Give back the Canadian Navy its name

Next week Canadians will celebrate the centennial of the Navy. As the federal government prepares to mark the centenary, it should give proper consideration to the grassroots campaign by members of the general public, veterans and serving members to restore the Royal Canadian Navy designation.

While celebrating the Navy’s milestone, it is only slightly amusing to consider that there is no “Canadian Navy,” at least in the nomenclature of the federal government. An odd byproduct of the unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968 left us with “Maritime Command.” As few people have a clue what Maritime Command is, the term “Canadian Navy” has crept into common usage over the past two decades; as has Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army, all terms which were discarded with unification. (The Air Force is Air Command and the Army is Land Command.)

In the past century, the Navy has taken on many tasks and accomplished them with distinction, but none more daunting and praiseworthy than its critical role in winning the Battle of the Atlantic. During that epic struggle, and for a majority of its history, it was known as the RCN.

Such a change would not require an Act of Parliament, but would require only a decision by the Minister of National Defence. It could be phased in at little cost over a period of years. It is difficult to envision a more symbolically powerful way to recognize the century of service given by countless thousands of Canadian sailors than to restore the name that saw them through three wars.