42 students selected for the day-long Sailor for a Day program, directed under Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC). The visit showcases trades and career opportunities in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) while giving students related hands-on experiences.
Participants tour CFB Esquimalt and local Naval facilities, Victoria, British Columbia on September 19, 2023. The CLA program provides a select few with the chance to experience the operations and capabilities of the Royal Canadian Navy.
Granted initially to HMCS Malahat in 1983 and exercised again in 1998 to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Naval Reserve, the tradition of granting Freedom of the City to a military unit goes back more than three centuries. The Freedom of the City means, in the physical sense, granting the privilege for all time for a specific military unit to march through the city with ‘drums beating, colours flying, and bayonets fixed’. It is a most prized honour, for it recognizes the record of the military unit and demonstrates the affection and esteem with which the community holds it and the trust the citizenry has in it to safeguard their democratic institutions.