340:
556:. The tradition began on Canada Day in 1959 when the 1st Battalion of the Canadian Guards mounted the new guard on Parliament Hill with its band and corps of drums. The ceremony was so popular that the Ottawa Board of Trade asked for permission from the army to continue the ceremony the following year. A full company of two platoons is employed in daily public duties, with both divisions of one platoon parading as the "new guard" – those to take over duties at Rideau Hall – and the other platoon of the company split, one division parading as "old guard", and the other performing sentry duties at Rideau Hall and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for the day.
617:
608:(If the governor general is currently in residence at Rideau Hall, the officers wear a gold sash and march on the King's Colour). With the colours marched on, the new guard advances at the slow march, ceremonially "taking up the ground" from the old guard. The old guard and new guard salute each other at present arms. Following this, the old guard commander presents the key to the Guard Room at Rideau Hall to the new guard commander. The parade is then formed into three ranks and marched off at the slow march, transitioning into the quick march. The order of march differs only in that the old guard is now at the rear.
584:. While the New Guard is en route to Parliament Hill the Old Guard forms up behind the East Block with the colour. They set off at approximately 9:46 a.m. with the Pipes and Drums of the Ceremonial Guard leading. They march to the east lawn and move into position, then they await the New Guard arriving. The New Guard makes a right turn onto Elgin Street up to the National War Memorial and onto Wellington Street before the parade arrives on Parliament Hill precisely at 10 a.m. At this time the band begins to play "
474:
49:
688:
649:
636:
sentries, two escorts, and a bagpiper. The posting NCO, sentries, and escorts are all dressed in full scarlet uniforms and carry rifles with bayonets fixed. The party marches to the Sussex Drive gate of Rideau Hall, where the first two sentries are posted and have their duties read to them. The party then marches back to Rideau Hall itself, where the two remaining sentries are posted and have their duties read. The sentries may change more often due to weather issues; e.g. on an extremely hot day.
596:
old guard. After the old and new guards are formed from three ranks into two and independently dressed off for proper alignment, the two sergeants of the guard – commanders of the two divisions of new guard – advance to be inspected by the company sergeant-major. Following inspection, the number two division sergeant marches to his position while the number one division sergeant stands still. The new guard is then given the order "Get on parade", at which point they advance to the tune of "
444:. The only colours flown in the ceremonies are those of the two guards regiments. The unit exists with a full composition only from the end of May to the end of August. During the rest of the year a small administrative corps remains to prepare for next year's public duties season, and beginning in early May the unit stands up partially to allow for the conduct of Basic Military Qualification and other military courses as required. The unit also plans and executes the Canadian Forces
503:
491:
565:
196:
1118:
528:) are made up of musicians from the GGFG and the CGG. Musicians are drawn from military units and colleges or universities across Canada, and are auditioned months in advance. All new musicians must pass the Canadian Armed Forces Basic Military Qualification Course (BMQ) before they can be employed with the Ceremonial Guard.
595:
The parade marches onto the east lawn of
Parliament, with the band centred at the northernmost edge of the lawn and facing south. The old guard is in position on the west side of the east lawn and faces the east block, while the new guard marches to the east side of the lawn and faces west toward the
735:
in 2011). The Band of the
Ceremonial Guard has many engagements outside of public duties. The Ceremonial Guard's main mission and focus is in Ottawa, the capital city. In between their turns, alongside the regiments forming up the Ceremonial Guard, the Ontario and Quebec area personnel from the Army
639:
Throughout the day Rideau Hall is visited by the officer commanding of the parade and the company sergeant-major. They generally elect to observe a relief of the sentries, and sometimes the officer commanding will take a report from the sentries on duty. The officer and the guard sergeant for Rideau
635:
The sentries are posted daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, every hour on the hour. At 9 a.m. the posting non-commissioned member (NCO) – generally a sergeant or a master corporal but sometimes a corporal from the ranks – marches out accompanied by the two
631:
The other highly visible public duty of the
Ceremonial Guard is sentry duty at Rideau Hall, as the Canadian War Memorial is sentried by the National Sentry Program. The sentries are ceremonial only and do not generally perform actual guard duty; all are trained military personnel and procedures and
603:
Following the inspection of the new guard, the old guard is inspected. After this inspection, the sergeants of the guard and division seconds-in-command are ordered to "take post" – the sergeant of the guard marches from the right flank to directly behind the guard, while the second-in-command
319:
Since its inception, it has served for over 60 seasons spanning 60 years. In 2016, the
Ceremonial Guard ceased to be an independent unit and was reformed as a sub-unit within the GGFG. In 2020, for the first time since its inception, the summer program was cancelled due to the
699:
In addition to the
Changing of the Guard, the Ceremonial Guard takes part in many other functions, such as the annual Governor General's review of the Guard. This inspection takes place prior to the first Guard mount on Parliament Hill normally in late June, the
664:, was standing guard as a ceremonial sentry at the National War Memorial when he was shot with a hunting rifle by Michael Joseph Zehaf-Bibeau. Zehaf-Bibeau fired two shots: One at Cirillo, and one at another sentry, which missed. He then drove to
632:
orders exist for the
Ceremonial Guard to adopt an armed night guard of Rideau Hall should sufficient security threat arise. The sentries at the tomb are part of National Sentry Program (April 9–November 11), which the CG organizes.
448:"Fortissimo". This takes place each year in July in conjunction with month-long Canada Day celebrations. All members of the Ceremonial Guard are fully trained members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
661:
740:
regiments stationed in their respective provinces, alongside those from other provinces of the country, handle the guard changing duties only at the
National War Memorial, reinforced by the
842:
864:
276:
regiment, which served in ceremonial occasions for 20 years in the 1950s and 1960s. It conducted its first guard mount on
Parliament Hill on 2 July 1959 in the presence of Queen
192:
being sentried by the
National Sentry Program (NSP), which is carried out by different regiments and other units in order of precedence throughout the summer until mid-November.
331:
process, there was no
Changing of the Guard and no Fortissimo, with the "Canada on the March" marking Ceremonial Guard’s return after a three-year pause due to the pandemic.
1197:
1039:
600:" from the band, and form up dressed off the sergeants of the guard. The new guard's persons and weapons are inspected by the company commander, and they are stood at ease.
292:
In 1971, the responsibility for the Changing of the Guard ceremony fell to the CGG and GGFG. In 1980, the Ceremonial Guard was created to execute public duties in the
820:
576:
with the drum major, followed by the band, and the two divisions of the "new guard". Turning north onto Queen Elizabeth Drive, the parade continues underneath the
417:. The Public Duties Company is further broken down into platoons and divisions. It has four divisions of about 20–26 soldiers. The CG can also form an
1087:
944:
640:
Hall may also elect to do rounds to check on both of the sentry posts. Grand rounds may also be executed by the commanding officer of the unit.
280:. Beginning in the early 1970s, the CGG and the GGFG were added to the Public Duties Detachment (PDD) of the Canadian Guards, due to it being
834:
652:
Corporal Nathan Cirillo was on sentry duty at the National War Memorial, similar to the sentries in this picture, when he was fatally shot.
978:
856:
401:
The total strength is about 350 people, the size of a small battalion. The uniforms worn represent both infantry guards regiments of the
1202:
717:
657:
455:, and rank insignia worn on the uniforms generally follow the pattern currently in force. Members of the CG each carry an unloaded
1006:
955:
909:
339:
304:
604:
marches from the left flank to the right. The parade is then called to the present arms for the marching on of the regimental
812:
303:
until 1985, changed its name to the Ceremonial Guard in 1979, when the unit became mixed sex due to a compromise by the
1207:
1187:
247:
upon their disbandment. Since 2007, it has been staffed from a pan–Canadian Forces approach, drawing members from the
1122:
728:
660:, a gunman attacked multiple locations at Parliament Hill. Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a 24-year-old reservist with the
544:
in Ottawa. The Changing of the Guard Ceremony is a parade representing the changing of the guards/sentries posted at
402:
228:
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679:
Corporal Curtis Barrett. Corporal Cirillo died of his wounds later that day, at the Ottawa Hospital's Civic Campus.
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293:
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189:
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745:
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281:
468:
383:
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1040:"Canada's loneliest hero: Why you've never heard of this RCMP officer who shot the Parliament Hill gunman"
321:
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that takes place in late July or early August on Parliament Hill, and the Guard's final parade,
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173:
122:
78:
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provided by the 1st Battalion, Canadian Guards, during the visit of West German Chancellor
669:
8:
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on the matter that women could not join the guard due to its status as an infantry unit.
248:
913:
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748:, as part of the aforementioned National Sentry Program of the Canadian Armed Forces.
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536:
The primary and most visible function of the Ceremonial Guard is, as mentioned, the
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48:
20:
1173:
Paul James Bannerman Drumming in the Band of the Ceremonial Guard in Ottawa 1988
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that form a separate company. The members of the Band of the Ceremonial Guard (
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300:
207:. The uniforms that the CG are wearing represent the different services of the
200:
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As with any guard unit in the Canadian Forces, uniforms originate from the
277:
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224:
185:
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421:
979:"Parliament Hill shooting top political story of 2014: exclusive poll"
835:"When Ottawa was forced to change its Changing of the Guard ceremony"
519:
857:"Changing of the Guard on Parliament Hill cancelled due to COVID-19"
1168:
2009 Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo 23 Canadian Guard Drill
564:
414:
240:
195:
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Guardsmen train for Parliament Hill’s Changing The Guard ceremony
440:
of its own as it is not a permanent unit in the Canadian Forces'
220:
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625:
406:
352:
232:
204:
168:
89:
1007:"Canadian police release video of Ottawa gunman during attack"
359:
When the Guard comes together, it consists of the following:
910:"The best military band in Canada is full of purple talent"
813:"On the hill: RMR Soldiers parade with ceremonial guard"
704:
celebration (specifically the noon show) on 1 July, the
235:, of which the Ceremonial Guard is a sub-unit, and the
723:'s procession at Parliament), important visits (Queen
1198:
Military units and formations disestablished in 1969
956:
Who forms the Canadian military's ceremonial guard?
668:, and was subsequently killed in a firefight with
53:A sentry with the CG at the National War Memorial.
1179:
1143:A Day in the Life of a Ceremonial Guard Musician
786:
712:, at the end of August. It also participates in
16:Ceremonial military units in the Canadian Forces
580:and then turns left onto the ramp leading onto
1064:"Ottawa shooting timeline: 10 hours of terror"
787:National Defence, Canadian Army (2013-02-25).
19:For ceremonial military units in general, see
203:inspects members of the CG during a visit to
1163:Inspection of the Ceremonial Guard by the GG
523:
514:The Ceremonial Guard also maintains its own
34:
1088:"Annual Inspection of the Ceremonial Guard"
662:Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada
215:The CG once drew principally from the two
47:
1148:Ceremonial Guard Governor General Address
945:Ceremonial Guard launches its 60th season
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272:The Ceremonial Guard originated from the
1153:Canada's Ceremonial Guard: Inside Ottawa
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615:
563:
472:
338:
194:
1004:
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817:The Royal Montreal Regiment Foundation
568:Canadian Grenadiers marching during CG
1000:
998:
934:BAND OF THE CEREMONIAL GUARD CONCERT
682:
13:
995:
432:The Ceremonial Guard maintains no
307:as a result of a complaint to the
14:
1219:
1110:
729:Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
299:The PDD, which had been based at
1138:The Band of the Ceremonial Guard
1116:
1038:Ivison, John (21 October 2016).
845:from the original on 2019-06-25.
823:from the original on 2020-10-01.
691:Band of the Ceremonial Guard at
548:, the official residence of the
525:Musique de la Garde de cérémonie
507:Ceremonial Guard - Ottawa - 2016
501:
489:
309:Canadian Human Rights Commission
243:, who assumed the duties of the
1080:
1056:
1031:
971:
960:
867:from the original on 2020-04-06
733:Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
1203:Governor General's Foot Guards
1090:. 21 June 2019. Archived from
1005:Gambino, Lauren (2014-10-24).
949:
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927:
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878:
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780:
403:Governor General's Foot Guards
334:
329:Parliament Hill Rehabilitation
305:Department of National Defence
229:Governor General's Foot Guards
1:
773:
746:Royal Canadian Mounted Police
758:Australia's Federation Guard
706:"Fortissimo" Sunset Ceremony
477:Band of the Ceremonial Guard
469:Band of the Ceremonial Guard
427:
384:Band of the Ceremonial Guard
327:In 2023, as a result of the
314:
287:
7:
751:
559:
10:
1224:
466:
262:
18:
1208:Canadian Grenadier Guards
1188:Canadian ceremonial units
611:
574:Cartier Square Drill Hall
572:The parade begins at the
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411:Canadian Grenadier Guards
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237:Canadian Grenadier Guards
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33:
28:
257:Royal Canadian Air Force
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294:National Capital Region
282:reduced to nil strength
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644:October 2014 shootings
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598:The British Grenadiers
586:The 10 Provinces March
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363:Public Duties Company
356:
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184:and posts sentries at
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967:Changing of the Guard
886:"Canada on the March"
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622:Canadian War Memorial
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578:Laurier Avenue Bridge
567:
538:Changing of the Guard
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342:
198:
190:National War Memorial
174:Canadian Armed Forces
172:military unit in the
123:4th Canadian Division
79:Canadian Armed Forces
1193:Parliament of Canada
1125:at Wikimedia Commons
620:Two sentries at the
380:Headquarters Company
710:Trooping the Colour
249:Royal Canadian Navy
819:. 27 August 2016.
789:"Ceremonial Guard"
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654:
629:
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495:10 Provinces March
479:
357:
213:
178:changing the guard
176:that performs the
164:Garde de cérémonie
36:Garde de cérémonie
1121:Media related to
718:Opposition leader
714:military funerals
512:
511:
434:regimental colour
322:COVID-19 pandemic
149:
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1134:
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1131:Official website
1123:Ceremonial Guard
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912:. Archived from
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841:. 25 June 2019.
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763:Fort Henry Guard
742:Canadian Rangers
683:Other activities
670:Sergeant-at-Arms
658:October 22, 2014
554:governor general
550:Canadian monarch
527:
505:
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424:from its ranks.
156:Ceremonial Guard
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29:Ceremonial Guard
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861:CTV News Ottawa
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738:Primary Reserve
685:
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542:Parliament Hill
534:
502:
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484:External videos
471:
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446:beating retreat
442:order of battle
436:nor has it any
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389:Pipes and Drums
345:guard of honour
337:
317:
290:
274:Canadian Guards
270:
265:
245:Canadian Guards
223:) regiments of
217:Primary Reserve
209:Canadian Forces
182:Parliament Hill
152:
133:Ottawa, Ontario
94:Primary Reserve
54:
40:
24:
21:guard of honour
17:
12:
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1111:External links
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1094:on 1 July 2019
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890:Ottawa Tourism
877:
863:. 2020-04-03.
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716:(for example,
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467:Main article:
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457:Colt Canada C7
438:battle honours
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916:on 2018-09-06
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673:Kevin Vickers
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1096:. Retrieved
1092:the original
1082:
1071:. Retrieved
1067:
1058:
1047:. Retrieved
1043:
1033:
1022:. Retrieved
1011:The Guardian
1010:
986:. Retrieved
982:
973:
962:
951:
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929:
918:. Retrieved
914:the original
904:
893:. Retrieved
889:
880:
869:. Retrieved
860:
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829:
816:
807:
796:. Retrieved
792:
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725:Elizabeth II
698:
666:Centre Block
655:
638:
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602:
594:
590:Howard Cable
571:
535:
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453:King's Guard
450:
431:
418:
405:(GGFG) from
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372:3rd Division
369:2nd Division
366:1st Division
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278:Elizabeth II
271:
231:(GGFG) from
214:
180:ceremony on
167:
159:
155:
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119:Part of
88:
62:1959-present
1068:Global News
983:Global News
721:Jack Layton
552:and of the
546:Rideau Hall
413:(CGG) from
375:PD Division
335:Composition
239:(CGG) from
225:foot guards
199:US General
188:, with the
186:Rideau Hall
129:Garrison/HQ
1182:Categories
1073:2020-09-25
1049:2020-09-25
1024:2020-09-25
988:2020-09-25
920:2018-09-06
895:2023-07-14
871:2021-12-05
798:2023-06-21
774:References
702:Canada Day
693:Fortissimo
284:in 1970.
162:; French:
145:(unloaded)
1019:0261-3077
727:in 2010,
520:pipe band
428:Personnel
315:Modernity
288:Expansion
865:Archived
843:Archived
821:Archived
752:See also
744:and the
560:Changing
415:Montreal
409:and the
355:in 1964.
255:and the
241:Montreal
166:) is an
41:(French)
606:colours
459:rifle.
263:History
221:militia
67:Country
1098:1 July
1017:
626:Ottawa
612:Sentry
532:Duties
419:ad hoc
407:Ottawa
353:Ottawa
268:Origin
251:, the
233:Ottawa
227:; the
205:Ottawa
169:ad hoc
90:ad hoc
75:Branch
70:Canada
59:Active
39:
588:" by
139:Rifle
1100:2019
1015:ISSN
731:and
695:2012
677:RCMP
675:and
518:and
463:Band
154:The
111:Size
101:Role
96:unit
85:Type
839:CBC
656:On
624:in
540:on
351:to
114:300
1184::
1066:.
1042:.
1013:.
1009:.
997:^
981:.
888:.
859:.
837:.
815:.
791:.
592:.
343:A
324:.
296:.
259:.
160:CG
1102:.
1076:.
1052:.
1027:.
991:.
923:.
898:.
874:.
801:.
219:(
211:.
158:(
23:.
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