As the Canadian Armed Forces is officially bilingual, the French language ranks are presented following the English (in italics).
The Royal Canadian Navy has directed its personnel to use the English rank titles for OR-1 through OR-5, but they are not yet legally in force pursuant to the National Defence Act, as they are not yet updated in the King's Regulations and Orders issued by the governor-in-council.
Army NCM slip-ons for DEU shirts, sweaters, and outerwear display only the word "Canada" or a regimental/branch title, rank insignia being worn instead as enamelled metal pins on collar points or lapels.
Applicable only to officers, they are indicated by coloured borders of rank insignia on DEU shirt and sweater slip-ons and on mess dress.
Other variations in rank insignia included sky blue lace with a diamond shaped loop for officers of the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service, and warranted Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps officers, who had a small anchor in place of the executive curl.
The insignia became effective on 11 June 2010, on the occasion of the Pacific Canadian Naval International Fleet Review parade of nations in Victoria, B.C.
When the universal CF green uniform was adopted at unification, Land Command, like the other services, used gold braid sleeve stripes as rank insignia.
On 8 July 2013, Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay announced the intention to reintroduce a more traditional style Canadian Army officers' rank insignia.
On 2 April 2016, the Commander of the Canadian Army announced that general officers would revert to the unification-era rank insignia worn between 1968 and 2013.
The rank insignia of general officers now consists of a crown, crossed sabre and baton, and a series of maple leaves on shoulder straps.
Additionally, general officers wear one broad gold band on each of the lower sleeves of the service dress tunic.
It depicts a maple leaf and is surrounded by the Latin motto vigilamus pro te ("we stand on guard for thee").
In April 2015,[20] the Royal Canadian Air Force adopted new rank insignia reminiscent of the pre-unification RCAF system.