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
No more expensing home internet bills to taxpayers, Tory and Liberal MPs told
The federal Liberal government is joining the Opposition Conservatives in no longer allowing its members of Parliament to expense taxpayers for home internet services.

Canadians fighting in Ukraine, despite no monitoring from government, speak out on war and loss
On Feb. 27, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country needed fighters, and foreigners were welcome to join the front line in the defence against Russian aggression. Some Canadians were among the first to answer the call.
'Better late than never': Polish PM applauds Canada and the West for sending tanks to Ukraine
In an exclusive interview with CTV’s Power Play, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is praising the decision from Canada, Germany and the United States to send tanks to Ukraine.
Canada sending 4 battle tanks to Ukraine, maybe more later: Anand
Canada is sending four combat-ready battle tanks to Ukraine and will be deploying 'a number' of Canadian Armed Forces members to train Ukrainian soldiers on how to operate them.
True crime sells, but fans are debating the ethics of their passion
For some people, relaxation looks like settling down with a nice glass of wine and the most graphic, disturbing tale of murder imaginable.
Tips to protect your personal information online
Retailers and tech companies use many tools to mine consumers for data they can share with third parties, but there are steps consumers can take to protect and safeguard their personal information.
No reason for alarm in Canada after cough syrup deaths in other countries: health agency
Following the deaths of more than 300 children from contaminated cough syrups in several countries, Health Canada says it's been more than a decade since similar cases were identified here.
Rent prices grew at record pace in 2022 as Canada saw lowest vacancy rate in decades
Rent prices in Canada grew at a record pace last year as the country saw the lowest vacancy rate since 2001, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said.
Poor communication and training linked to fatal B.C. ammonia leak
The independent body that oversees the safety of technical systems and equipment in British Columbia has found a deadly ammonia leak near Kamloops last May was a tragedy that took years to unfold.