The Membership Battles
Fifth in a six-part series looking back at 90 years of
The Legionary and Legion Magazine

After years of resisting, delegates to the 28th dominion convention in Edmonton voted overwhelmingly to give the sons and daughters of Legion members the right to vote and hold office. But rather than settle the issue of membership, it would set off another two decades of questioning who should be a member.

The change was in keeping with the times. Just weeks before the convention, Quebecers had voted by 60 per cent to defeat the first referendum on sovereignty, a fight the Legion had taken up. Quebec Command had placed a four-page bilingual advertisement in Legion Magazine in the April issue, explaining the tricky wording of the referendum question and urging Quebecers to vote No.

Thicker

When Legion Magazine went to five from
ten times a year, the issues grew to 100 pages.

The membership question would rise again in 1992 when delegates to the convention in Quebec City voted to extend associate-voting membership to spouses, widows and widowers of those eligible to be ordinary Legion members.

With membership declining since 1986, Dominion Command asked delegates at the 1996 convention in Toronto to raise the per capita by $1 in 1997 and a further 50 cents in 1998. The increase was necessary, due in part to the rise in paper prices and the cost of producing Legion Magazine. Having already voted to make a major donation to Encounters with Canada youth program, delegates were not inclined to give any more and the increase was defeated.

Having to live with the new reality, Legion Magazine made some major changes beginning with the January 1997 issue. The magazine reduced publication from 10 times a year to five. The magazine would publish bimonthly but without an issue in July/August.

Advertisers

Readers found ads for cars and liquor
as well as reminders about renewing their membership.

It was not all gloom though, as the magazine became thicker, usually 100 pages, and a bold new design gave it a fresh look. Colour coding was added to give each section—features, news, views and departments—their own look.

At the following convention in Winnipeg in 1998, delegates finally accepted the categories of affiliate-voting and affiliate-non-voting members. For the first time, Legion membership, with voting rights and the right to wear the Legion uniform, was open to any Canadian citizen in good standing who supports the aims and objectives of the Legion.

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