A change of pace: the Chief of Defence Staff is guardsman for a day
Friday, August 19, 2005

“Guardsmen” Rick Hillier (fourth from left) and Daniel Gilbert (third from right) waiting for inspection on Parliament Hill with other Ceremonial Guard colleagues.

OTTAWA, Ontario — Admittedly a little green, it had been years—a lot of years—since they had performed drill, nonetheless both beamed beneath their bearskin hats even in the beating sun.
 
"Guardsmen" Rick Hillier and Daniel Gilbert—known on any other day as the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and the Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) respectively—paraded with the Old Guard on Parliament Hill.
 

“Guardsman” Rick Hillier

In fact, just moments before leaving Cartier Square Drill Hall for the Hill, General Hillier said he had chills down his spine. Describing the Ceremonial Guard (CG) as a Canadian institution, encompassing teamwork, fitness, cohesion and leadership, he said it reflected superbly on the men and women in uniform. "To be part of it, if only for one day," said Gen Hillier, "was phenomenal. I'm thrilled."
 
The CG, a composite of two Reserve units, The Governor General's Foot Guards of Ottawa and the Canadian Grenadier Guards of Montréal, number nearly 350. The second largest tourist attraction in Canada—Niagara Falls is first—between 2 000 to 4 000 people crowd the lawn on Parliament Hill daily to view the ceremony. The Changing of the Guard is performed daily, from June to August, weather permitting.

Major Shawn McKinstry, commanding officer of the CG, says when he first learned what Gen Hillier had in mind; he was "a little shocked." He immediately had a compressed training schedule drawn up and decided to place the two with the Old, rather than the New Guard.
 

“Guardsman” Daniel Gilbert

And while that decision was based on the fact that the Old Guard does fewer drill movements, its members tend to be most affected by the heat because they move so infrequently.

Luckily, the weather was a bit more forgiving that day, with a marked reduction in humidity, but the temperature still soared. "The CDS dodged a bullet today," says Maj McKinstry of the weather.

For CWO Gilbert, he says he felt 17 again. Grinning from ear to ear, he says drill practice one day earlier was, well, relaxing. "It clears your mind of everything." Asked if drill was like riding a bike—something you never forget—he said yes, with one important caveat. "It may have been a bit wobblier at first than riding a bike," he adds with a twinkle.
 
Grenadier Guard Corporal Allan Carvalho paraded beside Gen Hillier. A marketing student at Bishop's University, he admits it was a little nerve racking at first. "We worked with them for four hours yesterday," he says. "They really knew their stuff. They really did."

Article by Kristina Davis
Photos by Master Corporal Eric Gordon