End of Academic Year Convocation and Graduation Ceremonies at the Canadian Forces College
News Release
June 21, 2017 – Toronto – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
The Canadian Forces College conducted today its annual Professional Military Education graduation ceremony on campus in North York, Ont. Lieutenant-General Alain Parent, Acting Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff, was the guest of honour at the ceremony for graduates of the Joint Command and Staff Programme residential course and the Royal Military College of Canada (RMCC) Master in Defence Studies convocation ceremony.
Last week, Lieutenant-General Charles Lamarre, Commander of Military Personnel Command, was the guest of honour at the 16 June ceremony for graduates of the National Security Programme and the Joint Command and Staff Programme Distance Learning course.
The Joint Command and Staff Programme prepares selected senior officers of the Defence Team for command and staff appointments. Students are at the rank level of Lieutenant-Commander/Major or Commander/Lieutenant-Colonel. The National Security Programme prepares selected military, public service, and international and private sector leaders for future strategic responsibilities within a complex and ambiguous global security environment.
Quotes
"The Canadian Forces College has been the cornerstone of the development of the senior officer cadre of the Canadian Armed Forces since 1966. For more than half a century, senior military and civilian leaders have greatly benefited from the exchange of ideas and instruction that takes place here.”
Lieutenant-General Charles Lamarre, Commander, Military Personnel Command
"The three Colleges of the Canadian Defence Academy generate the leaders of today and tomorrow who are prepared to deliver excellence at home and abroad. Faculty and staff of the Canadian Forces College have achieved the mission to prepare students for joint command and staff appointments or other strategic challenges in Canada’s military and beyond.”
Rear-Admiral Luc Cassivi, Commander, Military Personnel Generation and Canadian Defence Academy
“I am honoured to oversee the accomplishments of the students of the Canadian Forces College, who have helped to make this into Canada’s preeminent centre for Professional Military Education, serving the CAF as well as the security leadership cadre of the Canadian public service.”
Brigadier-General Kevin Cotten, Commandant, Canadian Forces College
Quick Facts
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The Canadian Forces College annually conducts two ten-month residency programmes. These ceremonies marked the graduation of 31 executive-level students from the National Security Programme and 221-mid-career students from the Joint Command and Staff Programme; this included a number of students graduating from the Distance Learning programme.
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The ceremony included a convocation for the RMCC Master in Defence Studies, with this degree awarded to 102 students.
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Two graduates were awarded multiple honours at the ceremonies:
- As a graduate of the National Security Programme, Colonel Christopher Ayotte was awarded the Generalissimo José-Maria Morelos Award (Mexico) as the top military graduate of the course. As well, he was selected by his peers as having demonstrated exemplary officership qualities and contributed the most to the overall success of the course, and was thus awarded the Kanwal Sethi Inukshuk Award.
- As a graduate of the Joint Command and Staff Programme, Major Geoffrey Mundy was awarded the Generalissimo José-Maria Morelos Award (Mexico) as the top military graduate of the course. As well, he was selected by his peers as having demonstrated exemplary officership qualities and contributed the most to the overall success of the course, and was thus awarded the Royal Canadian Military Institute Dr. Robert J. Farrelly Prize.
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Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-996-2353
Toll-Free: 1-866-377-0811
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca