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The Canadian Rangers (also called the Arctic Rangers) are a reserve sub-component 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." This singular institution consists of thre...
, which provide a limited military presence in Canada's sparsely settled northern, coastal, and isolated areas. Formally established on May 23 1947, the main duty of this volunteer, part-time force is to conduct surveillance or sovereignty patrols (SOV PATS) as required. Some Canadian Rangers also conduct inspections of the North Warning System (NWS) sites.






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The Canadian Rangers (also called the Arctic Rangers) are a reserve sub-component 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." This singular institution consists of thre...
, which provide a limited military presence in Canada's sparsely settled northern, coastal, and isolated areas. Formally established on May 23 1947, the main duty of this volunteer, part-time force is to conduct surveillance or sovereignty patrols (SOV PATS) as required. Some Canadian Rangers also conduct inspections of the North Warning System (NWS) sites. Each Canadian Ranger is issued a red Ranger sweatshirt, armband
Armband

An armband is a piece of cloth worn around the arm over the sleeve of other clothing to mark the wearer as belonging to group, having a certain rank or role, or being in a particular state or condition....
, baseball cap
Baseball cap

A baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a long, stiff bill that may either be curved or flat. The back of the cap may have a plastic, Velcro, or Elastomer adjuster so that it can be quickly adjusted to fit different wearers....
, and a safety vest, and in some northern remote areas, snowmobile
Snowmobile

A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, is a land vehicle for travel on snow that is commonly propelled by a continuous track or tracks at the rear and steered by skis at the front....
s. The Rangers are a fully volunteer force made up largely of Inuit
Inuit

Inuit is a general term for a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Russia and Alaska, United States....
. Members of the Rangers are only paid when on training and special missions. The Canadian Rangers are now considered to be part of the Canadian Army.

History

Modern Canadian Rangers can trace their history back to the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers (PCMR). Formed on March 3 1942, the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers were volunteers who patrolled, performed military surveillance, and provided local defence of the coastlines of British Columbia, and in the Yukon against the wartime threat of a possible Japanese invasion. At their height, the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers consisted of 15,000 volunteers in 138 companies. The Pacific Coast Militia Rangers were officially dismantled on September 30 1945.

Patrol Area of the PCMR


The PCMR was comprised of 138 companies under 3 major patrol areas, which were Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Ocean coast of North America between 1791 and 1794....
, the Lower Fraser Valley and the Bridge River Area. Some of the main officers of the PCMR were Lieutenant-Colonel C.W. Peck, Lieutenant-Colonel A.L. Coote and Major
Major

In many European languages, the term Major refers to a military rank, denoting seniority at one of usually various levels of rank, for example: "Sergeant-Major" denoting the most senior ranking sergeant of a large military unit; "Captain-Major", denoting a mid-level command status Officer ...
 H. Ashby. There are currently 4,000 Canadian Rangers serving in five Canadian Ranger Patrol Groups (CRPG) in 165 communities. By 2008, they are expected to reach a strength of 4,800.

Equipment


MakeTypeQuantityYear Entered ServiceDetails
Bombardier Recreational Products
Bombardier Recreational Products

Bombardier Recreational Products or BRP is a Canadian companies that traces its roots back to the year 1942 when Joseph-Armand Bombardier founded L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limit?e in Valcourt in the Eastern Townships, Quebec....
 Ski-Doos 		snowmobile N/A 1980s
N/A rigid hull motor boats N/A 1980s  
Scott Canoe aluminum canoes N/A 1980s  
Lee Enfield No. 4 rifle rifle N/A 1940s using .303 British
.303 British

.303 British, or 7.7mmx56R, is a .311 inch calibre rifle and machine gun Cartridge first developed in United Kingdom in the 1880s as a blackpowder round, later adapted to use cordite and then smokeless powder propellant....
N/A GPS compass N/A 1990s  
N/A astrocompass N/A N/A
N/A shortwave radio N/A N/A


Weapons


The previously issued weapon of the Canadian Rangers was the .303 British
.303 British

.303 British, or 7.7mmx56R, is a .311 inch calibre rifle and machine gun Cartridge first developed in United Kingdom in the 1880s as a blackpowder round, later adapted to use cordite and then smokeless powder propellant....
 calibre Lee Enfield No 4 rifle
Lee-Enfield

The Lee-Enfield bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire/Commonwealth of Nations during the first half of the 20th century....
, which had 200 rounds of ammunition each year. While the Lee Enfield is an old WWII-era, bolt-action rifle, it has proved very reliable in freezing Arctic
Arctic

The Arctic is the region around the Earth's North Pole, opposite the Antarctica region around the South Pole. The Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Greenland , Russia, the United States , Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland....
 conditions. Rangers are still permitted to carry the weapon, even though they are no longer expected to engage enemy forces. Because of this, the requirement to carry a firearm has been dropped.

On 10 August 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper

Stephen Joseph Harper, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Member of the Canadian House of Commons is the List of Prime Ministers of Canada and current Prime Minister of Canada, and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada....
 announced the Canadian Forces Land Force Command
Canadian Forces Land Force Command

Land Force Command , often also called the Canada Army, is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces.The current size of Land Force Command is 19,500 regular soldiers and 16,000 reserve soldiers, for a total of around 35,500 soldiers....
 is embarking on a Canadian Ranger Modernization Program which will procure a replacement weapon for the Lee-Enfield.

Patrol areas

There are five main patrol areas of the Rangers. Those are the Canadian Forces Northern Area (CFNA), Land Forces Quebec Area (LFQA), Land Forces Central Area (LFCA), Land Forces Western Area (LFWA) and the Land Forces Atlantic Area (LFAA).
Patrol Area# of Patrols# of RangersHeadquarters
CFNA 58 1575 Yellowknife, NWT
LFQA 23 696 CFB Saint-Jean, Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
LFCA 15 422 CFB Borden
CFB Borden

Canadian Forces Base Borden is a Canadian Forces base located in Ontario.The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, CFB Borden is the largest training facility in the Canadian Forces....
, Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
LFWA 38 695 Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is a major tourism destination seeing more than 3.65 million visitors a year who inject more than one billion dollars into the local economy....
, BC
LFAA 29 743 Gander
Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador

Gander is a Canada town located in northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately south of Gander Bay, south of Twillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador and east of Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador....
, NL


The Junior Canadian Rangers
Junior Canadian Rangers

Junior Canadian Rangers is an organisation linked to the Canadian Rangers, which aims to offer young Canada, aged 12 to 18 in remote and isolated communities across Canada an opportunity to participate in a range of activities in a formal setting....
 Programme was created on May 31 1996, and consists of 3,000 members in 104 locations, and is expected to expand to 3,800 members by 2008. Under the supervision of the Canadian Rangers, the Junior Canadian Ranger Programme is open to young Canadians, from ages 12 to 18.

Issued on September 1 1942, the training publication, The Ranger, was in circulation for the PCMR, as it contained such articles as "Know where to shoot", "Edible plants of BC", "What can you do with a tarp?", and "Dig or die".

The Canadian Rangers' motto is "Vigilans".

See also

  • Regional Force Surveillance Units
    Regional Force Surveillance Units

    The Regional Force Surveillance Units are specialised units of the Australian Army responsible for patrolling northern Australia. The RFSUs regularly conduct operational patrols during peacetime, and the reservists who make up 90% of the RFSUs personnel carry out most of their training during these patrols....


External links

  • NWT Historical Timeline, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre