Royal Canadian Legion sees membership surge during centennial year

The head of the Nutana Legion is dispelling two common myths about the organization ahead of Remembrance Day this year, and sharing news of the organization’s growth in its 100th year.

Bill Flahr said the Royal Canadian Legion’s grassroots came from Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1925.

“They had formed the loose association of various veterans’ organizations to form the Canadian Legion of British Empire Service League,” Flahr told Mark Loshack on the CKOM Morning Show, adding that the group was incorporated in April the following year.

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Flahr said there’s a common misconception that someone has to be a former member of the military or RCMP in order to become a member of the legion.

“At one time, that was the truth. But in the last 20 years, that has changed,” Flahr explained. He said membership is now open to all members of the general public.

The second myth Flahr wanted to dispel is the belief that membership is required to attend the legion or any of its events. While that, too, used to be the case, Flahr said it’s not anymore and hasn’t been in a long time – any member of the general public can attend legion gatherings or events at any time.

There’s been a recent surge in new memberships, Flahr said, due to the 100th anniversary of the legion. He said Dominion Command decided that those who had not been a legion member anywhere previously could join the legion free of charge in 2026.

“In our branch alone, we ended last year at 550 members. Now, at this point, we’re over 1300,” Flahr shared. He said they cannot fit every member in to a single room anymore.

“It does pose some challenges for parking for members who want to attend our events because every single major event we’ve had since January is sold out.”

Flahr said legions across Canada have benefited and grown because of this, but said he believes Saskatchewan has been “the most successful at generating new memberships.”