Former Cadets

This page is reserved for those who were in the Cadets and would like to share that information with other readers of this web site. If you would like to have your name included in this list, please contact us.

The Honourable Gary Doer
RCSCC John Travers Cornwell VC, Winnipeg, MB

He was the president of Manitoba Government Employees Union for seven years before entering public life.

He served in the Manitoba Legislature from 1986 to 2009 and held a number of Cabinet positions.

He was the Leader of the Official Opposition from 1988 to 1999 and Premier from 1999 to 2009.

He served as Canada's Ambassador to the United States from 1999 to 2016.

He is a senior business advisor with the global law firm Dentons and has been retained by the government of Alberta to lobby the Trump administration on the softwood lumber dispute.

The Honourable James Downey
263 Squadron, RCACS, Melita, MB

He was an auctioneer and farmer before entering politics in 1977.

He was an MLA for twenty-two years and held a number of senior Cabinet positions including Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Northern and Native Affairs, Minister of Energy and Mines and Deputy Premier.

He is currently a business consultant.

Captain (Retired) Brian Garagan
Halifax Rifles Cadet Corps, Halifax, NS

He enrolled in the RCAF and trained in telecommunications. He was selected for university training and commissioned as an Administration Officer.

After retiring from the Forces, he was employed with Canada Post as the Manager of Communications for Mid-western Canada. He is a Past President of the Better Business Bureau, Manitoba & Northwest Ontario.

Garry Harland
Fort Garry Horse Cadet Corps, RCACC, Winnipeg, MB

He attended summer training in Camp Dundurn, Saskatchewan where he studied radio communication.

His first career was in the General Insurance Industry where he held several executive positions. More recently, he was the Treasurer for the Manitoba Baptist Association Inc until his retirement in 2013.

Gerry Korzeniowski
60 RCSCS Swiftsure, Brandon, MB

He earned B.E.S., M.Arch., MAA, MRAIC degrees and is employed as an Architect.

Mayor Glen McKenzie
519 Squadron, RCACS, Swan River, MB

He recently retired after teaching school for more than thirty years.

He is the mayor of Swan River, Manitoba.

General (Retired) Walter Natynczyk
220 Red River, RCACS, Winnipeg, MB

He enrolled in the Regular Officer Training Program and earned a Business Administration degree. He was commissioned into the Armoured Branch.

He held a number of operational and staff appointments in Canada and overseas as he progressed through the ranks. His last appointment was Chief of Defence Staff. He held that position until 2012. In 2013 the Prime Minister appointed him as President of the Canadian Space Agency. He was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs in 2015.

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Ivan Poitras
Fort Garry Horse Cadet Corps, RCACC, Winnipeg, MB

He enrolled in the Army when he was 17 and was assigned to the artillery. After he had completed high school and two years university through part-time studies he was selected for a scholarship under the University Training Plan for Men. After graduation he was commissioned and assigned to the Logistics Branch.

He served in all parts of Canada but primarily in Quebec and the Prairie Provinces.

His overseas service was with the Canadian Brigade in Europe when it was assigned to the British Army of the Rhine as well as a peacekeeper in the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

His second career was with Manitoba Family Services. At the time of his retirement, he was the Director of Emergency Social Services.

He is the Founding President of the Hubbell Awards Incorporated.

Doctor (Retired) James Popplow
2659 Cadet Corps, (which is affiliated with the 56th Field Regiment) Brantford, ON

He enrolled in the RCAF as an Air Navigator. Later, he earned BSc, BEd and MD degrees from Queen's University and became an aviation medicine specialist.

He retired from the Canadian Forces in 1995 and accepted the civilian position of senior medical advisor in environmental health for the Manitoba Provincial Public Health Branch until 2006, when he became the acting aeromedical standards and clinical services flight surgeon for the new CF Aerospace Health Services Support Squadron at 1 Canadian Air Division in January 2007.

He was the Honorary Colonel of both 16 (Regina) and 17 (Winnipeg) Field Ambulance from 2006 to 2012.

He recently retired from his position with 1 Canadian Air Division and is a volunteer director with the Hubbell Awards.

The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair
77 RCSCS Daerwood, Selkirk, MB

He attended law school at the University of Manitoba and practised primarily in the fields of Civil and Criminal Litigation as well as Aboriginal Law.

He was appointed Associate Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba in 1988 and to the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba in January 2001. He was Manitoba's first Aboriginal Judge.

He was the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada which was organized by the parties to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. The commission was part of an overall holistic and comprehensive response to the Indian residential school legacy. It was officially established on June 2, 2008, and was completed in June 2015. The commission issued a document identifying 94 "Calls to Action" to "redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation".

He was appointed to Senate of Canada in 2016.

BGen (Retired) Allan Yuill
Oakville, MB Army Cadet Corps and Winnipeg Grenadiers Army Cadets RCACC

Allan Yuill enrolled the Oakville Army Cadet Corps and remained with them for about two years until it was disbanded as part of a cost-cutting measure.

He wanted to continue as a Cadet and learned he could join the Winnipeg Grenadiers Cadet Corps that met on Thursday evenings. He arranged to leave school fifteen minutes early and caught the train to Winnipeg and then a street car to Minto Armoury.

At the end of the evening, he took the train back to Portage la Prairie.

He arrived after midnight and slept on a bench in the train station. In the morning, he took a bus to Oakville and, with approval, arrived a few minutes late for school.

He couldn't do that every week, but he did attend training as often as possible for the next two years.

During the summer he completed training in Clear Lake and Banff where he achieved the status of Master Cadet.

After high school Allan joined the army and was assigned to the Engineers. He served with them in Korea.

When he returned to Canada he was selected to attend College Militaire Royale in St. Jean, Quebec. Three years later, he was commissioned in the infantry.

His other overseas service included the Canadian Brigade in Germany when it was assigned to the British Army of the Rhine, and later in Cyprus as a peacekeeper.

His final posting, as a Brigadier General, was with the UN Disengagement Observer Force positioned between Syria and Israel. Concurrently, he was the Contingent Commander of the Canadian peacekeepers serving on the Golan Heights and Military Observers throughout the Middle East.

He served in the army for thirty-eight years before he retired to Grandview where he remains active in his community.

Other Former Cadets

  • Ernie Boychuck - Associate Chief Justice of Saskatchewan
  • The Right Honourable Joe Clark - Former Prime Minister of Canada
  • The Honourable Marc Garneau - Member of Parliament and former Canadian Astronaut
  • Chris Hadfield - Former Canadian Astronaut
  • The Honourable John McCallum - Member of Parliament, former Minister of National Defence and former Chief Economist with the Royal Bank of Canada
  • Rick Mercer - Actor and comedian, who is well known for his roles in This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and the spinoff special Talking To Americans which was the highest-rated comedy special in the history of CBC Television.
  • The Honourable Brian Tobin - Former premier of Newfoundland & Labrador