Girl Guides of Canada - History

History

Mary Malcolmson organized the first Canadian Girl Guides Company to be officially registered in St. Catharines, Ontario; their registration is dated 1910-01-11. A park in St. Catharines was later named for Mary Malcolmson. Other Guide Companies were registered later in 1910 in Toronto, Moose Jaw and Winnipeg. The First Toronto Company held the first-recorded Girl Guide Camp in Canada on the banks of the Credit River in June 1911. By 1912, the movement had spread to all parts of Canada, and had become so popular that on July 24, 1912 Agnes Baden-Powell created Mary, Lady Pellatt "Chief Commissioner of the Dominion of Canada Girl Guides". Many Guide events were held at Lady Pellatt's home, Casa Loma, in Toronto. It is now a tourist attraction with a special Girl Guide display. In 1917, the Canadian Government passed an Act of Parliament approving the Constitution of the Canadian Girl Guides Association as it was then known.

In 1918 Newfoundland's first Guide Company was formed, even though the Province did not become part of Canada until 1949.

The Salvation Army adopted Guiding as part of its program for girls in 1937 when it became officially associated with the organization. Although the Army disassociated itself from the program in 1998, it continues to offer a form of Guiding to its girls.

The Canadian Girl Guides Association changed its name in 1961, again by Act of Parliament, to "Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada".

In 1962 "Les Guides Catholiques du Canada (secteur français)" became a member of Girl Guides of Canada. This organization had originally been active only in the Province of Quebec but over the years had developed a small membership in other provinces. It had its own program, uniform and administration but acknowledged the Chief Commissioner of Canada as the head of Guiding in Canada and had membership in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. In 1992 "Les Guides Catholiques du Canada (secteur français)" became a separate, unaffiliated organization known as "Guides francophones du Canada". In 1995, they became officially affiliated with Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada again, as "Guides francocanadiennes". This affiliation ended in 2006.