An army brigade commander has told the 14 Ontario reserve regiments under his charge that they must cancel any “church parade” they have planned.
Despite a lack of complaints about the parades, which see soldiers march to their regimental church, Col. Daniel Stepaniuk urged his commanding officers to stop participating in “any event where the primary purpose is liturgical, spiritual or religious … even if the service is non-denominational.”
A custom in the Canadian Army since the time of Confederation, the parades aren’t as common as they once were, though many units still have at least one a year, often tied to Remembrance Day ceremonies.
Reserve regiments are made up of part-time soldiers, also called citizen-soldiers, and one of their greatest benefits is keeping alive and visible the community-army bond. In the small cities and towns where most of the units are based, the units are often an integral part of community life.
While the parades are sometimes considered a pain in the butt by troops (remembering that soldiers love to complain), reservists nonetheless appreciate the fact that they are paid for their time.
Stepaniuk told his COs in an Oct. 4 memo that, “As we embrace diversity and strive for inclusivity, we really need to examine those practices which may be exclusionary to our soldiers.”
Or, as he told the National Post in a recent phone interview, “I think it’s important not only that we create a diverse environment, but also that diversity is a hallmark of the Canadian Forces. … We can’t be privileging one group over another.”
(It’s the first time to my memory I have ever heard privilege used as a verb.)
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