Master sailor, formerly Master seaman,. (6.81 MB). or ''matelot-chef (matc)'' in French, is a

non-commissioned member A non-commissioned member (NCM), in the Canadian Armed Forces, is defined in the Queen's Regulations and Orders as: "... any person, other than an officer, who is enrolled in, or who pursuant to law is attached or seconded otherwise than as an offi ...

rank A rank is a position in a hierarchy. It can be formally recognized—for example, cardinal, chief executive officer, general, professor—or unofficial. People Formal ranks * Academic rank * Corporate title * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy ...

of the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

, which is between sailor first class and

petty officer 2nd class Petty officer second class (PO2) is a rank found in some navies and maritime organizations. Canada Petty officer, 2nd class, (PO 2), is a Naval non-commissioned member rank of the Canadian Forces. It is senior to the rank of master sailor (for ...

. Technically, the rank is actually an appointment, with appointees holding the rank of sailor first class. If demoted, a master sailor will become a sailor second class or sailor first class depending on seniority. However, the process to be appointed is very similar to that of a promotion, and holding the appointment of master sailor is a prerequisite to promotion to PO2. A contributing factor to the confusion of 'appointment' vs 'promotion' is that when promoted/appointed to master sailor, the sailor enters a new pay scale, unlike appointment to sailor second class, wherein the sailor has simply entered a new incentive level within the pay scale for ordinary sailors (sailors third class).{{cite web, title=Regular Force pay by rank, url=https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/benefits-military/pay-pension-benefits/pay/regular.html#toc0, access-date=2024-08-07 A master sailor is equal to a

master corporal Master corporal (MCpl) () is a military rank used by a number of countries. Canada In the Canadian Armed Forces the displayed rank of master corporal is an appointment that can be granted to Canadian Army, army and Royal Canadian Air Force, air ...

of the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

and the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

. The rank of master sailor is sometimes referred to as "master killick", from "killick", the slang for sailor first class. Those personnel junior to the master sailor, however, are advised to refrain from addressing the holder by that term. In September 2020 the name of the rank was changed from master seaman to master sailor as part of a change to gender-neutral rank names.

References

Military ranks of Canada Naval ranks