![Royal Canadian Legion Cadet Medal of Excellence](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Royal_Canadian_Legion_Cadet_Medal_of_Excellence.jpg)
The Royal Canadian Legion is a
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
ex-service organization (
veteran
A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military.
A military veteran that has ...
s' organization) founded in 1925.
Membership includes people who have served as
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
,
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 ...
,
provincial and municipal
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
, Royal Canadian
Air
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...
,
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
and
Sea
The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...
Cadets, direct relatives of members and also affiliated members. Membership is now also open to the general public.
History
In Canada, several veterans' organisations emerged during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The Great War Veterans Association was by 1919 the largest veterans' organisation in Canada. Following the First World War, 15 different organisations existed to aid returning veterans in Canada.
Field Marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
The 1st Earl Haig, founder of the British Empire Service League (now known as the
Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League
The Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL) represents the interests of Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth citizens who have served with either the British or Commonwealth Forces. It was founded in 1921 (as the British Empire Service Lea ...
), visited Canada in 1925 and urged the organisations to merge.
In the same year, the Dominion Veterans Alliance was created to unite these organizations.
In November 1925, the Canadian Legion was founded in
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, as the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Services League. The Canadian Legion of the British Empire Services League was incorporated by a special Act of Parliament the following year.
The Legion grew steadily through the 1930s and then expanded rapidly following the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
In 1960,
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
granted The Legion royal patronage and it became The Royal Canadian Legion.
Recognition
On 10 November 1975,
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...
issued "The Royal Canadian Legion, 1925–1975" designed by Rudy Kovach. The 8¢ stamps are perforated 13 and were printed by British American Bank Note Company.
National Headquarters
The National Headquarters of The Royal Canadian Legion in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, features a Wall of Remembrance.
*The Wall of Remembrance is adorned by an 11-ft long stainless steel sword (2006) by
André Gauthier.
*The Royal Canadian Legion commissioned a small work of art on the theme of the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-prof ...
(2001) by André Gauthier.
*“Of Such as These” (2003) by André Gauthier is a small bas-relief of Canadian World War II fighting men and women presented by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute to The Royal Canadian Legion's National Secretariat in Ottawa.
Memorials
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 593 erected a memorial in Ottawa dedicated to those who died in the First and Second World Wars and the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
.
Legion museums
![Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Royal_Canadian_Legion_Hall_of_Honour.jpg)
A number of military museums are co-located and affiliated with Royal Canadian Legions.
Legion halls
![Royal Canadian Legion Branch 53, Baddeck Nova Scotia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Royal_Canadian_Legion_Branch_53%2C_Baddeck_Nova_Scotia.JPG)
Most small towns and villages in Canada have at least one Legion Hall. Often the Legion Hall is a major community centre, combining the functions of a
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
,
pool hall
A billiard, pool or snooker hall (or parlour, room or club; sometimes compounded as poolhall, poolroom, etc.) is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards. Such establishments commonly ser ...
,
dance hall
Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and citi ...
,
bingo hall
Bingo is a game of probability in which players mark off numbers on cards as the numbers are drawn randomly by a caller, the winner being the first person to mark off all their numbers. Bingo, also previously known in the UK as Housey-Housey, ...
,
banquet hall A banquet hall, function hall, or reception hall, is a special purpose room, or a building, used for hosting large social and business events. Typically a banquet hall is capable of serving dozens to hundreds of people a meal in a timely fashion. Pe ...
, and so on.
Legion Halls are numbered, for example "Branch 99 Royal Canadian Legion". This is not a nationwide numbering system; instead, each provincial Command has its own numerical sequence. "Branch 99", therefore, can refer to any of several Legion Halls, as follows: Belleville, Ontario; Cowansville, Quebec; Lipton/Dysart, Saskatchewan; Coronation, Alberta (a branch that has closed); Sicamous, British Columbia; or Emo, Ontario (in the Manitoba/Northwestern Ontario Command).
The Royal Canadian Legion Maple Leaf Post-84 is located in Royal Oak, Michigan.
Services and activities
Poppy Campaign
The Poppy image is a powerful symbol and easily recognizable in Canada as being associated with loss, sacrifice and remembrance. With the formation of the Legion in 1925 the Poppy was adopted as a national symbol of remembrance and the focal point of the Poppy Campaign. In 1948 the Government of Canada chose to award the trademark copyright of the Poppy to the Royal Canadian Legion - a move made to protect the image from misuse. This trademark copyright remains in effect today restricting its usage to remembrance within Canada and under the authority of the Royal Canadian Legion.
The Legion is responsible for Canada's
remembrance poppy campaign which distributes plastic lapel poppies to be worn in the lead up to
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...
. The poppy is worn on the left lapel, or as close to the heart as possible.
The current lapel poppy has been manufactured since 1922—originally under the sponsorship of the Department of Soldiers Civil Re-establishment.
Until 1996, the poppy material was manufactured at sheltered workshops operated by Veterans Affairs Canada.
Poppies are distributed through retail outlets, workplaces, Legion branches, malls and other locations across Canada. Typically, the poppies are offered up for donation as a symbol of remembrance, using an honour system, with the poppies being left in open places with a receptacle for leaving a donation toward the campaign. Funds raised are used to support ex-service members in need
and to fund medical appliances and research, home services, care facilities and numerous other purposes benefiting veterans.
Memorial activities
Legion Athletic Camp
In 1962 the Legion began a
summer sports camp at the
International Peace Garden
The International Peace Garden is a park located adjacent to the International Peace Garden Border Crossing along the Canada–United States border between the province of Manitoba and the state of North Dakota. It was established on July 14, ...
which ran until 2019. More than 60,000 school age athletes. Several sports were offered over a five-week period. The program was founded by George H. Phillips and Fred Taylor.
Legion Bands
There are many privately run Legion
band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
*Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
s across the country, acting independently and in the community in which they are based. They are attached to different legion branches and include full concert show bands, and marching bands. The Royal Canadian Legion Concert Band in
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 ...
has been active for over a century and is one of the oldest legion bands in the country. Many legion bands are led by former bandsmen, most notably
James Gayfer
James McDonald Gayfer (26 March 1916 – 7 April 1997) was a Canadian bandmaster, clarinetist, composer, conductor, organist, military officer, and music educator. His compositional output encompasses several orchestral works, including two ...
, the former director of the
Band of the Canadian Guards
The Canadian Guards (officially known as the Regiment of Canadian Guards) was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army that served in the same role as the five regiments of foot guards in the British Army. The regiment was formed on 16 October ...
from 1953 to 1961, who would later go on the found the Petawawa Legion Community Band in 1978.
In May 1978, legion bands congregated at the
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
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 ...
for the Legion Day celebrations, becoming one of the largest legion combined activities recorded.
Lest We Forget Project
The Legion supports the
Lest We Forget Project in cooperation with the Canadian War Museum.
Legion Military Skills Conversion Program
In 2015, the Royal Canadian Legion donated $830,000 to the BCIT School of Business to fund the Legion Military Skills Conversion Program. This program helps Canadian veterans and reservists convert their military skills and knowledge into a business credential.
Appeals Before the Veterans Review and Appeal Board
The Royal Canadian Legion provides assistance to Veterans and eligible family members in Reviews and Appeals before the
Veterans Review and Appeal Board
The Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB; french: Tribunal des anciens combattants (révision et appel)) is a government of Canada agency responsible for hearing reviews and appeals by ill and injured Veterans and members of the Royal Canadian M ...
. The RCL and the
Bureau of Pensions Advocates often work together to prepare cases and represent Veteran clients before the Board when those clients wish to appeal disability pension and award decisions made by
Veterans Affairs Canada
Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC; french: Anciens Combattants Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada with responsibility for pensions, benefits and services for war veterans, retired and still-serving members of the Canadian Arme ...
.
Membership
Membership in The Royal Canadian Legion was originally restricted to ex-service members of Canada's Armed Forces and Merchant Navy.
The organization is now open to members of the general public. There are four categories of membership.
Ordinary membership
Ordinary membership is open to anyone who has served or is serving in one of the following:
*The Canadian Forces or His Majesty's Forces (including regular force or reserve force under class "C" service, CIC, or other reserve).
*Forces or underground forces of any of His Majesty's allies in any war, conflict or police action in which Canada was involved.
*The Merchant Navy or non-military services in an actual theatre of war in which Canada was involved.
*His Majesty's reserve forces including Cadet Instructors on the Cadet Cadre for not less than one year.
*The Royal Canadian Mounted Police or The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary for not less than one year.
*The forces of a country while that country was a member of NATO or NORAD in alliance with Canada.
*The forces of the United States.
*The Vietnam War with the Armed Forces of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea or South Vietnam, and were a Canadian citizen or Commonwealth subject at the time of service.
*The Canadian Coast Guard as an officer or crew member who has two or more years active service on the high seas or inland waterways.
*A city, municipal or provincial police force as a police officer for not less than one year.
Associate membership
Individuals who do not qualify for ordinary membership can be associate members if one of the following applies:
*The Royal Canadian Air, Army or Sea cadets for no less than 3 years of the joined date.(Cadet graduates may also be eligible for their first year free.)
*They are the child, stepchild, adopted child, grandchild, sibling, niece/nephew, widow/er, parent or spouse of someone who is or was eligible for ordinary membership.
*They are the child of an associate member.
*They have served as a cadet civilian instructor for not less than 3 years.
*They have served as an officer in the Navy League of Canada for not less than 2 years.
*They have served in the Polish Armed Forces after World War II below the rank of officer.
*They have served in a City, Municipal, Volunteer, Un-organized Territories or Federal Fire Service for not less than one year.
*They are the spouse, parent or sibling of an associate member who qualified subject to the above criteria.
Affiliate voting membership
Commonwealth subjects who do not qualify for ordinary or associate membership are eligible for affiliate membership.
Affiliate non-voting membership
Non-Commonwealth subjects from an Allied nation who support the aims and objects of The Royal Canadian Legion can apply for affiliate non-voting membership.
Archives
There is a Royal Canadian Legion fond at
Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...
. The archival reference number is R2966, former archival reference number MG28-I298. The fond covers the date range 1897 to 1987. It consists of:
* 14.91 meters of textual records.
* c. 832 audio cassettes (c. 617 h, 30 min).
* 4 audio reels (c. 3 h, 30 min).
* 10 videocassettes (12 h, 35 min, 30 s).
* 310 photographs.
* 10 badges.
* 6 pins.
* 4 medals.
* 1 ribbon.
* 1 drawing.
* 45 microfiche.
* 49 microfilm reels.
Freedoms
The Royal Canadian Legion has received the
freedom
Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
of several locations throughout its history; these include: (Listed in Chronological Order).
* 18 November 1986:
Kamloops
Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, w ...
(Branch 52).
* 16 October 2005:
Port Moody
Port Moody is a city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It envelops the east end of Burrard Inlet and is the smallest of the Tri-Cities, bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south an ...
(Port Moody Branch 119).
* 1 July 2016:
Courtenay (Courtenay Branch 17).
* 1 July 2016:
Bonnyville
Bonnyville is a town situated in east-central Alberta, Canada between Cold Lake and St. Paul. The surrounding Municipal District (MD) of Bonnyville No. 87's municipal office is located in Bonnyville.
The community derives its name from Fat ...
(Bonnyville Branch 183).
* Unknown:
Maple Ridge (Maple Ridge Branch 88).
* Unknown:
Armstrong Armstrong may refer to:
Places
* Armstrong Creek (disambiguation), various places
Antarctica
* Armstrong Reef, Biscoe Islands
Argentina
* Armstrong, Santa Fe
Australia
* Armstrong, Victoria
Canada
* Armstrong, British Columbia
* Armstrong ...
(Armstrong Branch 35).
See also
*
American Legion
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
*
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...
*
South African Legion
*
The Royal British Legion
The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...
References
External links
List of Civilian organizations with prefix "Royal" - Heritage Canada.* List of civilian organizations with the prefix "Royal" prepared by th
Department of Canadian Heritage
Returned & Services League of AustraliaThe 5P Legal Services Team provides assistance for veterans completing and submitting application forms and effective representation for veterans appearing at Veterans Review and Appeal Board hearings in Ottawa and Ontario.
{{Authority control
1925 establishments in Canada
Canadian veterans' organizations
Community centres in Canada
Military of Canada
Organizations based in Canada with royal patronage