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| Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent |
| Dates | 1869–present |
| Country | Canada |
| Branch | Canadian Army |
| Role | Light infantry |
| Size | One reserve battalion |
| Garrison | Rimouski, Quebec |
| Command structure | 35 Canadian Brigade Group, 2nd Canadian Division |
| Motto | "Toujours prêt" |
| March | "Le Régiment de Rimouski" |
| Anniversaries | 23 June (regimental day) |
| Battle honours | See Lineage and Battle Honours |
Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent is a Canadian Army Primary Reserve light infantry regiment based in Rimouski, Quebec, with origins in the 19th century and continuous service through both World Wars and numerous domestic and international operations. The unit maintains Francophone traditions and regional ties to the Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie regions, contributing personnel to NATO, United Nations, and Canadian domestic responses. Its lineage interweaves with broader Canadian, British, and imperial military developments and reflects Quebecois military culture within the Canadian Armed Forces.
The regiment traces roots to militia companies raised in the 1860s and 1870s in Rimouski, Matane, and Cacouna, evolving amid debates in the Confederation era, the aftermath of the Fenian Raids, the expansion of the Canadian Militia, and the reorganization following the North-West Rebellion. Through the South African War period, members served under Imperial Yeomanry and Royal Canadian Regiment affiliations, while the regiment's structure adjusted during the Militia Act of 1904 and the reforms associated with Brigadier-General Garnet Wolseley's legacy. During the First World War, the unit contributed drafts to the Canadian Expeditionary Force, interacting with formations like the 1st Canadian Division, 2nd Canadian Division, and battalions mobilized for the Western Front including actions at Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, and the Somme (1916) campaigns. Postwar demobilization and the Otter Committee reorganization affected its peacetime stance until the Second World War, when the regiment raised battalions for home defence and contributed soldiers to the Canadian Active Service Force, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and to units participating in the Italian Campaign and the North-West Europe Campaign. Cold War restructuring linked the regiment to reserve contingents supporting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and domestic emergency operations alongside agencies such as Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Emergency Measures Organisation, and provincial authorities during crises like the Quebec floods and the Oka Crisis.
The regiment's official lineage records reorganizations, amalgamations, and redesignations under the Department of Militia and Defence and later Canadian Army (Post-1968). Recognized battle honours include engagements commemorated from the First World War and Second World War theatres, with perpetuations of CEF battalions and associated distinctions from battles such as Arras (1917), Passchendaele, Amiens, and the Lys. The regiment also holds credits for domestic operations and modern mission credits related to deployments in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and United Nations missions including UNPROFOR and UNIFIL through individual augmentations. Lineage certificates reference links to militia battalions established under the Militia Act (1855) and later provincial militia lists administered in Quebec City and Ottawa.
Currently organized as a single Primary Reserve battalion within the 35 Canadian Brigade Group of the 2nd Canadian Division, the regiment fields rifle companies, a regimental headquarters, and supporting elements for administration and training. The unit coordinates training cycles with institutions such as the Canadian Forces School of Infantry, the Royal Military College of Canada, and regional reserve units including Le Régiment de la Chaudière, Le Régiment de Maisonneuve, Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, and Royal 22e Régiment detachments. Command relationships extend to the Land Force Quebec Area predecessor structures and the modern Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre for professional development. Recruitment and recruitment outreach involve partnerships with municipal governments in Rimouski, educational institutions like Université du Québec à Rimouski, and veterans' organizations such as the Royal Canadian Legion.
Regimental dress has reflected Francophone and historical infantry influences with distinctions in full dress, service dress, and operational uniforms corresponding to regulations from Canadian Forces Dress Instructions and antecedent British patterns from the Victorian era. Badges incorporate provincial symbols tied to Bas-Saint-Laurent, heraldic elements registered at the Canadian Heraldic Authority, and symbols linking to historical rifle and fusilier traditions seen in regiments such as The Royal Fusiliers and The Rifles. Insignia include regimental cap badges, collar dogs, and shoulder titles bearing French-language mottos and dates, and accoutrements follow sizing and cut conventions used by the Canadian Army Uniform Centre.
Personnel from the regiment participated in major First World War battles via the Canadian Expeditionary Force and in Second World War operations through the Canadian Active Service Force, contributing to campaigns including Sicily, Apulia, and the Normandy landings indirectly through attached personnel. In the postwar era, members supported international missions such as UN peacekeeping rotations in Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Haiti, and deployed individuals to Operation Apollo and Operation Athena in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021). Domestically, the regiment mobilized for responses to natural disasters, mutual aid with the Sûreté du Québec, and national support during Ice Storm of 1998 relief operations.
Regimental traditions emphasize Francophone ceremonies, regimental mess nights, commemorative parades on Remembrance Day, and links to regional cultural events in Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine. The unit maintains alliances with local cadet corps under the Royal Canadian Army Cadets program, engages with heritage groups like the Canadian War Museum, and preserves artifacts in regimental museums akin to collections at the Musée de la Gaspésie and provincial archives in Quebec City. Annual activities include investitures, the presentation of colours under guidelines from the Governor General of Canada, and participation in multinational exercises organized by NATO partners.
The regiment holds formal and informal affiliations with other units and organizations in the Canadian Army, allied regiments in the British Army and French Army, and educational and veterans' institutions including the Royal Military College of Canada, the Royal Canadian Legion, and municipal partners in Rimouski. These relationships support training exchanges, ceremonial links, and shared heritage initiatives with units such as The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, The Princess Louise Fusiliers, and other Francophone regiments across Canada.
Category:Infantry regiments of Canada Category:Military units and formations of Quebec