History of 35 CBG

Photograph of the Connaught Barracks about 1882 per Louis Vallee

In February 1942, the Canadian Government issued a directive announcing the formation of 12 Reserve brigade groups in each of Canada's Militia districts with effect from 1 April 1942. These Reserve brigade groups were numbered 31 through 42; the Quebec City Brigade Group was 35. The three functions assigned to the Reserve were: to provide support to the civil power as required, support the active forces available for the defence of Canada and, where required, constitute a reservoir for the expansion of the active army. With the end of the war, 35 Reserve Brigade Group was dissolved on 15 May 1946.

Today, the Militia is the element of the Land Force Reserve that forms one of the Commands reporting to National Defence Headquarters. With the implementation of the Total Force concept, the Quebec Militia and all the elements of the Regular Force in Quebec have accordingly been combined under a unified command since 1 September 1992, namely Land Force Quebec Area (LFQA). LFQA comprised three Militia districts. Since 1 April 1997, it has been grouped into two Canadian Brigade Groups (CBG): 34 CBG in the Montreal area and 35 CBG in Quebec City.

35 Canadian Brigade Group consists of 11 units stationed throughout Eastern Quebec and a headquarters located in the Connaught Barracks on 3 côte de la Citadelle in Quebec City. It is made up of approximately 2,667 reservists and 63 members of the Regular Force. Almost 40% of its complement lives in the area surrounding Quebec City and 60% in the regions. The units are located geographically in Shawinigan, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Quebec City, Chicoutimi, Lévis, the Beauce and the lower St Lawrence.

Following the restructuring of the Land Force, our units have been assigned three specific roles: to provide well-trained soldiers in accordance with the Total Force concept in the context of a mobilization, to reinforce and support the ranks of the Regular Force on peacekeeping missions and in crisis situations, and provide a permanent link between the Canadian Forces and civilian communities.

It should be added that over 600 soldiers have taken part in a variety of United Nations missions and, in less than 24 hours, more than 900 Reservists were deployed in Montérégie in response to the 1998 ice storm. This deployment within Canada constituted the first deployment of Reservists on this scale since World War II.

35 CBG is a major corporate entity, which provides military training to its Reservists and is actively involved in the community, while making a significant economic contribution to the regions of Eastern Quebec.