THE CANADIAN RANGERS TODAY

Following the end of World War II, the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers role expanded to include other remote and coastal parts of Canada. They were relaunched in 1947 as the Canadian Rangers. In the 1970s, increased interest in protecting Canada’s North renewed interest in the Ranger program.

Today, there are more than 5000 Rangers covering areas that the Canadian Forces can’t conveniently or economically reach. The Rangers are the military’s eyes and ears: hence their motto, Vigilans (The Watchers). Rangers are made up of Inuit, First Nations, Métis and non-Aboriginals depending on each community’s local demographics.

In Canada’s North, 1 CRPG is an especially strategic presence. There is hot interest in the highly contested Northwest Passage, where five nations are vying for controls of the waterway and the potential resource riches that lie beneath. The Rangers help maintain Canada’s ongoing presence in the region by participating in sovereignty and surveillance patrols and training.

Across Canada, the Canadian Rangers assist with other Domestic operations. They take part in routine Search and Rescue Operations and significantly contribute during man-made and natural disasters. They were first on the scene and worked tirelessly throughout the 1999 avalanche at Kangiqsualujjuaq in northern Québec, led evacuations during flooding in Attawapiskat, Ontario in 2008 and 2009, assisted during the 2006 drinking water crisis in Kashechewan, Northern Ontario and in the aftermath of the First Air plane crash in Resolute Bay in 2011. Less dramatically, but equally important, Rangers also participate in their local communities, assisting in events like Yukon Quest, Canada Day and Remembrance Day and mentor the Junior Rangers.

Canadian Rangers are easily recognized by their red Canadian Ranger sweatshirt, camouflage pants, combat boots, baseball hat and .303 Lee Enfield rifle No 4 rifle. This reliable workhorse has been in use since WWII- and was chosen because it performs well in extreme cold- though the iconic rifles are slated to be replaced in 2015.

On May 31, 1996, the Minister of National Defence announced the official launch of the Junior Canadian Ranger Programme. There are currently more than 3,400 Junior Canadian Rangers in 125 remote and isolated communities across Canada.

Ranger Locations in Canada

Find out more about the Canadian Rangers.

Find out more about the Junior Canadian Rangers.

Learn about the History of the Canadian Rangers.

Rangers At A Glance