The Surgeon General is the professional head of the Canadian military health jurisdiction, the adviser to the Minister of National Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff on all matters related to health, and head of the Royal Canadian Medical Service. The Surgeon General is also the Commander of Canadian Forces Health Services Group, which fulfils all military health system functions from education and clinical services to research and public health. It consists of the Royal Canadian Medical Service, the Royal Canadian Dental Corps, personnel from other branches of the armed forces, and civilians, with health professionals from over 45 occupations and specialties in over 125 units and detachments across Canada and abroad. As Director General Health Services, the Surgeon General is also the senior health services staff officer in the Department of National Defence. The Surgeon General is normally the only Canadian appointed to the Medical Household as Honorary Physician (QHP) or Honorary Surgeon (QHS) to Her Majesty the Queen.
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History
Canada’s first Surgeon General was Colonel Darby Bergin, a prominent surgeon who was also Member of Parliament for Cornwall, president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, founder of the 1st Volunteer Militia Rifle Company of Cornwall, and first Commanding Officer of the 59th Stormont and Glengarry Battalion of Infantry (now the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders). Selected by the Minister of Militia and Defence, the Honourable Sir Adolphe Caron, to organize the Northwest Field Force medical services during the Northwest Rebellion of 1885, Colonel Darby’s own proposed appointment as medical Director General was upgraded by the Minister to Surgeon General.
Major-General the Honourable Sir Eugène Fiset KT, CMG, DSO, ED, GGHS, BA, MB, MD, MS was the first Surgeon General after the establishment of the Canadian Army Medical Corps in 1904 (renamed the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps in 1919) to bring all military health personnel under unified command. Appointed Director General Medical Services as a Colonel in 1903, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Militia and Defence in 1906 and promoted to Surgeon General in 1914. After retirement in 1923, he was elected Member of Parliament for Rimouski and appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec in 1939.
Major-General GB Chisholm CC, MC & Bar, CBE, ED, MD was Surgeon General during the Second World War when the Canadian military health services reached their largest size in history. He was appointed the first federal Deputy Minister of Health in late 1944 and was elected as the first Director General of the World Health Organization in 1948.
Major-General KA Hunter OBE, CStJ, CD, QHP, MD was the first Surgeon General following the 1959 integration of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps with the smaller medical services of the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force to form the unified Canadian Forces Medical Service, renamed the Royal Canadian Medical Service in 2013.
List of Surgeons General or Equivalent Appointments
Surgeon General of the Militia Medical Services
1. Lieutenant-Colonel (later Colonel) Darby Bergin Apr 1885
Director General of the Medical Staff
2. Colonel JLH Neilson Feb 1898
Director General of Medical Services
3. Colonel Sir MJC Eugène Fiset KCMG Jul 1903, promoted to Surgeon General (Major-General) Dec 1914 while Deputy Minister of Militia
4. Colonel GC Jones KStJ, CMG, MD Dec 1906, promoted to Surgeon General (Major-General) Sep 1915
5. Major-General JT Fotheringham KStJ, CMG, VD, MD Nov 1917
6. Major-General GL Foster KStJ, CB, MD Dec 1920
7. Colonel JW Bridges CBE Jun 1921
8. Colonel HM Jacques DSO, MD Apr 1925
9. Colonel JT Clarke CBE, CStJ, MD Jun 1930
10. Colonel AE Snell CMG, OStJ, DSO Sep 1933
11. Colonel JL Potter BStJ, MD Jul 1936
12. Brigadier RM Gorssline OStJ, DSO, MD Nov 1939
13. Major-General GB Chisholm CC, MC & Bar, CBE, ED, MD Sep 1942 (Note 1)
14. Major-General CP Fenwick CB, CBE, MC, ED, MD Jan 1945 (Note 1)
15. Brigadier CS Thompson OBE, ED, MD Mar 1946 (Note 1)
16. Brigadier WL Coke OBE, CD, MD Oct 1947 (Note 1)
17. Brigadier KA Hunter OBE, CStJ, CD, QHP, MD Nov 1952 (Note 1)
18. Brigadier SGU Shier OBE, CD, MD Mar 1956 (Note 1)
19. Brigadier P Tremblay OBE, MD Oct 1958 (Note 1)
Note 1: DGMS Canadian Army. The medical services of the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force were led by separate Directors General from 1940 to 1959.
Surgeon General of the Canadian Forces
20. Major-General KA Hunter OBE, CStJ, CD, QHP, MD Jan 1959
21. Surgeon Rear-Admiral TB McLean CStJ, CD, QHS, MD Jan 1960
22. Surgeon Rear-Admiral WJ Elliot OStJ, CD, QHS, MD, CM Sep 1964
23. Major-General DGM Nelson CD, QHP, MD, DPH, FACPM Jul 1968
24. Major-General JWB Barr CMM, KStJ, CD, QHP, MD, CM, DHA Jul 1970
25. Rear-Admiral RH Roberts CD, QHP, MD, FRCPC, FACP Sep 1973
26. Major-General WG Leach CMM, CD, QHP, MD Apr 1976
27. Major-General VA McPherson CD, QHP, MD, FRCSC Aug 1980
28. Major-General R Dupuis CMM, CStJ, CD, QHP, MD, CSPQ, FRCPC Jul 1982
29. Major-General RW Fassold OStJ, CD, QHP, MD Sep 1985
30. Rear-Admiral CJ Knight CMM, CStJ, CD, QHP, MD Jan 1988
31. Major-General JJ Benoit CStJ, CD, QHP, MD, FRCPC Aug 1990
32. Major-General P Morisset CMM, CStJ, CD, QHP, MD, MHA Aug 1992
33. Major-General WA Clay CMM, OStJ, CD, QHP, MD, MHSc, DSc(hon) Oct 1994
34. Brigadier-General C Auger CD, QHS, MD, FRCSC Jun 1998
35. Colonel SF Cameron OMM, CD, QHP, MD Jan 2000 (Note 2)
36. Brigadier-General HF Jaeger OMM, SSStJ, MSM, CD, QHP, MD, LLD(hon), plsc, pcsc Jun 2004
37. Commodore HW Jung OMM, OStJ, CD, QHP, MD, MA Jul 2009
38. Major-General JJ-RS Bernier OMM, CD, QHP, MD, MPH, DEH, DSc(hon), FRCPC(hon), rmc, plsc Jul 2012
39. Brigadier-General HC MacKay OMM, CD, QHP, MD, MHSc, FRCPC(hon) Jun 2015
Note 2: Command and Director General responsibilities were held separately by Major-General MJL Mathieu CMM, CD, MSc, LLD(hon), CHE (Jan 2000-Apr 2005) and Commodore MF Kavanagh OMM, OStJ, CD, MD, MHA, CHE (Apr 2005-Jul 2007)