Annual Inspection of the Guard

At Rideau Hall and on Parliament Hill, the arrival of summer coincides with the return of the Ceremonial Guard.

As members of the Canadian Forces, the Guards receive the same training as any other soldier.

The Governor General carries out the inspection as commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces and as colonel of the Governor General’s Foot Guards, the Canadian Grenadier Guards and the Governor General's Horse Guards.

Every year at this time, the Governor General inspects the Ceremonial Guard as it prepares to assume its summer duties.

The Governor General carries out the inspection as commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces and as colonel of the Governor General’s Foot Guards, the Canadian Grenadier Guards and the Governor General's Horse Guards.

The work they do as a summer job is anything but a walk in the park, as they perform repeated manoeuvres and stand at attention without flinching for long periods of time.

It is an opportunity for the Governor General to see the Guard at work, to talk with the soldiers and congratulate them.

Some of the guards, as soldiers, can be called upon to serve in missions in Canada and abroad.

It is estimated that 2 000 to 4 000 people gather every day on Parliament Hill to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony.