by Ray Dick

An army cadet crosses a rope bridge during training.

They dress like soldiers, drill like soldiers, soar through the air in gliders and powered aircraft and they go down to the sea in ships. And although they are not part of the Canadian Forces, at approximately 55,000 strong they outnumber the regular military’s effective fighting strength by a couple of thousand.

They are members of the Canadian Cadet Movement, the largest and one of the oldest federally sponsored youth programs with squadrons and units of the army, navy and air force across the country and a history that dates back to the American Civil War, the threat of the Fenian Raids and the Riel Rebellion.

And the cadets are rapidly becoming the most visible military presence in some communities. This at a time when the undermanned, underfunded and underequipped Canadian Forces are in urgent need of more funding. With shoes and badges shined, uniforms pressed and proudly wearing the insignia of the regular forces, 12- to 18-year old cadets parade, drill, train and compete in 28 camps across the country from Whitehorse in the Yukon to St. John’s, Nfld.

They also carry the flag internationally during exchange visits with fellow cadets from countries such as Australia, Bermuda, Japan, England, the United States, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy and Norway.

Sea cadets learn seamanship skills, including navigation and how to sail. Army cadets focus on adventure training activities such as expeditions, trekking, orientation and rappelling. Air cadets learn to pilot gliders and planes and participate in other flight-related activities. There are also the sporting and cultural activities such as biathlon, sailing regattas, leadership training, marksmanship courses and music.

And what, you might ask, would it cost the young son or daughter to join the cadets, as opposed to other high-cost programs such as hockey, baseball or the like where the cost of uniforms, equipment, fees and general inconvenience can take a sizable chunk out of a parent’s time and wallet? “Not a penny,” says Colonel Jonathan Ambler, director of cadets at the Department of National Defence.

It costs cadets nothing to join, and the basic cost to fit them out in uniforms, training and other expenses comes from the budget of National Defence, a debit of about $154 million for 2002. And they have a chance to earn their own spending money. Although they are not paid during the training year, a small stipend is provided when they attend summer camp. When they reach 16 or above they can be employed as staff cadets at the various summer training centres. “The cadet program is well worth the money,” adds Ambler. “Although everyone would like to have more resources, we run an effective program with the resources we get.”

The cadets, in turn, learn valuable life and work skills like teamwork, leadership and citizenship,” says Ambler, and they are encouraged to become active and responsible members of their community. They also reap the personal benefits of increased self-confidence and physical fitness, learning how to take initiative and how to make decisions. “Cadets are not part of the Canadian military, nor is there any expectation for them to join the military,” although some go on to the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont., and a career in the Canadian Forces.

The Canadian Cadet Movement is a huge organization whose branches reach into virtually every community. While National Defence supplies uniforms, equipment and training through its 5,400-strong Cadet Instructors Cadre–a sub-component of the Reserves Force–much of the administration of the program evolves from the national and provincial offices of the three cadet leagues–the Air Cadet League of Canada, the Army Cadet League of Canada and the Navy League of Canada. The latter operates a program for children ages 10-12, known as navy cadets, and a program for youth ages 12-18, known as sea cadets. Each league operates with a $250,000-a-year grant from National Defence, and the three leagues collaborate with community partners, such as The Royal Canadian Legion and groups of parents, to provide drill halls and raise funds locally to support the cadet program.

It is an organization where the roots run deep into the communities.

Born in 1862, the early cadet units were called “drill associations” and were formed as a reaction to the American Civil War and the threat to Canada from the Fenians, a movement initiated in 1857 by Irish-Americans to secure Irish independence from Britain. Utilizing about 10,000 American Civil War veterans, the Fenians launched a failed raid against the New Brunswick frontier in 1866 and other skirmishes in Ontario and Quebec before the movement disbanded. Although adding a page to Irish folklore, the primary effect of the attacks was to unite Canadians by providing an external threat during the period of Confederation.

That external threat was reinforced when the country had to mobilize an armed force to journey west to Manitoba and Saskatchewan to put down the Riel Rebellion in 1885.

Linked to local schools and supervised by teachers, these early drill associations accepted members from age 13 to 60. The distinction between high school cadets and the adult militia became clear in 1879 when authorization was given to form 74 of these associations for drill in educational institutions. Young men over 14 were invited to participate, and would upon no account be employed in active service. The associations numbered in strength from one unit in British Columbia to 34 in Ontario.

The year 1879 also holds special significance to one army cadet unit of today. Canada’s oldest continually serving cadet unit is No. 2 Bishops College School Cadet Corps in Lennoxville, Que.

The name cadet corps was adopted in 1887 to designate the former associations which were providing the training for young boys. The formal formation of the three leagues followed to give civilian oversight to the movement. The Navy League was established in 1895 as part of a lobby group to create a Canadian navy, the Air Cadet League was formed in 1940 and the Army Cadet League followed in 1971. In recognition of the contribution of former cadets to the war effort, the title royal was later added for the leagues. It is estimated that more than 40,000 former army and sea cadets served in World War I and some 230,000 former sea, army and air cadets served in World War II.

Girls have participated unofficially in cadet training almost from the beginning. Shortly after the Highland Cadet Corps was stood up at the Guelph Grammar School in 1882, a female cadet company, called the Daughters of the Regiment, was also raised. On July 30, 1975, Parliament amended the relevant legislation by changing the word boys to persons, therefore permitting girls to become members of the Royal Canadian sea, army and air cadets.

And while the history of the cadet movement dates back to before the birth of the nation, the future looks bright. “The future will be dynamic over the century,” says Ambler. That sentiment was echoed by retired colonel Alain Pellerin, executive director of the Conference of Defence Associations, a defence lobby group. “The rise in global instability has led to an increased understanding of security and defence needs,” he says, adding that cadets are a good source of recruitment for the regular force and the militia.

Ambler stresses that the Forces do not recruit among the cadets, that there is no expectation of them to join the military, but that their exposure during training to the adventure and excitement of military life convinces some to seek a career or spend some time in the regular forces.

Ambler says one change he would like to see “is to have more kids take part in the program.” Right now, the organization stretches to some 740 areas of the country where in many cases there is no longer a local military presence. “The Canadian Forces used to be spread out across the country. Now they are concentrated at big bases.”

Like Legionnaires, cadets are very visible in the community. They participate in Canada Day and Remembrance Day ceremonies as well as the poppy campaign. “The Legion is a huge supporter for the program,” says Ambler. Legion branches support or sponsor more than 1,000 cadet units from coast to coast at an estimated annual cost of more than $1 million and 85,000 volunteer hours a year. And across the country, there are many cadet units that utilize space provided by Legion branches. “It’s a natural mix,” says Legion Dominion President Allan Parks. “The cadet organization is important because it creates tomorrow’s leaders. Veterans know the value of providing strong leadership among the youth, and the Legion has been supporting cadet units in their commands since it was first formed in 1926.”

The cuts in defence spending over the last decade have become noticeable at the league, or administrative level of the cadet program, although the problems are small compared to the traumas faced by the regular forces. “Our budget has not been cut (for several years), but there are not so many volunteer instructors any more and some camps have been consolidated to save money,” says Terry Whitty, executive director of the army cadets. He would like to see more money from National Defence to go along with the funds raised by the league and from the community. “We teach good kids to stay that way,” says Whitty of the more than 19,000 army cadets under his jurisdiction in 451 corps.

Jean Mignault, executive director of the Air Cadet league, says his 425 squadrons and more than 24,000 cadets are also feeling the pinch from lack of funding. Besides consolidation and rationalization of operations, Mignault says his office has launched a direct mail campaign to get more funds from industry and corporate supporters. “We train close to 600 pilots a year–about 250 get their private pilot’s licence.”

The cadets also get paid when attending summer camps and when reaching senior ranks as cadet staff. They also get to travel in exchanges with other countries. “The rewards are good, and all of those benefits are without obligation on the cadet. It’s more than they can get flipping burgers at McDonald’s.”

Douglas Thomas, executive director of the Navy League, says his 225 units with more than 10,000 sea cadets have also felt the effects of cuts in the regular forces. When the number of personnel in the regular forces drops, so too does the amount of assistance those people normally provide to the sea cadets. “But we are holding our own,” says the former sea cadet, Cadet Instructor Cadre officer and lieutenant commander in the Forces. “We have retained about 10,000 cadets since the 1960s, and it doesn’t show any signs of dropping off.”

He is especially appreciative of the support provided by Legion branches. “It is a good relationship. It serves both sides.”

Sea Cadet Bolek Jaworski, 18, of Vancouver is also appreciative of a cadet system that has allowed him to spend the last six years with No. 5 Rainbow, Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps. “My 19th birthday is coming up and I have to leave the cadets,” he says. His immediate plans: “I have a contract. I’m going to Taiwan to teach English.”

The only child of what he called a “patriotic Polish family” who came to Canada when he was two years old, Jaworski says he leaves the cadets with fond memories and with an A-class marine engineering certificate under his belt. As for the future: “University, and maybe the navy.”

His mother, Barbara, says Bolek had a longtime interest in the military, perhaps because of the stories he heard from his father who was a child in Poland during World War II and who later served for a mandatory term in the Polish Army. She is proud of her son, and would highly recommend the cadet program to any young person. “Bolek has gained self-confidence, leadership abilities, improved his communication skills….”

Meanwhile, a 16-year-old girl in downtown Ottawa has her heart in the cadets. “I love it,” says Veronique Schwalm, who has spent the last four years in 2784 Governor General’s Foot Guards Cadet Corps and plans to stay in the cadets as long as she can. “It is a great experience.” She is also planning to apply to the Royal Military College when she finishes high school. “I’m good at math, so maybe I’ll go into engineering.”

She joined the cadets when she was 13, mostly because one of her four older brothers had belonged and “had lots of fun.” Since then she has been at two summer camps and recently took part in an exchange of cadets with Britain where she attended camps at three locations and spent a week touring London with some 20 other cadets from across Canada. “I loved it. It was a great experience and I met a lot of people.”

Veronique’s father, Richard, also thinks the cadet movement is a good deal. “It provides discipline and teaches leadership and teamwork,” he says, adding he was in the air cadets when he was a youth. “If the cadet does not follow up with a military career, that’s fine because the program also teaches young people how to handle different life skills.” The older brother that Veronique followed into the cadets is evidence of that. Dominique Schwalm, 26, now is in training to join the RCMP. He expects to graduate in April.

The two cadets demonstrate the ideal in Ambler’s wish list for the purpose and success of the cadet movement. “Compare our well-turned-out young people with some of the teenagers of today.”