Colonel (Canada)

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Please see "Colonel" for other countries which use this rank

In the Canadian Forces, the rank of Colonel (Col) (French: colonel or col) is an Army or Air Force rank equal to a Captain of the Navy. A Colonel is the highest rank of Senior Officer. A Colonel is senior to a Lieutenant-Colonel or Naval Commander, and junior to a Brigadier-General or Commodore.

Typical appointments for Colonels include:

Base Commander (BComd)
Wing Commander (Wg Comd)
Commanding officer of a school or training establishment, such as Commandant of the Canadian Land Command and Staff College, or Commander of Combat Training Centre Gagetown
Commander of a Brigade-Group
Branch Advisor
Military attaché to foreign nations

The rank insignia for a Colonel is a four ½" stripes, worn on the cuffs of the Service Dress jacket, and on slip-ons on other uniforms. On the visor of the service cap is one row of gold oak leaves along the edge. The cap insignia for an Army Colonel is the Crest of the Canadian Coat of Arms: a crowned gold lion with a maple leaf in its paw standing on a red-and-white wreath, all beneath the royal Crown; the collar insignia is two crossed sabres. Some Colonels, by nature of holding a specific appointment, may continue to wear the insignia of their personnel branch or regiment; for example, the Honorary Colonel of an infantry regiment.

Colonels are addressed by rank and name; thereafter by subordinates as "Sir" or "Ma'am".

Note: Before Unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, rank structure and insignia followed the British pattern.