[2024] The Ceremonial Guard Band Pipes and Drums - Canada Day

Ceremonial tasks in Ottawa began in 1959 with the inaugural Changing of the Guard Ceremony mounted for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Parliament Hill. The ceremony is centuries old and is still performed today. The members of the Ceremonial Guard are instantly recognizable in their distinctive scarlet tunics and bearskin caps. Although they come from many units across Canada, members of the Guard continue to uphold the traditions of two of Canada’s finest regiments : the Governor General's Foot Guards from Ottawa & the Canadian Grenadier Guards from Montreal. Both regiments wear the black bearskin cap which was first adopted as a battle honour by the British First Regiment of Foot Guards following their defeat of Napoleon’s Grenadier Regiments of the Old Guard at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. By 1831, all British Foot Guards regiments were issued with the bearskin headdress which was designed to make a soldier appear taller and more intimidating. When the GGFG were formed in 1872 to support regal functions in the nation’s capital, they were authorized to wear the uniform of their allied regiment, the Coldstream Guards. This is where the Canadian tradition of the bearskin cap draws its initial inspiration. Today, the GGFG and the CGG are easily distinguishable by the coloured plumes on their bearskin caps: red for the GGFG and white for the CGG. The Band of the Ceremonial Guard is a military band that is attached to the Canadian Forces Ceremonial Guard in Ottawa. All members of the band are fully trained members of the Canadian Armed Forces and consists of personnel principally from the two Foot Guards regiments : the GGFG and the CGG. Since 2007, the band also include musicians from the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force. The band forms a separate company within the CG and rely on the Headquarters Company for administration and support personnel. In full composition, the band is active from April to August. The Ceremonial Guard primary area of responsibility is located in the capital city of Ottawa as well as the entire National Capital Region. The band's many engagements usually consist of events that revolve around public duties.