Governor General presents Petawawa, Ont. regiment with new colours
The Royal Canadian Dragoons, Canada's most senior cavalry regiment, were presented with new colours Friday.
The ceremony took place for just the fifth time in the regiment's nearly 140-year history.
The colours, formally known as a guidon, represent a regiment, its history, and previous battles. They are updated to display the recent commitments of the regiment.
"When you're a part of this type of generational event, it's very, very special," said Dragoons commanding officer Nicolas Forsyth.
Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon, Commander-in-Chief of Canada’s Armed Forces, presented the new guidon.
"That is who you want to present your guidon if it can't be a royal," explained Forsyth.
"It just brings so much more significance to the event. And it allows the Governor General, in their role as commander-in-chief, to really be a part of something special for one of their units."
The new guidon recognizes the Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) efforts in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014. Twelve Dragoons were lost during that time.
"[It] signifies all the soldiers we lost in the past," says RCD warrant officer Eamon O'Rourke. "Myself, I lost four of my friends overseas when I served there. And now to have that Afghanistan battle honour emblazoned on the guidon, I think it means more to me."
"In this case I think it was quite fitting that it was a little while after we were out of the conflict, but not too long," said Forsyth.
The history of the guidon goes back to horseback cavalry regiments, where soldiers would ride the colours into battle.
The first guidon presented to RCD was in 1901 by King George V.
The Dragoons have since evolved into one of Canada's three armoured units.
Governor General Romeo Leblanc presented the previous guidon in 1998.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.