More ‘Year of the Canadian Ranger’ events on the way

Article / November 1, 2022 / Project number: 22-0051

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A year-long celebration of one of the Canadian Army (CA)’s most unique organization is past the halfway point, with much more still to come.

The Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have named 2022 ‘The Year of the Canadian Rangers’ to mark 75 years since its founding.

A national, weekend-long kick-off event held in Victoria, British Columbia from 21-23 May included Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence, and General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff.

Canadian Rangers (CR) have been standing guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa as part of the National Sentry Program throughout the summer. In honour of the anniversary, their time at the Tomb is being extended to 22 November. During that period, Sergeant Ryan Peden from the Swan River Canadian Rangers Patrol Group (CRPG) will take the lead of the Remembrance Day Sentry Command.

August saw the release of a video from Historica Canada, a non-profit dedicated to cultivating awareness of Canadian History, describing the organization’s history and current duties. It was produced in collaboration with the Rangers.

As part of a mobility exercise planned by 3 CRPG, Rangers have traveled across Ontario in canoes and arrived in Ottawa on the 18^th of September. A small reception has been held at Confederation Park, near the race site.

From 6-10 October, the Junior Canadian Ranger (JCR) program has also been in the spotlight in Winnipeg as part of the JCR National Marksmanship Competition. The JCR program is for youth aged 12-18 and offers training in Ranger, traditional, and life skills.

Looking ahead, Rangers will be taking part in this year’s Canadian Army Run. The Rangers’ anniversary will also be a theme of the event, which will be held on November 6 in Ottawa.

With the leadership of Honorary Colonel John Newman from 3 CRPG, commemorative coins have been designed and manufactured with non-public funds and issued to serving Canadian Rangers.

The head depicts the identifying badge worn by all members of CRPGs along with the CR motto, ‘Vigilans’ - Latin for ‘The Watchers.’ The tail of the coin celebrates the completion of the Rangers’ first 75 years of service

The year of celebrations will close in March, 2023. Until then, the CA will keep on highlighting the anniversary by promoting the Rangers, their stories and related activities. As part of those initiatives, the CA has been sharing video profiles of remarkable CR members, highlighting what it is like to be a part of this unique organization. A few more profiles are set to be released by March, 2023.

To learn more about the other events and activities happening as part of CR-75, we invite you to visit the CR 75th Anniversary website.

Information on the Canadian Rangers

The CR are a sub-component of the CA Reserve. Members ensure a CAF presence in remote and northern regions by providing a local operational capability and supporting the communities’ resiliency in locations where no other CAF elements can expeditiously operate.

With their strong knowledge of these communities, Rangers act as guides, advisors, and teachers to other CAF personnel.

Their origins can be traced back to the Second World War, and an organization then known as the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers. They were tasked with watching over the sparsely-populated British Columbia coast following an incursion by a Japanese submarine in 1942.

Today, the Rangers are divided into five CRPGs. Each CRPG has its own headquarters and staff that are responsible for training and mentoring the Rangers and JCR in remote, isolated, and coastal communities across Canada, except for Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

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