Master Corporal

"(1) The Chief of the Defence Staff

Chief of the Defence Staff

The Chief of the Defence Staff can refer to:*Chief of the Defence Staff *Chief of the Defence Staff *Chief of the Defence Staff *Chief of the Defence Staff ...
 or such officer as he may designate may appoint a corporal as a master corporal.
(2) The rank of a master corporal remains that of corporal.

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Encyclopedia

Master Corporal (MCpl) ( or ), in 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...
, is an appointment of the rank of Corporal

Corporal

Corporal is a Military rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to Ranks and insignia of NATO....
 in the Army

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....
 and Air Force

Canadian Forces Air Command

Canadian Forces Air Command , also known as the Canadian Air Force, is the air force element of the Canadian Forces. AIRCOM is the descendant of the Royal Canadian Air Force , which was Canada's air force from its foundation in 1924 until February 1, 1968....
. Its Naval

Canadian Forces Maritime Command

Canadian Forces Maritime Command , also known as the Canadian Navy, is the navy of the Canadian Forces. While equal in rank and position, The Chief of the Maritime Staff takes precedence over the Chiefs of the Land and Air Staffs following the tradition of the Royal Navy....
 equivalent is Master Seaman

Master Seaman

Master Seaman , or matelot-chef in French language, is a non-commissioned member Military rank of the Canadian Navy, which is between Leading Seaman and Petty Officer 2nd Class ....
 (MS) (French: matelot-chef or matc).

According to the Queen's Regulations and Orders:

"(1) The Chief of the Defence Staff

Chief of the Defence Staff

The Chief of the Defence Staff can refer to:*Chief of the Defence Staff *Chief of the Defence Staff *Chief of the Defence Staff *Chief of the Defence Staff ...
 or such officer as he may designate may appoint a corporal as a master corporal.
(2) The rank of a master corporal remains that of corporal.
(3) Master corporals have seniority among themselves in their order of seniority as corporals.
(4) Master corporals have authority and powers of command over all other corporals." —

Master Corporal, while formally an appointment, is treated as a de facto non-commissioned member

Non-commissioned member

A non-commissioned member , in the Canadian 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 officer to, the Canadian Forces?"...
 rank, and is often described as such, even in official documents.

As mentioned above, the Master Corporal is senior to the Corporal (and its Naval counterpart, Leading Seaman

Leading Seaman

Leading Seaman is a non-commissioned member rank or rate in navy, particularly those of the Commonwealth of Nations....
). It is junior to the rank of Sergeant

Sergeant

Sergeant is a Military rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
 (Sgt) and its equivalent naval rank, Petty Officer 2nd Class

Petty Officer 2nd Class

Petty Officer 2nd Class or PO2 is a Canadian Forces Maritime Command non-commissioned member rank of the Canadian Forces. It is senior to the rank of Master Seaman and its equivalents, and junior to Petty Officer 1st Class and its equivalents....
 (PO2). Master Corporals and Master Seamen together with Corporals and Leading Seamen make up the cadre of junior non-commissioned officers

Non-commissioned officer

A non-commissioned officer , also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted rank member of an armed force who has been given authority by a officer ....
.

The rank insignia of a Master Corporal is a 2-bar chevron, worn point down, surmounted by a maple leaf. Embroidered rank badges are worn in "CF gold" thread on rifle green (Army) or Air Force blue (Air Force) melton, stitched to the upper sleeves of the Service Dress jacket; as miniature gold metal and rifle-green enamel badges on the collars of the Army dress shirt and Army outerwear jackets; in "old-gold" thread on Air Force blue slip-ons on Air Force shirts, sweaters, and coats; and in tan (Army) or dark blue (Air Force) thread on CADPAT slip-ons on the Operational Dress uniform. Insignia for mess kit is determined by branch or regimental tradition.

Master Corporals normally mess

Mess

A mess is the place where military personnel socialise, eat, and live. In some societies this military usage has extended to other disciplined services eateries such as civilian fire fighting and police forces....
 and billet with the Junior Ranks

Junior Ranks

Junior Ranks is the collective term in Canada for all the non-commissioned members ranked below that of Sergeant/Petty Officer 2nd Class; in other words, all Non-commissioned officers#Canada and Private s....
.

History

The Master Corporal appointment came into existence after the Unification of the armed forces of Canada in the late 1960s. A power vacuum was inadvertently created when private soldiers were promoted to the rank of corporal as an incentive for continuing in the Forces at a time when Unification (and the role of the United States in the Vietnam War) made the military an unpopular option for employment. Eventually, corporals who had passed the "B" phase of their leadership training took to wearing a crown over their chevrons, and this arrangement was eventually formalized by having a maple leaf replace the crown, and the new "'B' Corporals", as they were known, became Master Corporals.

Responsibilities

The rank, formally an appointment

Appointment

Appointment may refer to a number of things, including the following:*An appointment is a time reserved for something such as a Physician visit, much like a reservation....
 as a senior corporal

Corporal

Corporal is a Military rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to Ranks and insignia of NATO....
, gives the MCpl authority over all privates and corporals. As such, a MCpl is a first level supervisor who will be assessed on his/her ability to manage and develop subordinates. Given the structure of the Canadian

Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 infantry

Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
 platoon

Platoon

A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four Section or squads and containing about 30 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organised into a company , which typically consists of three, four or five platoons....
, the MCpl is roughly equivalent to the British

British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
 rank of full corporal, one grade above lance corporal

Lance Corporal

Lance Corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of Corporal, and is typically the lowest Non-commissioned officer or enlisted rank, usually equivalent to the Ranks and insignia of NATO....
 and therefore, second in command of an infantry section

Section (military unit)

A section is a small infantry military unit first introduced in the British Army. A section generally consists of about seven or eight soldiers, with a junior-Non-commissioned officer as commander....
.

Requirements

The general requirements for promotion to Master Corporal include a Qualification Level 5 course

Course (education)

In U.S. education, a course is a unit of teaching that typically lasts one academic term, is led by one or more instructors , has a fixed roster of students, and gives each student a grade and academic Credit ....
 (known as a Journeyman course in some trades), a primary leadership

Leadership

Leadership is one of the most salient aspects of the organizational context. However, defining leadership has been challenging. The following sections discuss several important aspects of leadership including a description of what leadership is and a description of several popular theories and styles of leadership....
 qualification course (PLQ), and a time in the rank of Corporal for a minimum of two years.

However, certain trades have their own particular qualifications in addition to the above. For example, infantry

Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
 combines the Qualification Level 5B course, Qualification Level 6A, and Junior Leader's course in a single Infantry Section Commander's Course. In addition to be promoted to Master Corporal an infantry soldier must have a machine gunner's specialization course.

Master Corporals often serve as Training Non-Commissioned Officers for the purposes of training new soldiers. They are often a new recruit's first taste of military life.