Our history

The Royal Canadian Legion has a long history of proudly supporting Veterans. When the First World War came to an end, numerous Veterans groups and regimental associations representing former service members were created. Despite their shared goals, efforts were fragmented and unsuccessful.

An appeal for unity led to the formation of the Dominion Veterans Alliance and, in Winnipeg in 1925, the Legion was founded as “The Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League.” It was incorporated by a special Act of Parliament and the Charter was issued in July 1926. On December 19, 1960, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II gave her consent to use the prefix 'Royal', and the organization became known as 'The Royal Canadian Legion." The Act of Incorporation was later amended in 1961 to make the change official.

The Legion’s initial main objective was to provide a strong voice for First World War Veterans. However, the advent of the Second World War created a host of new demands. The Legion expanded to offer more dedicated support to Veterans, as well as those serving abroad.

Today, the Legion continues to improve the lives of Veterans, including serving Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP, and their families. This has been our principal objective since our inception and we will continue to work for it today and every day forward.