Canadian Forces ranks and insignia
Encyclopedia
This is a table of the ranks and insignia of the Canadian Forces. As the Canadian Forces
is officially bilingual, the French language
ranks are presented following the English (in italics).
, represented by the Governor General of Canada
is the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces and in that capacity wears the appropriate Canadian Forces uniform. The sleeve braid is embellished with the Royal Crest of Canada and this same embroidered crest is worn on the shoulder straps.
The officers of some army regiments wear pre-unification rank insignia on their ceremonial uniforms (full dress
and patrol dress). These insignia are nearly identical to those of the British Army
: see British Army officer rank insignia
for details. In the guard regiments, Warrant Officers are known as Colour Sergeants and second lieutenants are known as Ensigns.
Except for those who acquired the Canadian Forces Mess Dress after 1968, naval officers have always worn the Royal Navy
-style executive curl rank insignia on mess uniforms (see Royal Navy officer rank insignia
). 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 stripes of their rank 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.
for the permanent navy that was designated as the Royal Canadian Navy
(RCN) in August 1911 and subsequently the “wavy” shaped rings for the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
(RCNVR) and the rings of narrow interwoven gold lace for the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve (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
and warranted 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 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 Canadian Navy, but from 1968 to 2010 it appeared only on navy mess dress.
On March 5, 2010, the Canadian House of Commons passed a motion (moved by Guy Lauzon
) recommending the executive curl be reinstated on the Canadian navy uniform. Subsequently, in recognition of the Canadian Naval Centennial, Peter MacKay
, Minister of National Defence, authorized the use of the executive curl for the Canadian Navy on May 2, 2010. The insignia became effective on June 11, 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 substitute a star or other national device above the top row of lace such as the United States Navy and the French Navy.
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
is officially bilingual, the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
ranks are presented following the English (in italics).
Commander-in-Chief
The Queen of CanadaMonarchy in Canada
The monarchy of Canada is the core of both Canada's federalism and its Westminster-style parliamentary democracy, being the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Canadian government and each provincial government...
, represented by the Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
is the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces and in that capacity wears the appropriate Canadian Forces uniform. The sleeve braid is embellished with the Royal Crest of Canada and this same embroidered crest is worn on the shoulder straps.
| Commander-in-Chief as | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Naval Officer | Army Officer | Air Force Officer | |
| Crest of the Arms of Canada | |||
Flag officer / General officer rank insignia
| Navy sleeve insignia (1968-2010) Royal Canadian Navy The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces... |
Navy sleeve insignia (since 2010) Royal Canadian Navy The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces... |
Navy Shoulder insignia Royal Canadian Navy The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces... |
Army | Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968... |
Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admiral / amiral Admiral (Canada) The rank of Admiral in Canada is typically held by only one officer whose position is Chief of the Defence Staff and the senior uniformed officer of the Canadian Forces. It is equivalent to the Army and Air Force rank of General.... |
General / général General (Canada) The military rank of General in Canada is typically held by only one officer whose position is Chief of the Defence Staff and the senior uniformed officer of the Canadian Forces. The rank is referred to as 'four-star', despite the use of maple leaves in the insignia. It is the equivalent of the... |
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| St. Edward's crown St. Edward's Crown St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels, being the official coronation crown used in the coronation of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realms monarchs... , crossed sabre and baton, four maple leaves Maple leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000... |
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| Vice-Admiral / vice-amiral | Lieutenant-General Lieutenant-General (Canada) In the Canadian Forces, the rank of lieutenant-general is an Army or Air Force rank equal to a vice-admiral of the Navy. A lieutenant-general is a general officer, the equivalent of a Naval flag officer. A lieutenant-general is senior to a major general or rear-admiral, and junior to a general or... / lieutenant-général |
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| St. Edward's crown St. Edward's Crown St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels, being the official coronation crown used in the coronation of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realms monarchs... , crossed sabre and baton, three maple leaves Maple leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000... |
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| Rear-Admiral / contre-amiral | Major-General / major-général | ||||||
 |
St. Edward's crown St. Edward's Crown St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels, being the official coronation crown used in the coronation of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realms monarchs... , crossed sabre and baton, two maple leaves Maple leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000... |
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| Commodore Commodore (Canada) Commodore is the lowest of the flag officer ranks in the Royal Canadian Navy; it is equivalent to Brigadier General in the Army and Air Force. It is junior to Rear Admiral and Major General, and senior to Captain and Colonel.... |
Brigadier-General / brigadier-général | ||||||
| St. Edward's crown St. Edward's Crown St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels, being the official coronation crown used in the coronation of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realms monarchs... , crossed sabre and baton, one maple leaf Maple leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000... |
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Officer rank insignia
| Navy sleeve insignia (1968-2010) Royal Canadian Navy The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces... |
Navy sleeve insignia (since 2010) Royal Canadian Navy The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces... |
Army | Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968... |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captain(N) / Capitaine de vaisseau | Colonel | |||
| Four standard gold stripes (naval with executive curl) |
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| Commander / Capitaine de frégate | Lieutenant-Colonel / Lieutenant-colonel | |||
| Three standard gold stripes (naval with executive curl) (Lieutenant pronounced leftenant) |
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| Lieutenant-Commander / Capitaine de corvette | Major | |||
| One thin gold stripe between two standard gold stripes (naval with executive curl) (lieutenant pronounced leftenant) |
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| Lieutenant (N) / Lieutenant de vaisseau | Captain / Capitaine | |||
| Two standard gold stripes (naval with executive curl) (Lieutenant pronounced leftenant) |
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| Sub-Lieutenant / Enseigne de vaisseau de première classe |
Lieutenant | |||
| Navy (before 2010), Army and Air Force: One half stripe over standard stripe Navy (after 2010): One standard stripe with executive curl over a half stripe (lieutenant pronounced leftenant) |
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| Acting Sub-Lieutenant / Enseigne de vaisseau de deuxième classe |
Second Lieutenant / Sous-lieutenant | |||
| One standard stripe (naval with executive curl) (lieutenant pronounced leftenant) |
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| Naval Cadet / Aspirant de marine | Officer Cadet / Élève-officier | |||
| One half stripe | ||||
Non-commissioned member rank insignia
| Navy Royal Canadian Navy The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces... |
Army | Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968... |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Ranks (Rangs supérieurs) | |||
 |
 |
 |
The 1957 version of the Coat of Arms of Canada Coat of arms of Canada The Arms of Canada is, since 1921, the official coat of arms of the Canadian monarch, and thus also of Canada... |
| St. Edward's Crown St. Edward's Crown St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels, being the official coronation crown used in the coronation of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realms monarchs... within a laurel wreath Laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a circular wreath made of interlocking branches and leaves of the bay laurel , an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. In Greek mythology, Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head... |
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| St. Edward's Crown | |||
| Three inverted chevrons surmounted by a maple leaf | |||
| Junior Ranks (Rangs subalternes) | |||
| Two inverted chevrons surmounted by a maple leaf. Note that Master Corporal/Master Seaman is an appointment, not a rank. |
|||
| Two inverted chevrons | |||
| One inverted chevron | |||
| No insignia | |||
Distinctive rank names
Some branches and regiments use distinctive rank names in place of Master Corporal, Corporal and Private:| Branch | Master Corporal | Corporal | Private |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armoured Branch Royal Canadian Armoured Corps The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps is the armoured branch of service of the Canadian Army, including regular force and reserve regiments.-History:... |
Master Corporal (caporal-chef) | Corporal (caporal) | Trooper Trooper (rank) Trooper from the French "troupier" is the equivalent rank to private in a regiment with a cavalry tradition in the British Army and many other Commonwealth armies, including those of Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. Today, most cavalry units operate in the armoured role, equipped... (cavalier) |
| Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery is the artillery personnel branch of the Canadian Forces .-History:... |
Master Bombardier (bombardier-chef) | Bombardier Bombardier (rank) Bombardier is a rank used in artillery units in the armies of Commonwealth countries instead of corporal. Lance-bombardier is used instead of lance-corporal.... (bombardier) |
Gunner Gunner (rank) Gunner is a rank equivalent to Private in the British Army Royal Artillery and the artillery corps of other Commonwealth armies. The next highest rank is usually Lance-Bombardier, although in the Royal Canadian Artillery it is Bombardier.... (artilleur) |
| Military Engineering Branch | Master Corporal (caporal-chef) | Corporal (caporal) | Sapper Sapper A sapper, pioneer or combat engineer is a combatant soldier who performs a wide variety of combat engineering duties, typically including, but not limited to, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, demolitions, field defences, general construction and building, as well as road and airfield... (sappeur) |
| Communications and Electronics Branch Communications and Electronics Branch The Communications and Electronics Branch is a personnel branch of the Canadian Forces .-History:Major Wallace Bruce Matthews Carruthers was the founder of the Canadian Signalling Corps, forerunner of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and the Communications and Electronics Branch of the... |
Master Corporal (caporal-chef) | Corporal (caporal) | Signalman Signalman (rank) Signalman was a U.S. Navy rating for sailors that specialized in visual communication. See Signaller for more about the roles of Signalmen.-U.S. Navy:A signal lamp is a visual signaling device for optical communication... (signaleur) |
| Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Branch Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Branch The Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Branch is a personnel branch of the Canadian Forces that provides army engineering maintenance support.-History:... |
Master Corporal (caporal-chef) | Corporal (caporal) | Craftsman Private (rank) A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career... (artisan) |
| Infantry Branch members of guards regiments | Master Corporal (caporal-chef) | Corporal (caporal) | Guardsman Guardsman Guardsman is a rank used instead of Private in some military units that serve as the official bodyguard of a sovereign or head of state. It is also used as a generic term for any member of a Guards unit of any rank.... (garde) |
| Infantry Branch members of rifle regiments | Master Corporal (caporal-chef) | Corporal (caporal) | Rifleman Rifleman Although ultimately originating with the 16th century handgunners and the 17th century musketeers and streltsy, the term rifleman originated from the 18th century. It would later become the term for the archetypal common soldier.-History:... (carabinier) |
| Infantry Branch members of fusilier regiments | Master Corporal (caporal-chef) | Corporal (caporal) | Fusilier Fusilier Fusilier was originally the name of a soldier armed with a light flintlock musket called the fusil. The word was first used around 1680, and has later developed into a regimental designation.-History:... (fusilier) |
The officers of some army regiments wear pre-unification rank insignia on their ceremonial uniforms (full dress
Full dress
Full dress is a category dress codes that refers to most formal clothing available in Western society.-Civilian:For a civilian, during the Victorian and Edwardian period, this corresponded to a frock coat in the day, and white tie at night...
and patrol dress). These insignia are nearly identical to those of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
: see British Army officer rank insignia
British Army officer rank insignia
-Origins:The first British Army rank insignia were introduced in 1760. According to the Royal Clothing Warrant, General Officers were distinguished by the pattern and arrangement of laces on the cuff.Badges for field officers were first introduced in 1810...
for details. In the guard regiments, Warrant Officers are known as Colour Sergeants and second lieutenants are known as Ensigns.
Except for those who acquired the Canadian Forces Mess Dress after 1968, naval officers have always worn the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
-style executive curl rank insignia on mess uniforms (see Royal Navy officer rank insignia
Royal Navy officer rank insignia
-Officers:Uniforms for naval officers were not authorized until 1748. At first the cut and style of the uniform differed considerably between ranks and specific rank insignia only sporadically used...
). 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 stripes of their rank 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.
The Royal Canadian Navy and the executive curl
When the Canadian Navy was established in 1910 it was natural to adopt the same straight rings with the executive curlExecutive curl
Originating with the Royal Navy, the Executive curl or alternatively "Elliot's Eye" is the name given to the ring above a naval officer's gold lace or braid insignia.- Origins :The origin of the Executive curl, or “Elliot’s Eye,” is somewhat of a mystery...
for the permanent navy that was designated as the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
(RCN) in August 1911 and subsequently the “wavy” shaped rings for the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve was a naval reserve force of the Royal Canadian Navy, which replaced the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve .-Foundation:...
(RCNVR) and the rings of narrow interwoven gold lace for the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve (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
Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service
The Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service 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....
and warranted Sea Cadet Corps Officers who had a small anchor in place of the executive curl.
Following the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
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
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
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 Canadian Navy, but from 1968 to 2010 it appeared only on navy mess dress.
On March 5, 2010, the Canadian House of Commons passed a motion (moved by Guy Lauzon
Guy Lauzon
Guy Lauzon is a Canadian politician. He is a current member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry as a Conservative. He was born in St...
) recommending the executive curl be reinstated on the Canadian navy uniform. Subsequently, in recognition of the Canadian Naval Centennial, Peter MacKay
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP is a lawyer and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for Central Nova and currently serves as Minister of National Defence in the Cabinet of Canada....
, Minister of National Defence, authorized the use of the executive curl for the Canadian Navy on May 2, 2010. The insignia became effective on June 11, 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 substitute a star or other national device above the top row of lace such as the United States Navy and the French Navy.
See also
- Historic Royal Canadian Air Force ranks (1924–1968)
- List of comparative military ranks
- Former ranks of the Canadian ForcesFormer ranks of the Canadian ForcesBefore 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 component and a reserve component...
External links
- Canadian Forces ranks and appointment insignia - official site with images of rank insignia for Navy, Army and Air Force.