The Canadian Armed Forces has issued a new directive barring chaplains and other military personnel from mentioning God, Jesus, or other religion-specific language during mandatory public events. Military Personnel Instruction 03/26, Spiritual Reflections in Military Settings, was issued on July 29, 2026, by the Chief of Military Personnel. It states that chaplains “must instead offer a spiritual reflection” when prayers or religious observances are requested at official government events that members are expected or required to attend.
The policy applies to graduation parades, change-of-command ceremonies, ship commissionings, honours ceremonies, mess dinners, and Remembrance Day commemorations. At such events, chaplains acting as representatives of the Armed Forces rather than their own faith traditions must not use words, actions, or symbols specific to a spiritual or faith tradition.
The Department of National Defence told Canadian Catholic News that the instruction was intended to clarify the responsibilities of commanders, chaplains, and all members in responding to personnel’s moral and spiritual needs. The department also said it was intended to align military policy with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Supreme Court of Canada’s 2015 ruling in Mouvement laïque québécois v. Saguenay. The ruling found that a municipal council’s practice of opening meetings with prayer breached the state’s duty of religious neutrality.
The instruction acknowledges that regimental prayers, mealtime graces, and traditions honoring patron saints have provided comfort and connected service members with earlier generations. However, it prohibits these traditions from being observed at the events themselves. For example, a chaplain may no longer recite a traditional grace before a mess dinner. The instruction states that these traditions may instead be taught as history in a separate educational setting but not performed as part of the ceremony or meal.