The Canadian Home Guard? Possibility?

[TylerSnap!]

Hey all, long time troller first time poster.
I was curious as to what you all would think if a Canadian Home Guard were to be formed now.  The Guard's duties would be to respond to emergencies, help guard important buildings under threat, and of course defend Canadian sovereignty.  They would be made up of men and women who are physically unfit for deployment (too fat, too skinny, bad knees etc) and could even be led or overseen by former CF personnel, or current personnel who have received wounds as to make them unfit for deployment.  I know several people who would love to serve but cannot for a number of legitimate physical maladies.  Anyway, your thoughts?

 

[the 48th regulator]

Something simmilar to this?

http://www.frontiersmenhistorian.info/index.htm

dileas

tess

 

[je suis prest]

Or this?

http://www.dadsarmy.co.uk/frontpage.html

 

[TylerSnap!]

Currently, 'Frontiersmen' in Canada carry on as a living monument to Canada's patriotic history.

  Similar, but organized and managed by the CF.  With training schedules along the same lines of Reservists.  And they wouldn't be "living monuments" (absolutley no disrespect intended) but "active".

 

[armyvern]

Mother of Gawd ...

:-X

 

[the 48th regulator]

Currently, 'Frontiersmen' in Canada carry on as a living monument to Canada's patriotic history.

  Similar, but organized and managed by the CF.  With training schedules along the same lines of Reservists.  And they wouldn't be "living monuments" (absolutley no disrespect intended) but "active".

From the website;

The Legion of Frontiersmen has always held that anyone of any age, colour, creed, ability or disability can be of service to his or her fellows and community through its ranks.

http://www.frontiersmenhistorian.info/today.htm

They do a lot of what you are describing.

Looks like a neat bunch.

dileas

tess

 

[Sig_Des]

Hey all, long time troller first time poster.
I was curious as to what you all would think if a Canadian Home Guard were to be formed now.  The Guard's duties would be to respond to emergencies, help guard important buildings under threat, and of course defend Canadian sovereignty.  They would be made up of men and women who are physically unfit for deployment (too fat, too skinny, bad knees etc) and could even be led or overseen by former CF personnel, or current personnel who have received wounds as to make them unfit for deployment.  I know several people who would love to serve but cannot for a number of legitimate physical maladies.  Anyway, your thoughts?

Sounds like a job for......... The Commissionaires!

http://www.commissionaires.ca/about/mandate.html

 

[dapaterson]

I'll take the bait...

Physical fitness is a sine qua non of emergency response.  People with a variety of physical maladies rendering them unfit for military service would be more of a liability in responding to a domestic emergency.

There is a role for some personnel in less robust shape in planning and high level supervision; but for any onsite emergency you require fit, capable individuals.

 

[TylerSnap!]

ok, well argued.  Thanks guys, back to the drawing board.... what about dwarves?


JK!  Later

 

[marshall sl]

The idea has merit,, My Granfather served with the Veterans guard during WW2 because of wounds sustained in WW1

Veterans Guard of Canada  http://www.cmhg.gc.ca/html/glossary/default-en.asp?letter=V&page=1&t=

Corps of First World War veterans between the ages of 40 and 65, formed in May 1940, for full-time and reserve service during the Second World War.  It grew to 10,000 men in 1944 with another 8,000 on part-time service.  The great majority served in Canada with a few companies in Newfoundland, London (England), Nassau (Bahamas) and Georgetown (Guyana).  Some veterans stood guard power plants, factories and other installations deemed essential to the war effort but most served as guards at the POW and enemy aliens internment camps in Canada.  In 1944-1945, some went to India and Burma as “mule skinners”.  The Veteran’s Guard continued to serve after the war until March 1947 when the last veterans were disbanded. 

 

[Blackadder1916]

Hey all, long time troller first time poster.
I was curious as to what you all would think if a Canadian Home Guard were to be formed now.  The Guard's duties would be to respond to emergencies, help guard important buildings under threat, and of course defend Canadian sovereignty.  They would be made up of men and women who are physically unfit for deployment (too fat, too skinny, bad knees etc) and could even be led or overseen by former CF personnel, or current personnel who have received wounds as to make them unfit for deployment.  I know several people who would love to serve but cannot for a number of legitimate physical maladies.  Anyway, your thoughts?

What duties/functions would they perform that are not already done by the following who I've seen respond to the situations that you envisage.  (the list is not all encompasssing)

Canadian Forces
RCMP
Provincial and Municipal Police Forces
Canadian Coast Guard
Municipal Fire Departments
Emergency Medical Services (regional, municipal, private)
Provincial government agencies dealing with natural resources, disaster management
Commissionaires
Private security guards
Volunteer SAR organizations
The Canadian Red Cross
St John Ambulance
Salvation Army
Boy Scouts of Canada
Girl Guides of Canada
Church groups
Neighbours

 

[marshall sl]

Canadian Forces
RCMP
Provincial and Municipal Police Forces
Canadian Coast Guard
Municipal Fire Departments
Emergency Medical Services -  All have manpower shortages and are having trouble maintaining current levels of service..while competing against each other to recruit new members

 

[Sig_Des]

Where would the money for this come out, all our budgets? Who would they report to? Wouldn't we just be creating a new organisation that would suffer manpower shortages and have trouble maintaining levels of service?

 

[Colin Parkinson]

The closest we have our the Ranger units. Most civil defense issues are dealt with at the Provincial level

 

[RiverDriver]

www.casara.ca

If you want to work closely with the military but are unfit etc., this is a professional-volunteer organization that responds to a variety of 'emergencies.' If you are unfit to fly, there are also many ground duties that are equally rewarding.

 

[brihard]

Part of the ongoing reserve restructure is to amalgamate certain chains of command and reserve units into 'territorial defence battalions'. It's going slowly and somewhat painfully due in part to limited numbers in some reserve units, manpower shortages due to tours, as well as the very entrenched regimental system that will fight to the death to prevent units from being collapsed or combined. Nonetheless there is an apparent long term intent to shape the reserves into something more suitable for domestic response. Time will ultimately tell, of course.

 

[TylerSnap!]

What duties/functions would they perform that are not already done by the following who I've seen respond to the situations that you envisage.  (the list is not all encompasssing)

Canadian Forces
RCMP
Provincial and Municipal Police Forces
Canadian Coast Guard
Municipal Fire Departments
Emergency Medical Services (regional, municipal, private)
Provincial government agencies dealing with natural resources, disaster management
Commissionaires
Private security guards
Volunteer SAR organizations
The Canadian Red Cross
St John Ambulance
Salvation Army
Boy Scouts of Canada
Girl Guides of Canada
Church groups
Neighbours

I really wasn't going to comment any more on the subject as someone stated that individuals unfit for deployment would more likely than not be more trouble than their worth.  That convinced me it was a bad idea.  However, what I envisioned was a MILITARY organization that would respond to everything the CF responded to except limited to Canada.  Some of the matters would be well and above the capabilities of the Girl guides who, although I'm not positive, do NOT drag people out of frazen lakes nor will they be providing any 'show of force' against terrorism at suspected soft targets.  The ranks of the Guards would be filled by part-time volunteers, otherwise unfit for active duty, to defend (and only defend) Canada.  Not unlike the State Defence Forces in the United States which are seperate identies from the National Guard and the Army Reserve.  Anyone who was fit and wanted to serve part-time would be directed to a reserve unit.  I only suggested the unfit as we do have manpower shortages.  As far as funding I imagine it would be provincial as they would be civil defence.  They would not be a private club, heritage organization, mercenary group or Charity organization.  This of course is all null and void, as was said earlier, their effectiveness in any situation would be suspect.  Thanks

 

[Colin Parkinson]

For people that are medically unfit, there is the Ham Radio clubs that fulfil some CD tasks and a aviation Search team.