant proportion of their current members are veterans and the Corps hires about 1,200 veterans every year. As of 2022, Commissionaires employs over 23,000 people with offices operating in all ten provinces and three territories.
Role
Members of the Corps are often used as trained security guards in major companies and other organizations. The main role of a Commissionaire is the protection of people, property and information. Commissionaires are found in many federal establishments across Canada guarding everything from museum pieces to live ammunition and government files. In addition to security guard duties, some Commissionaires are trained to perform fingerprinting service for the federal government.
After 12 years service a member is eligible for the
Commissionaires Long Service Medal
The Commissionaires Long Service Medal is a Canadian service medal for members of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires. The medal honours 12 years of exemplary service by members of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires.
A Clasp is awarded ...
. Additionally, both Distinguished Service and Meritorious Service medals may be awarded when approved by the area office and the Commissionaire national office.
See also
*
Black-Binney House
The Black-Binney House was a former residence built in 1819 in Halifax, Nova Scotia which is now a National Historic Site of Canada. The house was built by John Black (merchant) and is reflective of the Palladian-inspired residences common during ...
References
Security companies of Canada
Non-profit organizations based in Canada