Before Unification as the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, the Canadian military had three distinct services: the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Canadian Army. All three services had a Regular (full-time) component and a reserve (part-time) component. The rank structure for these services were based on the services of the British military, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, and the British Army. The change to a "Canadian" rank structure meant that many of the traditional (British) rank titles and insignia were removed or changed.

Relative ranks and responsibilities

The ranks of the new Canadian Armed Forces did not match up exactly with the ranks (and attendant responsibilities) of the old system.

In the army, for example, an infantry platoon would have a sergeant for a second in command and a staff sergeant would serve as a company quartermaster sergeant. In the new Canadian Forces, however, a warrant officer would fill both those roles. While an infantry section was commanded by a corporal pre-unification, after unification that task fell on a sergeant. The rank of corporal in the army was especially downgraded in terms of responsibility; before unification a Canadian corporal was the equivalent of a sergeant in most other armies due to his responsibility as a section commander. After unification, the rank of corporal became nothing more than a pay raise with authority being granted instead to the new master corporals. Equivalents in the table below are very approximate, then.

Canadian ForcesMaritime Command (1968–2011), RCN (2011–) Royal CanadianNavy (before 1968) Canadian Forces (Land Force Command (from 2011 Canadian Army),Air Command (RCAF from 2011) Canadian Army before 1968 Royal CanadianAir Force (before 1968) Flag officers General officers Air officers Admiral Admiral General General Air chief marshal Vice admiral Vice admiral Lieutenant general Lieutenant general Air marshal Rear admiral Rear admiral Major general Major general Air vice marshal Commodore Commodore Brigadier general Brigadier Air commodore Officers Captain (N) Captain Colonel Colonel Group captain Commander Commander Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel Wing commander Lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander Major Major Squadron leader Lieutenant (N) Lieutenant Captain Captain Flight lieutenant Sub lieutenant Sub lieutenant Lieutenant Lieutenant Flying officer Acting sub lieutenant Acting sub lieutenant Second lieutenant Second lieutenant Pilot officer Naval cadet Midshipman Officer cadet Officer cadet Officer cadet (flight cadet before 1962,provisional pilot officer before WWII) Non-commissioned personnel Chief petty officer 1st class Chief petty officer 1st class Chief warrant officer Warrant officer class I Warrant officer class I Chief petty officer 2nd class Chief petty officer 2nd class Master warrant officer Warrant officer class II Warrant officer class IIPetty officer 1st classPetty officer 1st classWarrant officerStaff sergeantFlight sergeant Sergeant Sergeant Petty officer 2nd class Petty officer 2nd class Sergeant Corporal Corporal Master seaman Leading seaman Master corporal Lance corporal Leading aircraftman Leading seaman Able seaman Corporal Private Aircraftman class 1 Able seaman Ordinary seaman Private (trained) Private Aircraftman class 2 Ordinary seaman Recruit Private (recruit) Recruit Recruit

The RCN replaced the use of seaman on 27 August 2020 with sailor. Master seaman became master sailor, leading seaman became sailor 1st class, able seaman became sailor 2nd class, ordinary seaman became sailor 3rd class.

Certain ranks have alternative titles according to tradition and the trade of the soldier. The rank of private (trained) uses the following names (all privates prior to receiving their trade qualifications are called privates) Royal Canadian Armoured Corps – trooper Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery – gunner Royal Canadian Engineers – sapper Royal Canadian Corps of Signals – signaller Royal Canadian Infantry Corps Guards regiments – guardsman Rifle regiments – rifleman Fusilier regiments – fusilier Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers – craftsman Royal Canadian Air Force – aviator Lance corporals Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery – lance bombardier Corporals Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery – bombardier Master corporals Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery – master bombardier

Pre-Unification Services

Pre-unification RCN

Officer's insignia The RCN used the rank and insignia of the RN.

RCN officers wore gold stripes with the naval executive curl above to denote rank. Also similar to that of the Royal Navy, the patterns of the insignia denoted which part of the navy the officer served in. The standard braid indicated an officer of RCN (the regular force), single wavy braid an officer of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR, nicknamed the "Wavy Navy") and intersecting wavy pairs an officer of the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve. After 1945, the RCNVR and the RCNR were merged to form the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve and in the mid-1950s, the RCNR later adopted the same officer's pattern of the regular RCN.

Also following the RN practice in the 1950s, the rank of acting sub lieutenant was officially introduced to roughly match that of an army second lieutenant or an RCAF pilot officer.

Ratings insignia Following the RN practice, non-commissioned personnel were known as ratings.

From the RCN's creation in 1910 until about 1950, the only ratings were that of ordinary seaman, able seaman, leading seaman, petty officer and chief petty officer. Rank-wise, an able seaman would be the rough equivalent of an army lance corporal and a leading seaman (also known as a killick) would roughly match that of a corporal. A petty officer depending on length of service would match that of a sergeant or staff sergeant and a chief petty officer of that of an army warrant officer. + Rank (1910–1950) InsigniaChief petty officer3 brass buttons worn on the lower sleevePetty officer2 crossed foul anchors with a crown AboveLeading seaman1 foul anchorAble seamanNo insigniaOrdinary seamanNo insignia Good conduct chevrons were worn by ratings up to the rank of petty officer on the upper sleeve (worn directly under the rank badges of leading seamen and petty officers or alone by ordinary and able seamen).

1 chevron - 3 years' good conduct 2 chevrons - 8 years' good conduct 3 chevrons - 13 or more years' good conduct

Starting around the 1950s, the RCN's ratings rank structure was changed to match closer to that of the army's. As such, the ranks of petty officer 2nd class and petty officer 1st class were introduced to match those of an army/RCAF sergeant and staff sergeant/flight sergeant respectively. Likewise, the ranks of chief petty officer 2nd class and chief petty officer 1st class were similarly introduced to match those of an army/RCAF warrant officer class II and warrant officer class I respectively. + Rank (1950–1968) InsigniaChief petty officer 1st class3 brass buttons with a crown above worn on the lower sleeveChief petty officer 2nd class3 brass buttons worn on the lower sleevePetty officer 1st class2 crossed foul anchors with a crown abovePetty officer 2nd class2 crossed foul anchorsLeading seaman1 foul anchorAble seamanNo insigniaOrdinary seamanNo insignia Good conduct chevrons continued to be worn up to the rank of petty officer 1st class until Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968.

Similar to that of the army, the crown worn with insignia until 1953 was the Tudor Crown. After 1953, it was replaced by St. Edward's Crown.

Pre-unification army

Army officers' insignia before unification consisted of several rank badges based on British Army designs:

The star of the Order of the Bath, commonly called a "pip", in sequence of one, two or three as necessary. The crown (the Tudor Crown from 1902 to 1953, the St. Edward's Crown from 1953 to the present). The Mameluke sword, crossed by a baton, was used in general officer's insignia.

Army warrant officers also used rank badges based on British designs:

A warrant officer class I wore the royal coat of arms of Canada; before the 1950s, the British royal coat of arms was worn. A warrant officer class II wore a crown (either St. Edward's pattern or Tudor pattern, as described under officers' insignia above) within a wreath. During the Second World War, a warrant officer class III had worn a plain crown; this rank was abolished in practice during, and officially after, the war.

Finally, Army NCOs also used rank badges based on British designs:

Rank badges were constructed from white herringbone lace sewn into 1-, 2-, or 3-bar chevrons. A crown was worn over the chevrons for staff sergeants.

Pre-unification RCAF

The RCAF for the most part used the rank and insignia of the RAF. The main difference however was where the RAF had only 1 Warrant Officer rank and the use of aircrew ranks, the RCAF used the ranks of Warrant Officer Class II and Warrant Officer Class I similar to that of the Canadian Army and had no air crew ranks.

Around 1953, the RCAF changed its other ranks / airmen's insignia from blue-black to grey/silver.

Unified Canadian Forces

A series of gold stripes was instituted, similar to the pre-unification naval and air force rank system in concept but very different in appearance. Warrant officers retained the traditional army-style rank badges, and NCOs' chevrons were also changed, being smaller and made from newer material. The maple leaf also featured on NCO badges, even being worn over a private's one-bar chevron in initial issues of the new insignia in the years immediately after unification. The nickname for this short-lived rank was Trade Corporal.

Generals' and admirals' insignia remained similar to pre-unification army insignia, with maple leaves replacing the stars, but retaining the crown and crossed sabre and baton. A wide band of gold braid was also used, similar to pre-unification naval insignia worn by admirals. Naval officers of flag rank removed the rank epaulettes on the service dress on June 11, 2010, when the executive curl was reinstated with additional sleeve ribbon for the admiral ranks.

Changes: Navy Naval rank titles remained for the personnel of the new Maritime Command. On the Canadian Forces service uniform, the rank insignia of officers up to the rank of naval Captain followed the old Royal Canadian Navy pattern but with the executive curl deleted. However, the executive curl was permitted on naval mess dress for all naval officers. In 1985 a new naval service uniform was announced and was introduced into service over the following three years. Admirals lost their sleeve ranks entirely and began wearing the maple leaf ranks on shoulder straps as their Army and Air Force counterparts.

For non-commissioned members, the unique naval anchor insignias were deleted and replaced with the same system as the Army and Air Force.

Changes: Army

While the insignia for non-commissioned personnel of the CF very closely matched that of the pre-unification army, there were some changes and new classes of ranks were created. The army had previously had general officers, officers, warrant officers, senior NCOs, junior NCOs, and men. All personnel that were not officers were referred to collectively as "other ranks". After unification, in mid 1980’s other ranks became known as non-commissioned members (NCMs). The category of senior NCOs now included only one rank – that of sergeant – whereas before it had included both staff sergeants and sergeants. There were also three grades of warrant officer, whereas immediately before unification there had been only two.