Stuck in the past
Right across Canada, the goal of just about every member of the Royal Canadian Legion is the same — to make a difference in the lives of Canadian veterans and their families and keep a piece of history alive. Everyone agrees — but, it ends there.
Some Legions are indeed thriving, but most are struggling to pay their utility bills. Membership is dropping, branches are closing. The Legion has done it to themselves. In Penticton, B.C. Yukon Command removed its entire executive — for reasons unknown — for the second time in six years. This all happened two days before the official launch of Legion Week.
This same branch also lost a president in 2009 to a non-confidence vote. The next year, a paid bartender disallowed a fifth person joining a table of four due to “safety concerns.” Those who objected were written up in “the book.”
Three years later, RCMP investigated the branch for theft of money.
Not all Legions are the same. Many have problems.
The Legion, as a whole, spends far too much money on administration with big salaries paid out in the provincial and Dominion command offices. All the while, small branches are closing.
Many of those in charge never spent a single day in the military. Head office must operate like a business. The Legions focused on the World Wars and Korea for many years, but our Canadian veterans are dying off and the few that remain find it challenging to volunteer.
The Legion opened up its membership to all Canadian citizens about 20 years ago, but it was too late. The Army Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada, by contrast, were always welcoming to all veterans (Vietnam included), RCMP and emergency personnel.
The number of men and women now serving is miniscule compared with the war years. For those who are in the service, the last place they want to go on a weekend is to a darkened hall, where you have to take your hat off and the preferred music is Patsy Cline.
Some branches, Penticton in particular, attempted to offer entertainment for a younger demographic. With change, comes resistance. A lot of older people don’t embrace change.
When musicians come in for a sound check, it’s usually just a matter of seconds before somebody will bark: “Turn that noise down!”
In fairness to the Legion, it’s a doubleedged sword. Cater to a new demographic and you may offend your core.
And, let’s not beat around the bush. The reason some people join service clubs is the cheap alcohol and food.
B.C. Yukon Command’s decision to fire an entire executive (Legion protocol is that an entire board goes and not one person) will do very little to recruit new volunteers. It’s doubtful there’s a waiting list for volunteers.
The Legions have done a lot of exceptional work for more than 90 years. If they want to survive for another 10 or 20 years, some compromise has to be made, starting with cuts at the top.
And, those at the top need to learn to treat people better.