 The
original militia in Canada was really groups of citizens organizing
into a security force to protect their families and communities
when threatened by outside forces. Settlers, equipped with whatever
weapon was at hand, collected together for protection and then
when the threat ceased, disbanded and returned to farming or hunting.
In 1673, Count Frontenac, then the French Governor of Canada in
what is now Kingston Ontario, formalized the notion by directing
all adult men to drill together monthly. The British kept and expanded
this tradition following the Conquest in 1759. Originally these
militias provided logistical support to the British fighting troops
rather than being a fighting force.
In 1855 the Militia Act was passed in Canada, officially creating
the Militia. (The Air and Naval Reserve were not established
until the 1920’s).
 The
Militia evolved during the 20th century from a recruiting agency
for the Regular Army (1912), to a massive fighting force called
the Canadian Expeditionary Force (1915), through post war reductions
following World War II, into a post nuclear survival force (1957),
surviving force reductions in 1964, to the Land Force Reserve Restructuring
(LFRR) ongoing today.
The Militia is known today as the Army Reserve.
The Army Reserve is progressively more active than it has been
in years with an increased operational
role in the Canadian contribution toward the maintenance of
peace and security in the world.
Check here to learn more about the history of Canada’s Reserve
Army; The
Evolution of Canada’s Militia
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