Legion Week, Remembrance planning and organisational updates

An update from Dominion Command for our branch members.


August 2026
Twitter - X
Facebook
YouTube
Instagram
LinkedIn
Legion's Store
Legion - Dispatch | Branch Updates
The Legion DISPATCH delivers essential information from Dominion Command to Branches—covering policies, procedures, resources, and opportunities to support Branch operations and growth.
Legion Centenary Celebration Cake
Thank you for marking the Legion’s Centenary
 

As we continue celebrating the Legion’s Centenary, thank you to Branches across the country for marking the July 17 anniversary in their communities. Branch ceremonies, activities and local media coverage helped share the Legion’s history, highlight the work Branches do today and educate Canadians about our ongoing service to Veterans and communities.

You can also watch the national Centenary ceremony, courtesy of CPAC.

Watch the National Ceremony
In this Edition
National Legion Week
Prepare for National Legion Week
Prepare for National Legion Week

National Legion Week will take place September 20–26, 2026.

This year’s National Legion Week is an especially meaningful opportunity to welcome visitors, showcase the work your Branch does in the community and celebrate the Legion’s Centenary.

National Legion Week recognizes the important role Branches play in our shared mission to serve and support Veterans, promote Remembrance and contribute to communities. It is also an opportunity to attract new members and volunteers.

The 2026 tip sheet and promotional graphics are now available:

View National Legion Week Resources
Remembrance Day Ceremony Locator
Add your Remembrance Day ceremony to the national locator
Add your Remembrance Day ceremony to the national locator

Branches hosting or supporting a Remembrance Day ceremony are encouraged to add their event to the Legion.ca Remembrance Day Ceremony Locator by early October.

You can use last year’s login credentials to update your ceremony information or create a new listing.

Legion National Headquarters extensively promotes Remembrance Day and encourages Canadians to attend a ceremony in their community. National public service announcements direct the public to Legion.ca/ceremony to find a local event.

Submit your ceremony details early to ensure your event is included.

Add Your Ceremony
National Poppy Campaign
National Poppy Campaign dates standardized
National Poppy Campaign dates standardized

The Dominion Executive Council has approved a standardized annual period for the National Poppy Campaign.

Beginning in 2026, the campaign will run each year from October 24 through November 11.

Previously, the campaign began on the last Friday in October and varied from 12 to 18 days. Consistent annual dates will provide greater certainty and reduce the impact that weekends, business hours and local circumstances can have during a shorter campaign.

Read the Full Poppy Campaign Update
Membership Renewal
2027 Membership Renewal Stickers
2027 Membership Renewal Stickers

For all members renewed for 2026 by July 22, 2026, Branches will receive their 2027 renewal stickers by mail beginning in mid-August.

Here are some ways Branches can continue to support membership growth:

Reach out and welcome new members within their first 30 days.
Collect and share member email addresses and phone numbers within the membership system.
Promote the free MemberPerks® program to all members.
Contact Membership Services with any questions: 1-855-330-3344
Don’t Forget to Remember
Return your Don’t Forget to Remember kits by August 21
Return your Don’t Forget to Remember kits by August 21

Please mail your completed Don’t Forget to Remember booklet using the return packaging provided on or before August 21.

Returning your booklet by the deadline will help ensure your community’s messages can be included in the national commemorative murals.

Thank you for helping make this national Centenary initiative a meaningful act of collective Remembrance across Canada.

View the Don’t Forget to Remember Initiative
Canada Post Stamp
Canada Post commemorates the Legion’s Centenary
Canada Post commemorates the Legion’s Centenary

Canada Post has unveiled a new stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the official incorporation of The Royal Canadian Legion.

Since July 1926, the Legion has played an important role in supporting Canada’s Veterans and their families, serving communities and commemorating the service and sacrifice of all who have served.

The stamp also recognizes the Legion’s network of Branches, which provide spaces where Veterans, their families and community members can gather for support, activities and connection.

The commemorative stamps are now available for purchase.

Purchase the Commemorative Stamp
EDI Awareness Program
EDI Awareness Program coming soon

The Dominion Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee will launch the Legion’s EDI Awareness Program in the coming weeks.

The voluntary program supports the Legion’s ongoing commitment to creating a respectful, inclusive and welcoming culture and encourages greater awareness, understanding and belonging among members.

The program will be introduced in stages:

Additional information will be shared as the program becomes available. Branches with questions should contact their Provincial Command.

August 2026: The EDI Learning Moment video will be presented at the Dominion Convention.
Early September 2026: The video will be available on the Legion Portal.
Mid-September 2026: Provincial Commands will receive information about the EDI Foundations Virtual Session for Provincial Command Senior Elected Officers and EDI representatives.
Additional information will be shared as the program becomes available. Branches with questions should contact their Provincial Command.
Dominion Convention
The 50th Dominion Convention is days away
The 50th Dominion Convention is days away

The Royal Canadian Legion’s 50th Dominion Convention will take place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from August 22 to 26, 2026, as we celebrate 100 years of service to Canada.

Learn more about Dominion Convention

During Convention, Delegates will elect seven Senior Elected Officers to the Dominion Executive Council: the Dominion President, First Vice-President, three Vice-Presidents, Treasurer and Chair. Those elected will serve until the conclusion of the next Dominion Convention.

Candidate biographies are available online.

View Candidates for Office
Notable Dates
2026 Calendar of Notable Dates

September 17 marks the 20th anniversary of the conclusion of Operation Medusa, a major Canadian-led combat operation conducted in Afghanistan in September 2006.

Branches may wish to recognize the anniversary and learn more about the service and sacrifices of Canadians who served in Afghanistan.

Download the 2026 calendar and start planning the dates and activities your Branch will promote, commemorate, celebrate or raise awareness of over the coming year.

View the 2026 Calendar
Keep your Branch Informed

Forward this email to your Branch Executives, Committee Members and other Members to keep them up-to-date on important updates and information.

All Branch emails are also available on the Member Services website.

View Emails
The Legion centenary logo
Working together to serve Canada’s Veterans
Follow Us On Social
Twitter - X
Facebook
YouTube
Instagram
LinkedIn
Click here if you are having trouble viewing this message.

Copyright © 2026 The Royal Canadian Legion. All rights reserved.

Operational emails from Legion National Headquarters are sent to the email address on file for your local Legion Branch. If this is no longer the correct email address for your Branch, please forward this email to the new contact and request the Branch update their contact information.The Branch may update the email address at any time by updating their Branch Profile on the Member Services Website or by contacting Member Services. Learn more about All Branch emails.

Our contact information is:

The Royal Canadian Legion National Headquarters
Member Services Department
86 Aird Place
Ottawa, ON K2L 0A1
Canada
Toll free: 855-330-3344
Email: membership@legion.ca
Legion.ca

Official history: A contentious account of the war in Afghanistan has sparked debate

An item from the Legion Magazine.


Weekly Feature
Observation Post

A Canadian soldier on NATO operations in Kabul, Afghanistan, around 2006. [Stephen J. Thorne]

Official history: A contentious account of the war in Afghanistan has sparked debate

STORY BY RICHARD FOOT

 

Can a country fully understand itself without an official military history? And is Canada being well-served by the Defence Department’s current historical program?

A new article published last month in the academic journal Canadian Military History answers “no” to both those questions.

In an essay titled “The Canadian Army in Afghanistan and the Decline of Official Military History in Canada,” Peter Kasurak argued that the Department of National Defence and its history branch need to rediscover the culture of excellence that was once a hallmark of Canadian official military history dating back to the Second World War.

READ MORE

Let's Get Toasty Campfire Mug
The Briefing
The Briefing

Soldier and war artist Louis Weirter depicts a scene of the chaos as Canadian troops capture the village of Courcelette, France, in September 1916. [Louis Weirter/CWM/19710261-0788]

British historian Paul Reed on why Canada’s Great War story endures

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

Books can explain the horrors and hardships of the First World War. Battlefields, however, tell their own stories. To walk the ground of century-old clashes, to see the almost-boundless rows of white grave markers in cemeteries through Belgium and France, is to encounter history in a way that no printed page can ever fully replicate.

While tens of thousands of overseas visitors have embarked on pilgrimages across the former Western Front since the Armistice, few have lived it quite like military historian Paul Reed. For more than a decade, the British tour guide and author of 10 books lived in Courcelette—a community forever intertwined with Canada’s role in the 1916 Battle of the Somme.

Reed’s intimate knowledge of the site, as well as his admiration for the wider wartime contributions of the Canadian Corps, have featured prominently in his Old Front Line podcast. Here, in a Legion Magazine exclusive, he reflects on both.

READ MORE

Member Benefit Partner

Arbor Memorial

PLC have been sent out!

An item from the Wreaths Across America organization.


WAA.MovingTheMission.Header.1521x542.2020

National Wreaths Across America Day will be here sooner than you think! With over 5,500 participating locations, there’s a lot of preparation to come.

Preliminary Load Confirmations (PLC) have been sent out. In order to keep the same load(s) from last year, you must email the signed PLC back by August 14, or it will go on the open load list for other carriers to choose. We need help covering open loads! View them here.

We are once again holding webinars for Honor Fleet members. Returning and new Honor Fleet members alike must attend one of three, short webinars. In this webinar, you’ll learn more about the mission, your role, and logistics necessary for a successful season. Please select a webinar date and time below and register today!

We’d like to remind you to whitelist us! Please add trucking@wreathsacrossamerica.org to your list of approved/trusted senders in your email. You may have to work with your company’s IT team to do so. Once whitelisted, our emails won’t end up in spam, so you won’t miss out on important updates as the season ramps up.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to the WAA Transportation Team! Give us a call at 207-618-7530. Thank you for your continued support, flexibility and passion for the mission. 

With gratitude,
WAA Transportation Team

 

Open Loads

Open Loads

Transportation partners are the backbone of the Wreaths Across America effort. Our “Honor Fleet” is responsible for transporting millions of veterans’ wreaths to a growing number of participating locations worldwide. We need help covering open loads! If you or someone you know would like to get involved, please reach out at the button below.

 

Honor Fleet Webinars

 As we prepare for a successful season, please attend one of three webinars! Whether you’re a returning partner or it’s your first season, we have new information to share with you. You’ll learn more about the mission, your role, and logistics necessary for a successful season. Please click the button below to choose your session.

WAA_MasterLogo_Trucking

Please note: these are different than the Arlington-specific webinars.

 

Truckin’ Tuesday on Wreaths Across America Radio

WAA_MasterLogo_Radio (1)

 The Wreaths Across America Mission doesn’t move without the trucking industry, and that’s why every Tuesday on Wreaths Across America Radio is Truckin’ Tuesday. Are you a partner carrier that has a podcast? Let us know! Email Jeff Pierce for details and to express your interest in being a part of the Wreaths Across America Radio lineup.

 

Stay in the Know

The Moving the Mission Facebook Group is a space for supporters of Wreaths Across America working in the transportation industry to connect with and learn from one another. Members will share their stories of support, learn more about Wreaths Across America, including volunteer opportunities, and network with other industry professionals.

 

Featured Merchandise

Show your support for Wreaths Across America and the 250th anniversary of the United States while sporting this comfortable classic hoodie. It has the 2026 Theme “Remember Me” on the left chest.

Browse all of our memorabilia here, or click on the button below to purchase the hoodie.

Smoke_2026_Hoodie__64189
Wreaths Across America, PO Box 249, Columbia Falls, ME 04623, United States, 877-385-9504

We tore down the website and built a new one

This is an exceptional resource that members will enjoy exploring.


National Updates from The Royal Canadian Legion

A centenary update from Dominion Command.