Commissionaires

Commissionaires is Canada’s largest private sector employer of veterans and the only national not-for-profit security company.

Origins

Captain Edward Walter, a retired officer of the Crimean War, founded The Corps of Commissionaires in England in 1859 to help veterans make the difficult transition back to civilian life and employment.

He convinced friends and acquaintances that the exemplary discipline, loyalty and dedication to service that veterans possessed could be put to excellent use in business.

He succeeded in finding jobs for seven veterans, thereby launching the Corps of Commissionaires.

The idea of forming a Canadian version of the British Corps of Commissionaires was first proposed by the Governor General of Canada, HRH the Duke of Connaught, in 1915. 

He wanted to provide a social safety net for soldiers who had difficulties finding employment upon completion of their service.

Founding

The Canadian Corps of Commissionaires was eventually founded in 1925, specifically to employ Canadian veterans of the First World War.

We were initially established in Montreal, then Toronto and Vancouver, to look after these men and women and provide them with transitional and permanent jobs, primarily in the security field.

The Right Honourable John Buchan, Governor General of Canada, became the Corps’ first patron in 1937. Viceregal patronage has been an 81-year tradition since then.

In the early years, we mostly provided guarding services for government institutions. From 1925 to 1948, Commissionaires expanded throughout Canada.

In 1950, with the opening of the St. John’s, Newfoundland division, Commissionaires was operating services from coast to coast.By 1982, Commissionaires exceeded 10,000 employees.