Who We Are

Serving the Guns since 1876

History

The Royal Canadian Artillery Association (“The RCAA”, “The RCA Association” or simply, “the Association”) was formed in Ottawa in 1876 as the Dominion Artillery Association with the object of developing and distributing gunner skills and conducting competitions. In 1895, it became the Dominion of Canada Artillery Association. It was incorporated by Act of Parliament as a not-for-profit organization in 1904 with the same object. The Act of Incorporation was amended in 1949 to change its purpose to, “The promotion of the efficiency and welfare of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery and of all matters pertaining to the defence of Canada” and, to add “Royal” to its name.

It was the first of the Service Associations and was a charter member of the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) when the latter was formed in 1932.

Since 1880, it has enjoyed the Distinguished Patronage of the Governor General of Canada.

The RCAA remains today a not-for-profit organization incorporated without share capital. It is also recognized as a registered charity by the Canada Revenue Agency.

Our Constitution

Constitution RCAA-AARC 2013, amended 20 October 2018

Mission

The promotion of the effectiveness and welfare of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery and of all matters pertaining to the defence of Canada.

The elements of the RCA Association’s mission are reflective of the RCA family Strategy and are stated as:

Monitor, support and promote the effectiveness of the Regiment
Nurture the Regiment as a National Family and Institution
Celebrate and safeguard our Regimental heritage
Connect with Canadians

Vision

An organization occupying a central position in the RCA Regimental Family; representative of all Canadian Gunners regardless of rank, whether serving or retired, regular or reserve; and, conducting its business in both official languages for the better good of the Regiment, its members and the defence of Canada.

Values

The RCAA perceives The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery as being greater than the sum of its parts to include its institutions, associations and most important, all Gunners – regular, reserve and retired – as well as their families, friends and supporters.
The RCAA takes a long-term view, realizing that while units may come and go, The Royal Regiment lives on.
It believes that the Regiment is a national institution and, as such, requires governance capable of coordinating (and, in some non-operational issues – controlling) regimental affairs of concern to more than one unit, locale or region.
It cherishes the Regiment’s hard-won reputation for being “on time and on target”.
It believes that the Regiment’s heritage is worth recording, preserving and displaying.
It takes pride in the fact that the Regiment provides a wide range of operational capabilities to the Army and the CAF.
It believes that the integrity of the Regiment should be maintained in both war and peace, including the maintenance of a nation-wide structure of Regular Force and Reserve Gunner units and their capabilities.

Membership

There are four categories of Membership available within the RCA Association.

Discover the benefits of RCA Association Membership!

Affiliations

Affiliated Units

Artillery Regiments;
Independent Artillery Batteries;
The RCAS;
The RCA Museum;
The RCA Band; and
RHQ RCA.

Affiliated Associations

Other Artillery Associations that are local community based or national in scope, may apply to become an Affiliated Association of the RCAA with the approval of the Executive Committee.

There are no dues required for an Association to become affiliated.

Governance

Incumbent Directors, Officers & Staff

The RCA Association is governed in accordance with its Constitution and By-laws which in turn are founded on its Act of Incorporation.

The RCAA has a two-tier governance model. The top tier consists of a Board of Directors that is strategic in its outlook and which functions in an oversight capacity. The Board of Directors is headed by a Chair. The second tier consists of an Executive Committee headed by a President. This tier is operational in nature and responsible for the day to day functioning of the Association.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of:

A Chairman who is elected from the membership of the Board by the Board members for a term of three years.
Six members who will be elected to serve for one year but may be re-elected annually to serve up to a five-year term.
Ex-officio members:
- The Colonel Commandant;
- Past Colonels Commandant;
- The Regimental Colonel;
- The Director of Artillery; and
- The RSM RCA.
An additional three Board members may be appointed by the Chairman with the concurrence of the serving Board members
The following members of the Executive are non-voting, ex-officio members of the Board:
- The President, who will normally act as Recording Secretary for the Board meetings;
- The Vice President; and
- The Past President who will chair the Nominating Committee.

Officers of the Association

The Officers of the Association shall consist of:

A President who shall normally be elected to serve for one year but may be re-elected to serve a further one-year term, consecutively;
A Vice-President who shall normally be elected to serve for one year but may be re-elected to serve a further one-year term, consecutively;
A Secretary; and
A Treasurer.

The offices of Secretary and Treasury may be combined.

Currently serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces with the exception of Honorary appointments may not serve as Officers of the Association.

The Executive Committee

For the administration and the conduct of the business of the Association throughout the year, there will be an Executive Committee consisting of:

The President and Vice-President of the Association;
One representative from serving units from each Army Division as follows: 2nd Canadian Division, 3rd Canadian Division, 4th Canadian Division and 5th Canadian Division;
The Past President;
The Executive Director;
The Secretary; and
The Treasurer.