History of the Cadet Instructors Cadre

The History of the Cadet Instructors Cadre dates from well before the establishment of the Cadet Instructor Cadre in 1968. The Canadian Forces Cadet Instructor Cadre will mark 100 years on May 1, 2009.

Before the existence of the Cadet Instructor Cadre

Army Cadets

The army cadet organization was born in 1879, when authorization was given to form Associations for Drill in Educational Institutions, for boys over 14 years of age. The years passed, the movement evolved, and more detailed regulations were established to ensure uniformity. Thus, the Department of Militia provided the services of an instructor. Subsequently, starting in 1898, at least in Ontario, cadet corps instructors were to be school teachers of the school, rather than a temporary instructor detached from one of the Militia units.

In 1909, The Right Honourable Donald Alexander Smith, the Lord Strathcona, Canadian High Commissioner in Great Britain, became interested in the training of cadets in Canadian schools. The Strathcona Foundation was soon founded and quickly started playing an important role in the development of the army cadet organization. One of the changes instituted was the authorization of the "Corps of School Cadet Instructors on May 1, 1909. The Corps was disbanded and reorganized on May 1, 1921. On Jan. 1, 1924 the designation was changed to the Cadet Services of Canada (Non-Permanent).

This corps of instructors became the fifth component of the Canadian Army and, under the National Defence Act, its members were part of the reserves. In 1928, it was defined as follows: “corps of the Non-Permanent Active Militia, consisting of male school teachers”. Training of an officer of the Cadet Services of Canada, compulsory for promotion, was thus similar to that of other Non-Permanent Active Militia officers. The situation remained about the same until the end of the 1960s: army cadet officers received sound training, but without any direct connection to their work with young people. By this time, however, the members of the Cadet Services of Canada came from many different backgrounds including veterans of WW II and Korea and were no longer all teachers.

ea Cadets

In 1902 the Navy League of Canada, whose main purpose was encouraging the development of the Canadian Navy, decided to found the Boy’s Naval Brigade. In the beginning, it directed the brigades itself, with its own resources, techniques and funding. Some of their members acted as instructors of these young boys, until in 1922 when they started being called Sea Cadets.

The instructors of the Boy’s Naval Brigade were volunteers, unlike the officers of the army cadets. They wore a uniform similar to officers of the Royal Canadian Navy, but they did not receive any military training and did not hold a commission from the King.

Then in 1941, The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets were established, and became associated with the Royal Canadian Navy. From that time on, the Sea Cadets operated under the authority of the Department of National Defence, in co-operation with the Navy League of Canada. From then on, the officers received a salary and had access to some training, but promotion was not always tied to this. In fact, to grant a promotion, only age and length of service was taken into consideration. Even by the end of the 1960s, sea cadet officers did not always have military status.

Air Cadets

It was not until the start of the Second World War that the air cadet organization started. The Air Cadet League of Canada was founded in 1940, followed in 1941 by the first air cadet units. All commissioned officers of the air cadets and all warrant officers were adultsenrolled by the league. These men were volunteers, but the local committee was allowed topay them. They wore uniforms very similar to those of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).Contrary to the RCAF officers, who held a commission from the King, the air cadet officers helda commission from the Air Cadet League of Canada, which also granted the promotions. Notmuch is known about any training of air cadet officers, but it is believed that it was nearly nonexistent.

After the war, changes were made. An article published in 1953 mentions that air cadetofficers were now granted commissions, and were part of a special component of the RCAFreserve and wore the same uniform as the members of the regular force.

Creation of the Cadet Instructor Cadre

On February 1,1968, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Army wereunified into a single entity the Canadian Armed Forces. Unification also created the Cadet Instructor List (CIL). The officers, whoare responsible for Canadian Cadets now had a single structure and were reserve military officers, regardless of element. They are commissioned officers, just as any other officer in the Canadian Forces (CF). They are enrolled for the primary purpose of administration and supervision of the cadet organization. Previously, only Army Cadet officers held a Queen's commission. The officers of the Sea Cadets underwent a major change: for the first time in their history, they were military members in their own right. In July 1994 to facilitate a bilingual branch identifier in the name was changed to Cadet Instructor Cadre (CIC).

The years in the wilderness

Over the next few years, CIC officers were forced to get things done in a world which did not seem to be prepared for them. It was not long before the country’s military was wearing the new green uniform of the Canadian Forces. CIC officers did not have thisopportunity. For many years, they had to continue wearing the old uniforms. It was not until 1975, more than seven years after unification, that CIC officers were authorized to get the newuniform. However, many of them had already managed to get one in a roundabout way. Unfortunately, they were not always wearing it properly. As narrow trousers were the fashion of the day, they asked the tailor to make narrow trousers! Unable to find black shoes? Brown shoes will do fine!

It was not until 1974 that CIC officers would have their own badge. While waiting,some officers of the sea cadets wore the new badge of the maritime surface branch, while those with the air cadets wore the old Royal Canadian Air Force badge. Many army cadet officers wore the badge of the former Cadet Services of Canada or the army unit with which their Cadet Corps was affiliated. In an environment where appearance and uniformity are of primary importance, some CIC officers were less than "uniform" in their dress.

Immediately following unification, individuals who became CIC officers did not get anytraining. Later, they were given the chance to take courses, but these were notcompulsory until 1976. Since veterans are few and not all officers are necessarily formercadets, often one could pass an officer who did not even know how to salute orwho obviously failed to realize that the length of his hair was not acceptable.

Until training became compulsory this did not matter; it was relatively easy to get a promotion. Former cadets and university graduates could, for example, be enrolled and promoted to the rank of second lieutenant (2Lt). An Officer-Cadet about to become a commanding officer? He was promoted to acting captain! After one year, his rank would become substantive.

Lack of resources undermined the credibility of Cadet Instructor Officers was undermined for several years. Today CIC Officers are widely accepted and recognizedFact|date=March 2007

Officers in constant flux

At the start of the 1970s, the veterans of the Second World War and Korea who had been most of the cadet officers in the three elements for a long time, became scarce within the CIC. Because the cadet program was once a part of the education system teachers were the second largest group and started to overtake the number of veterans. During a period when the salary of teachers was not very great, having a paying leisure activity to help make ends meet was not to be scorned. The summer camps were particularly attractive: because they were free during the school holidays, many teachers worked each summer. The number of former cadets also continued to increase from the time they started being enrolled, at the end of the 1960s. Often, these officers were still going to school. Like the teachers, they were available during the summer and going to camp was and remains a way to pay for their studies.

In addition to the change from veterans to teachers, and then from teachers to formercadets, there was another important change. In 1975, girls were also allowed to becomemembers of cadet corps. The arrival of female officers was not long after, in part becauseduring exercises and trips a woman was required to come along, even if there was only onefemale cadet. Nevertheless, it should be mentioned that, even before 1975, several cadet corpswith only boys had female officers. Some of these new officers were mothers of cadets who, itmust be said, were not very military at the outset. Often they were assigned nothing but administrative duties at the unit. With training they often became excellent role models for the female cadets. Subsequently, as the first female cadets got older, some of them became officers, like their male colleagues.

Training and promotion

Before the creation of the CIC, only Cadet Service of Canada Officers that led army cadet corps and Air Cadet Squadron Officers had a formal training system. In 1969, the army CIC officers, accustomed to sending their young officers on courses, became alarmed at the situation and decided to take the training their own officers. They started the process and, in 1969 and 1970, conducted two-week summer courses at the Citadelle in Quebec City, for groups of CIC officers from the three elements. Around 1971,another group of CIC officers took over the training. Their goal: start from scratch and set up a school for the CIC officers in Eastern Region. From 1972 on, CIC officers have been stronglyencouraged to take the courses given by what was first called the CIC School, and that later became the RCIS (Regional Cadet Instructor School). Passing these courses was not yet aprerequisite for promotion, but the fact that the students received a day’s pay for each day of training probably contributed to the increase in the number of interested officers. During the firstfew years, officers of all ranks were taking part in the basic courses.

Following the example of Eastern Region, other regions opened schools during the mid-1970s and in 1976, Ottawa finally gave them official blessing, by providing training programsand standards to meet. Since that time, taking courses has been required for promotion.

CIC Branch

In 1987, a Cadet Instructor Branch Advisory Committee (then known as Cadet Instructors List) was officially created. CIC officers are now represented in Ottawa. CFAO 2-10 states as follows: “Personnel branches were created to enable members of the Canadian Forces in related occupations to identify with each other in cohesive professional groups. These groups are based on similarity of military roles, customs and traditions.”

References

* [http://www.cadets.net/est/eric/doc/manuels_dep_guides/manuel_BOQ.pdf Basic Officer Qualification Course]