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A History of the Canadian Rangers
For nearly a decade, I have been intrigued by the
Canadian Rangers, a little-known military formation that appears
to represent an important exception to a post-Second World
War militarization process that has been detrimental to northern
peoples. The Rangers have garnered uniformly positive media
coverage in the last decade, and enjoy tremendous public and
political support in their communities. Historian Marc Milner
recently wrote in the Canadian Military Journal that “Few
Canadians ever see a Canadian soldier, much less actually
know one.” This can hardly be said of most residents
in northern and isolated communities, where the Canadian Rangers
have provided a visible military presence for more than fifty
years. As the “eyes and ears” of the Canadian
Forces in the remote regions of the country, this predominantly
Aboriginal military formation “shows the Canadian flag”
on a daily basis and has expanded to include a highly successful
youth program: the Junior Canadian Rangers. The force has
developed a unique, decentralized command structure. This
allows for a high degree of community direction that also
draws upon diversity and traditional indigenous knowledge
- rather than adhering to an orthodox military model prescribing
assimilation and acculturation of members. My forthcoming
book will provide the first systematic examination of this
interesting and important story.
As a result of the broader definitions of security now in
vogue, a thorough description and assessment of the Canadian
Rangers must take into account both perceived military utility
as well as the role of the program in northern community development
and the fostering of a healthy Aboriginal-military relationship
in the North. By answering both military and societal security
needs in a flexible, inexpensive, and culturally-inclusive
manner, the Rangers appear to represent a success on multiple
levels. The force has allowed the military to maintain an
inexpensive presence in the remote regions of Canada since
1947, has served as highly visible expression of Canadian
sovereignty in the North, and has fulfilled operational requirements
vital to the Canadian Forces. These contributions, however,
are but a part of the greater picture. The organization also
seems to have contributed to capacity-building in the North,
not only in terms of military capabilities but in terms of
helping to create political self-determining, sustainable
Aboriginal communities. Research in communities with patrols
is necessary to discern how the Rangers serve as a bridge
between cultures within a diverse country, and a bridge between
traditional state-centric and human security considerations.
The Pacific Coast Militia Rangers (PCMR)
I am also co-authoring a book-length history of the PCMR with Kerry Steeves, a librarian at UBC. Following the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the Canadian government faced increasing pressures from worried residents on the West Coast who cried out for protection from possible attack. Although a full-scale Japanese invasion was unlikely, the federal government had to find a way to create a military presence in remote and sparsely populated areas where it would be too expensive to station full-time soldiers. As a result, the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers (PCMR) formed in August 1942. They would be voluntary citizen-soldiers who would help to defend Canada while pursuing their ordinary jobs and lifestyles. Their explicit duties were to patrol their local area, to report any findings of a suspicious nature, and to fight using guerrilla tactics in the case of enemy invasion. At its peak, the PCMR comprised 14,849 British Columbians, many of them trappers, loggers and fishermen, in 126 companies located in isolated communities from the Queen Charlotte Islands to the American border.
Anyone with information on the Canadian Rangers, and particularly
those individuals with personal anecdotes that they might
wish to share, are asked to contact me by email at: pwlacken@uwaterloo.ca.
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