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History and current organization of the DCRA The Dominion of Canada Rifle Association was founded
in 1868 and inco On April 1st 1868, the Adjutant General of the Militia, General MacDougall, through the Honourable Minister of Militia, Sir G.E. Cartier, called a meeting in Ottawa of representatives of the Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. At this meeting it was decided to proceed with the formation of the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association and the Governor General, his Excellency Viscount Monck accepted the role of Patron of the Association, a position held to this day by the current Governor General. The Association at that time brought together thirty three independent rifle associations. Rules, a Constitution and By-Laws were drawn up, a Council and Executive selected and a date was set for the first Annual Prize Meeting which was held at Laprairie, just outside Montreal. In excess of 900 competitors turned up to compete for $5,500 in prize money. The DCRA has continued to hold prize meetings every year since, except during the two World Wars. The National Range of the DCRA became the Rideau Range, just behind the current location of the Russian Embassy in Ottawa. In 1897 the last Annual Prize Meeting was held on the Rideau Range since the Association had selected a more suitable location, with greater distances for long range shooting, at Rockcliffe. The site consisted of 380 acres and permitted shooting from 200 yards to 1000 yards with room for extension back to 2000. It was also in 1897 that the DCRA constructed is own permanent accommodation at Bisley, England. Canadian Teams had been attending the Annual Matches in England since 1870, the first Team being sent by the Ontario Rifle Association. The first DCRA Team went to Wimbledon in 1873 and continued to do so each year until the matches moved to Bisley in 1889. 1997 marked the Centennial of the construction of the Macdonald Stewart Canadian Pavilion at Bisley.
The Connaught Ranges opened in time for the DCRA to hold its Annual Prize Meeting in 1921. With the exception of the period 1939 to 1946, the DCRA Annual Prize Meeting has been held on an annual basis at Connaught. During the early years the Annual Prize Meetings consisted of smallbore, pistol, Service Rifle (A) (Military Targets) and Service Rifle (B) (Target Rifle Targets). Upwards of 3,000 competitors, including 800 Cadets, attended the 10 day competitions. All competitions were under the control of DCRA staff. Additionally, in those years all members of the DCRA Bisley Team were Military members, as was the majority of the membership. In 1957 the Canadian Army introduced the FNC1 as the military rifle. DCRA members were entitled to borrow these firearms from DND for competition purposes in the Service Rifle matches. The .303 continued to be the firearm utilized for target rifle competitions. The matches continued to be conducted by DCRA staff members. In the mid 1970's the military staff at the National Defence Headquarters decided to take over the conduct of the military Service Rifle competition. This arrangement lasted for about four years when DND approached the DCRA to again take responsibility for the conduct of the Service Rifle matches. This arrangement prevailed until the late 1980's when the Army staff again took control of the Service Rifle matches. Since that time the Canadian Forces Small Arms Competition (CFSAC) and the DCRA National Service Arms Competition (NSAC) have been conducted conjointly. Since before the turn of the century the DCRA has been conducting a smallbore Winter Postal Programme which has included a programme specifically dedicated to Cadet Units across Canada. This programme is still in existence and will continue for the foreseeable future. Current Organization of the DCRA The DCRA is composed of 10 Provincial Rifle Associations, the Yukon Rifle Association and the National Capital Region Rifle Association. All Provincial and Territorial Associations are affiliated with the DCRA and utilize DCRA rules and standards in their competitions. The management structure of the DCRA consists of a President, Executive Vice President, a Council, a Comptroller, an Executive Committee, Life Governors and an Executive Director with a small staff who are located at the DCRA Headquarters at the Connaught Ranges in Ottawa. President. The President of the DCRA, with two exceptions, has always been a Regular Serving Regular or Militia Army officer or a retired Army officer. The two exceptions were Chief Justice Gibson and Commissioner Nicholson of the R.C.M.P. The President is selected by the Council of the Association and approved at the Annual General Meeting. In addition to his duties as President of the Association, he will perform the functions of Chairman of the Annual General Meeting and will be the Chairman of Council. Executive Vice President. The Executive Vice President is the ex officio Chairman of the Executive Committee and acts for the President in his absence. Comptroller. The comptroller is responsible for the production of the budget, controlling expenditures and the production of financial statements. Council. The Council of the DCRA is made up of 40 members. Each Provincial Association appoints 2 members to be members of the Council. The 20 remaining members are selected at large by a ballot vote from those nominated. The term of office is for two years and the terms are staggered so that 10 of the members at large are elected each year. The Council normally meets twice per year; once at the Annual General meeting and once during the Canadian Fullbore Rifle Championships. Executive Committee. The Council, at the AGM, appoints 11 members to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee then appoints 3 additional members to the Committee from the members of Council. The Chairman of the Executive Committee is the Executive Vice President. The Executive Committee normally meets five times per year; initially, directly following the Annual General Meeting when the Committee selects additional members and names Chairpersons to the various sub-committees; in March to finalize details of the Canadian Fullbore Rifle Championships and deal with regular business; in August during the Canadian Fullbore Rifle Association; in October to finalize the results of the summer programme and to prepare for the year end of operations; and finally, in November to consider the audited financial statement and prepare the budget for the coming fiscal year. The Executive Committee is composed of four sub-committees; the Priorities and Planning Committee, the Finance Committee, the Administration Committee and the Shooting Committee. Each of these sub-committees have a number of sub-sub-committees or working groups which perform the detail planning and work. Life Governors. The appointment of Life
Governors of the DCRA are recommended by the Council for approval to the
membership of the Annual General Meeting. The appointment of a Life Governor
is in recognition of long, dedicated and conspicuous service to the Association.
Life Governors are ex officio members of Council and the Executive Committee.
There are currently 22 Life Governors.
The DCRA has three permanent staff members; an Executive Director, an Office Manager and a Bookkeeper.
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rporated by an Act of Parliament 63-64 Victoria Chapter 99,
assented to July 7, 1890, to promote and encourage the training of marksmanship
throughout Canada. The passage of this Act was prompted by the imminent departure
of the British Garrisons, who had all left by 1871, and by the then recent experience
of the Fenian Raids which had occurred in 1866 against Canadian territory. 
The DCRA continued to hold its Annual Matches at Rockcliffe
until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Teams regularly visited from
England, the United States and Australia. Following the First World War the
matches resumed at Rockcliffe for 1919 and 1920. During its period of occupancy
at Rockcliffe the DCRA had built a large Administration building and a substantial
set of quarters for competitors. Pressure began to mount to have the site of
the range made available for other purposes. It was at this time that the DCRA,
in conjunction with the Minister of Militia, selected the current site of the
Connaught Ranges for development. Since the DCRA were required to give up their
buildings at Rockcliffe, the Association was granted use of the Connaught Range
in Perpetuity. The Association was called upon to design the layout of the ranges.
The original plans are still in the DCRA archives.
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2012 Canadian Fullbore Championships |
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2012 Annual General Meeting Saturday, 31 March Connaught Range |
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