Cameron Highlanders or Governor General Foot Guards

[AhmadChaar]

So I am interested in joining the army reserves but have a few questions these two Ottawa reserves in particularly. My first question is: What is the major difference between the two reserves. Do you recieve the same training for infantry? Is it mandatory to do parades in the Guards? Is it better to do summer courses in the cameron highlanders or governor general foot guards? In which reserve are you given more freedom to return home/or in general during the summer?

Thank you

 

[brihard]

So I am interested in joining the army reserves but have a few questions these two Ottawa reserves in particularly. My first question is: What is the major difference between the two reserves. Do you recieve the same training for infantry? Is it mandatory to do parades in the Guards? Is it better to do summer courses in the cameron highlanders or governor general foot guards? In which reserve are you given more freedom to return home/or in general during the summer?

Thank you

Neither will make a different for basic training. You would be doing a part time BMQ course a couple weekends a month for five months or so, usually either Sept-Feb, or Jan - May. The Ottawa are units run those out of Connaught Ranges in Nepean, and you'll have a mixed staff- some Camerons, some Guards, some from other Ottawa area units (engineers, artillery, military police, signals, medics, etc). After that you have a couple months of full time training in the summer, which would likely be in Meaford, Ontario near Owen Sound. That will be staffed by instructors from all over Ontario, most of them in Meaford temporarily for the summer, a handful of them potentially full time instructors there.

Both the Camerons and the Guards are infantry units. Both face largely the same challenges and have the same resources. I am of course biased in favour of the Camerons- that's been my regiment since 2005. We have more guys who've deployed overseas, and that does pay dividends. But I had five guards in my platoon on tour, so it's not like none of them have gone anywhere. The guards do do more ceremonial stuff. It has been the case in the past that GGFG members who wanted work in the summer were basically offered Ceremonial Guard in Ottawa (the Changing Of The Guard parade on Parliament) or nothing. Less oo lately, and the Camerons send plenty of troops to the Ceremonial Guard as well.

I think that the Camerons still have more of a focus on killing people and breaking their stuff, which is what the infantry is about. But there's not really any huge different between the units, or between many reserve infantry units in general. I of course say go Camerons- but at the end of the day, go with whichever unit has room to recruit you. And get your paperwork in soon; the recruiting quotas for this year could well already be filled or close to it. I was the recruiter for the Camerons up until a year and a half back, and by this point in the year it would be a crapshoot if I had spots left.

 

[acen]

I echo what Brihard has said, but given that your two posts have largely concerned your ability to go home during summer training, I will also echo what has been said in your other thread: it's not going to happen. Training in Meaford has been cut down to ~45 days straight for the infantry, and you only have to do it once (unless of course you have some sort of "emergency" and have to go home). In that case, there may not be an appetite to send you on course again effectively ending your military career.

Other than that, there is a pretty big difference in unit culture between the Guards and Camerons, make sure you inform yourself about them. Also, why the infantry? There are a number of other units in the city that have their fair share of interesting gigs. 30th Field Artillery, 33 Combat Engineer Regiment, Military Police, Service Battalion, Signals...all kinds of options within city limits. Be forewarned though, you won't get any weekends to go home with them either, and some of their training is even further away than Meaford (Gagetown New Brunswick for example).

Given that weekends are the primary training venue for reservists (as most have full time jobs), you'll have to think whether this is the right thing for you.

 

[Deleted member 59086]

And get your paperwork in soon; the recruiting quotas for this year could well already be filled or close to it. I was the recruiter for the Camerons up until a year and a half back, and by this point in the year it would be a crapshoot if I had spots left.

Oh dear this might just have ruined my day. I'm moving to Ottawa at the end of this month and I tried joining the Guards from where I live currently. This was back in June and I was told it would not be worth it and that I should just wait till I'm in Ottawa as reserve regiments recruit locally.  anic: