Mishall RehmanThe Canadian Army recently announced significant changes to the General Officer Rank insignia. Changes have been made to incorporate maple leaves in recognition of Canadian identity.
“I am pleased and proud to be the first Canadian Army General Officer to wear the maple leaf insignia. The adoption of the maple leaf rank insignia aligns Army Generals with the rest of the Canadian Armed Forces,” said Gen. Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff.
The decision to incorporate maple leaves in rank insignia comes at a time when the country and military are preparing for the anniversary of Vimy Ridge and the 150th anniversary of Canada.
“It is with pride, as the senior soldier of the Canadian Army, and representative of Canada’s soldiers, to associate the Canadian symbol of the maple leaf to the most senior ranks of the Canadian Army,” said Chief Warrant Officer Alain Guimond, Canadian Army Sergeant Major.
It is also a hope that the new shoulder rank insignia will better correlate with the shoulder rank insignia of flag officers of the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force and lessen any confusion.
The Army also decided on a metal pin-on rank insignia for General Officers in an effort to reduce the cost of embroidering the ranks on replacement shoulder straps.
The changes will only affect the Army’s senior-most leadership, numbering 56.
“We are proud to announce this change as the evolution of the historical identity of the Canadian Army reinforces the link between today’s soldiers, the Cold War veterans of the unification period and previous generations of brave war heroes from the First and Second World Wars,” said LGen. Marquis Hainse, Commander of the Canadian Army.
