The Torch: Canadian Navy centennial commemorated, Tuesday, May 4

Navy news release:

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 marks the commemoration and celebration of the Canadian Naval Centennial (CNC). Throughout the centennial year, the Canadian Navy is celebrating 100 years of naval service in Canada.
"It has always been a challenge to overcome maritime blindness in Canada, but the extraordinary work of our sailors is helping to demonstrate the amazing capability of the naval service and the important role the navy plays in Canada.” says Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden, Chief of the Maritime Staff. “The purpose of the Canadian Navy’s centennial is not just to celebrate our achievements or tell the story of our navy; it is also to publicly renew our commitment to Canada and to the future. The support of Canadian citizens allows us to do the job we have been assigned and we thank the people of Canada for recognizing this important time in Canadian naval history and for sharing it with us.”

Although May 4^th, 1910 is the date that Royal Assent was given to the Naval Service Act thereby establishing the Department of Naval Service, several official naval centennial events will be held across the country throughout the year.
On Sunday, May 2, 2010 the three formations of the Canadian Navy, headquartered in Halifax, Quebec City and Esquimalt, along with Maritime Command in Ottawa and Canada’s 24 Naval Reserve Units across the country will all hold commemorative services to mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic [more here].

On Monday, May 3, 2010 Canada Post will unveil a set of two commemorative stamps at the Canadian War Museum, celebrating the Canadian Navy’s 100^th anniversary [see below] .The stamps will be available to the public on the following day (May 4^th).

Tuesday May 4, 2010, will see a host of events across the country:

Ottawa

At 10 a.m., in the presence of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, and the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden, Chief of the Maritime Staff, will present a ship’s bell, the Canadian Navy Centennial Bell, to the people of Canada in a ceremony held in the Senate Chamber on Parliament Hill. Then, in the afternoon at 1:30 p.m., Vice-Admiral McFadden will be joined by Marie Lemay, CEO NCC, and Dr. Mark Kristmanson, Director of Programming NCC, to break ground for the national naval monument at Richmond Landing behind the Library of Archives [more here].

Victoria

At 9:30 a.m. Maritime Forces Pacific will exercise its “Freedom of the City” of Victoria. Rear Admiral Tyrone Pile, Commander Maritime Forces Pacific, will lead a parade of more than 2,700 Canadian Forces members and the Naden Band through downtown Victoria. Following the parade, the Naden Band and the Guard of Honour will return to the corner of Government and Wharf Streets for the unveiling and dedication of the “Homecoming Statue”.
Halifax

At 10:00 a.m. Maritime Forces Atlantic will exercise its “Freedom of the City” of Halifax. Rear-Admiral Paul Maddison, Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic and more than 2,000 sailors and members of Maritime Forces Atlantic will parade through the streets of Halifax to City Hall.
The Canadian Navy is planning other events throughout 2010 year to mark this significant moment in Canada's naval history within the context of the centennial theme of “Bring the Navy to Canadians” -with events aimed at honouring the past, showcasing the current navy and reinforcing the requirement for the future navy. The centennial slogan of "Commemorate, Celebrate and Commit" reflects the Canadian Navy's broad aims in marking this historic national event.

Credit: Cdr Guy Phillips

Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Fredericton transitting the narrows en route to a refuelling stop in St. John's Newfoundland. HMCS FREDERICTON is returning home to Halifax, Nova Scotia after completing a six-month counter-piracy and counter-terrorism deployment. HMCS FREDERICTON will return to Halifax on May 4th in time for celebrations marking the Navy's centennial anniversary.
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For more information please contact:

Lieutenant (Navy) Wendy Goulet, Canadian Naval Centennial Public Affairs at (819) 997-0706. Email – wendy.goulet@forces.gc.ca

For a full list of centennial events please visit: www.canadiannavy100.forces.gc.ca

Here's a link to the English centennial page, lots of good material:

Two stamps from Canada Post, HMCS Niobe and HMCS Halifax (more here):

A travelling exhibit from the Canadian War Museum:

The Military Museums launches The Navy: A Century in Art

Calgary, Alberta, March 25, 2010 — A new travelling exhibition by the Canadian War Museum had its national premiere earlier today at Calgary's Military Museums.

The Navy: A Century in Art marks the centennial of the founding of the Canadian Navy. It features a selection of paintings from many of Canada's leading war artists, and demonstrates how geography, history and war have shaped the Navy through its first century of service. The works in this exhibition are drawn mainly from the War Museum's Beaverbrook Collection of War Art. They capture the diverse roles, traditions and activities of this national institution.

The exhibition opens to the public on March 27, and closes on June 20, 2010...

Some of Canada's finest artists have captured the Canadian naval experience in times of war and peace - from dramatic depictions of the Battle of the Atlantic to intimate portraits of life at sea and ashore. Their works show us the human face of this experience, while helping to illuminate the important role that the Navy has played in Canadian history for the past 100 years. This exhibition will feature paintings from both official and unofficial war artists, including Arthur Lismer, Alex Colville, Harold Beament, Donald C. Mackay, Anthony Law, Ted Zuber and Pegi Nicol MacLeod...