Royal Canadian Sea Cadets

“Sailors, with their built-in sense of order and discipline, should really be running the world.”

- Lord Mountbatten

How to Join

In order to join Sea Cadets, you have to be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant between the ages of 12 and 18. Youth between 9 and 13 should check out our Navy League Cadet program. If you are simply young at heart (18+), then you should Get Involved in the many exciting and rewarding volunteer opportunities we have for adults. In any case, your first step is to visit a local cadet corps. You can use our Corps Locator to find one close to where you live.

Enrolling in Sea Cadets

Once you have made contact with your local cadet corps, you will be asked to fill out an Application for Membership and an Authorization for Collection of Personal Information. You will also be asked to provide proof of age, and provincial heath coverage. As a cadet, you will be expected to bring your provincial health card to all cadet activities.

There is no cost for membership in the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps. Uniforms and training materials are provided. As a cadet, you will be expected to participate in fundraising activities. The funds raised are used to provide facilities and services not provided by the Government of Canada, including extra recreational and social activities. (trips, dances, movie nights and more)

There is no obligation when you join Sea Cadets. You will be free to leave the program at any time, and there is no expectation or commitment that you will join the Canadian Forces. If the program isn't for you, simply return your uniform and other items that belong to the corps.

Serving in Sea Cadets

One of the most important and unique aspects of the Sea Cadet program is the naval environment. It is about more than learning to call a 'wall' a 'bulkhead' or the 'floor' a 'deck'. It is a highly structured environment and there are a lot of rules - rules about how you have to behave and treat other people, rules about how you treat your surrounding environment and even rules about how you can dress or cut your hair.

Scared? You shouldn't be! It doesn't take long to fit in with our program and once you 'learn the ropes' it is easy to excel. The rules will even start to make sense! The rules we have about a Harassment-Free program allow us to cultivate a sense of teamwork and belonging. The rules about personal appearance and conduct develop self-discipline and leadership. The rules about our community and our environment cultivate civic responsibility and empower you to make changes. In short, these rules will help you develop the tools you need to be more successful in life. Put another way (paraphrasing the Six Million Dollar Man) "We can make you better than you are: smarter, stronger, faster."

Besides, you will quickly learn that it is still possible to have lots of fun, even when there are rules!