The Commissionaires Story: Celebrating a Century of Service to Canada

The Corps of Commissionaires is established in the UK

Captain Sir Edward Walter, KCB, established the original Corps of Commissionaires in London, England to provide meaningful employment for wounded soldiers. The original eight members were veterans of the Crimean War, all of whom were amputees as a result of their battlefield service.

The original eight members of the Corps of Commissionaires (UK). From L-R: Cpl. Hancock, VC; Sgt. Parsons; Comm. Pirt; Comm. Murphy; Col. Sgt. Platts; Comm. Mara; Cpl. Kinning; and Comm. Dow.

The Duke of Connaught proposes a Canadian version of the Corps

HRH Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught, then Governor General of Canada, wrote to the President of the Military Hospitals Commission to recommend a Canadian version of the UK Corps of Commissionaires, which would operate under similar principles.

Photo credit: MCpl Matthieu Racette, Rideau Hall

The Canadian Corps of Commissionaires is established

The Corps was founded in Montréal, QC, to support veterans of the First World War through employment. The first provisional directors were five lawyers, John MacNaughton, Albert Isidore Goodstone, Joseph Horace Michaud, Philip Meyerovitch, and Max Bernfeld.

Letters Patent signed on July 25, 1925.

The first “companies” launch

The earliest branches date back to 1927 and were based in Montréal (“No. 1 Company”), Toronto (“No. 2 Company”) and Vancouver (“No. 3 Company”). These early commissionaires safeguarded federal installations.

No. 3 Company in Vancouver, BC, March 18, 1928. 

The Governor General of Canada becomes a Viceregal Patron

Lord Tweedsmuir became the first Viceregal Patron of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires. Since then, the Corps has been privileged to have each Governor General of Canada as its Viceregal Patron.

John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, by Bassano Ltd whole-plate film negative, April 3 1935 NPG x34298 © National Portrait Gallery, London

T. Eaton Company Ltd. is the first major private client

Commissionaires grew steadily in its first decade, gaining new government and private clients. T. Eaton Company Ltd. in Montréal, QC, became the first major private client of the Montréal Division (now Québec Division) providing guard services.

T. Eaton Company Ltd. building, Montréal, QC, circa 1930s. Source: The Department Store Museum Website

The Federal Government awards the Right of First Refusal for security contracts at their facilities, guaranteeing quality jobs for commissionaires

Commissionaires officially opens employment to former RCMP members

Newfoundland (now Newfoundland and Labrador) becomes the last Division to join, establishing operations from coast to coast to coast

Newfoundland became Canada’s tenth province in 1949. Newfoundland’s entry into Confederation resulted in a more unified nation, and in 1950, a more unified Corps when Commissionaires established what is now known as the Newfoundland and Labrador Division.

Commissionaires on guard to protect Royalty

HRH Queen Elizabeth, then HRH Princess Elizabeth, signing the visitors’ register at the Maritime Museum (Nova Scotia), with her husband HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, looking on.

LCol Mary Dover becomes first female board member

Lieutenant-Colonel Mary Dover of the Southern Alberta Division, became the Corps’ first female board member. Prior to her work at Commissionaires, Mary served in the Canadian Women’s Army Corps throughout the Second World War. As one of Canada's first female military officers, Mary pioneered numerous programs throughout her service.

LCol Mary Dover in Canadian Women's Army Corps uniform, Montréal, Québec. (CU1145407). Courtesy of Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary.

HRH Princess Margaret inspects the Corps

Commissionaires outside the Veterans’ Hospital in Victoria, BC, on occasion of HRH Princess Margaret’s visit.

The Dominion President of the Royal Canadian Legion becomes an Honorary Governor

Commissionaires and the Royal Canadian Legion share overarching goals to support veterans and their families. To this day, the role of Dominion President remains to be an Honorary Governor of Commissionaires.

Audrey Morton becomes the first female commissionaire

Commissionaires expanded its hiring practices in 1972 when it welcomed Second World War veteran, Audrey Morton, CD, in Saint John, NB. As the first female guard, Audrey helped design the women’s uniform.

Audrey Gertrud Morton, CD, with A.R. Sprague, Corporal in charge of security guards at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John, NB.

Commissionaires reorganizes to become a Federation of independent Divisions with a national office in Ottawa

Commissionaires National Office, 100 Gloucester Street, Ottawa, ON.

The first supervisor course is held in Kingston, ON

Commissionaires exceeds 10,000 employees

Commissionaires opens employment to non-veterans

To meet the rising demand for security, employment was opened to non-veterans and other servicepeople, including first responders, Coast Guard members, and corrections officers.

The Commissionaires Long Service Medal (CLSM) is added to the Canadian Honours System

The CLSM is awarded for 12 years of service in the Corps and has undergone several redesigns over the decades. The CLSM (originally called the Commissionaires Service Medal) was first approved by the Secretary of State in 1948. It was officially incorporated in the Canadian Honours System 50 years later.

Redesigns of the Commissionaires Long Service Medal from the 1940s to the 1990s.

‘Commissionaires Way’ opens at the Canadian War Museum

Commissionaires partnered with the museum to develop an exhibit with historical artifacts, photos, and information.

The company launches what becomes the largest digital fingerprinting infrastructure in Canada

Commissionaires updates its brand to reflect a more modern visual identity

The Commissionaires logo, past and present.

Commissionaires provides security at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games

From April 2009 to February 2010, Commissionaires recruited, trained, and uniformed over 350 commissionaires from 40 communities across Canada to provide security operations.

Winter Games Security in Vancouver, BC; 2010

Northern Alberta Division introduces security robots and drones

Québec Division launches cybersecurity services

The Social Mandate expands to support veterans’ family members

Commissionaires launches a cross-Canada Centennial Baton and Flag Tour

Leading up to the Centennial, Commissionaires launched a ceremonial baton and flag tour to connect commissionaires and the communities they serve. Over the next two years, the baton and flag travelled 10,000 km across Canada from Division to Division. The journey cultivated tradition, unity and a shared sense of purpose to safeguard communities from coast to coast. See photos from the journey.

Top: The tour began with Newfoundland and Labrador Division CEO Capt(N) E.G. Forward, RCN (Ret'd) diving the Centennial Flag in Brigus.
Bottom: Gus the Tortoise, the most famous centenarian in Halifax, posing with the Commissionaires centennial baton.

Commissionaires becomes an event of national historic significance

On November 27, 2024, Commissionaires was designated as an event of national historic significance under Parks Canada’s National Program of Historical Commemoration. This program recognizes significant people, places, and events that have shaped Canada.

On July 25, 2025, Commissionaires celebrates a century of service to Canada