The Canadian Cadet Organizations, marketed under the name of Cadets Canada, are a

youth program Youth programs are particular activities designed to involve people between the ages of 10 and 25. Activities included are generally oriented towards youth development through recreation, social life, prevention, intervention, or education. Duri ...

known as the

Royal Canadian Sea Cadets The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets (RCSC; ) is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Armed Forces and the civilian Navy League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, the program is funded through the Department of Nati ...

Royal Canadian Army Cadets The Royal Canadian Army Cadets (RCAC; ) is a national Canadian youth program sponsored by the Canadian Armed Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Under the authority of the National Defence Act, the program is administered by th ...

, and

Royal Canadian Air Cadets The Royal Canadian Air Cadets () is a Canadian national youth program for young individuals aged 12 to 18. Under the authority of the National Defence Act, ''National Defence Act'', the program is administered by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) ...

. The program is sponsored by and funded through support from the civilian Navy League, the Army Cadet League and the Air Cadet League, as well as local community sponsors that include service organizations and parent sponsoring groups supervised by the Leagues.

Overview

Cadet corps and squadrons exist in communities large and small from coast to coast to coast.Cadets , Cadet Unit Directory
Cadets are not members of the Canadian Armed Forces, nor is the program a prerequisite for military service. Adult leadership is provided primarily by the Cadet Organization Administration and Training Service. Members of the

Cadet Instructors Cadre The Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC; ) consists of approximately 7,500 Canadian Forces (CF) training officers. The branch is the largest single group within the Canadian Forces reserve force subcomponent Cadet Organizations Administration and Traini ...

Branch are managed by Primary Reserve and retired members of all branches and trades, as well as civilian instructors and volunteers who have gone through a thorough screening process. The aim of the program is to:"Develop in youth the attributes of good citizenship and leadership; promote physical fitness; and stimulate the interest of youth in the sea, land, and air activities of the Canadian Forces." All elements of the CCO are under the command of the Commander, Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers (CJCR).

History

In 1862, five years before

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

, "drill associations" were set up in Canada as a response to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. These early drill associations served to train

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

and were open to people over the age of 13. In 1879, the government authorized the creation of 74 "Association for Drill in Educational Institutions", drill associations that were open to male youth over the age of 14 and which did not entail active service in the military. The Riel Rebellion of 1885 motivated increased support to these youth drill associations. By 1887, they were called the cadet corps and were open to boys over the age of 12. It was not until July 30, 1970 (the result of a change in legislation) that girls were officially permitted to join government-supported cadet corps and squadrons. Until then, girls paraded as "Wrennettes" supported by the Navy League and Air "Cadettes" supported by the Air Cadet League. On rare occasions, girls paraded unofficially with army cadets.

Musical groups

The three Cadet organizations maintain a number of volunteer bands, typically assisted by members of

Canadian military bands Canadian military bands are a group of personnel in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) that performs musical duties for military functions. Military bands form a part of the Band Branch (Canadian Forces), Music Branch of the CAF, composed of six ful ...

in the

Regular Force In the Canadian Armed Forces, a Regular Force unit or person is part of the full-time military, as opposed to being part of the Primary Reserve which has more flexibility. There are many bases and wings across Canada, and factors like trade, caree ...

and

Primary Reserve The Primary Reserve of the Canadian Armed Forces () is the first and largest of the four sub-components of the Canadian Armed Forces reserves, followed by the Supplementary Reserve, the Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service (f ...

. The bands are primarily staffed by cadets from their respective organizations. The music program of Cadets Canada supports only three types of bands: military bands, bugle bands, and pipe bands. The drum major of these bands use a different command style from their counterparts in the CF, with different commands including counter-march and mark-time.

References

External links

Canadian Cadet Organizations

National RCSC Unit Directory
{{Cadets Canada Canadian Cadet organizations 1862 establishments in Canada

Overview

History

Musical groups

See also

References

External links