Scouts Canada History

Scouting began in 1907 when Lt. Gen. Robert Baden-Powell took a group of

youth to a camp on Brownsea Island in the United Kingdom. There is evidence that a few Scouting groups started up in Canada in 1907. The Canadian General Council of the Boy Scout Association was incorporated by an act of the Canadian Parliament on June 12, 1914. In 2007, our Centennial Year, our name was officially changed by an act of Parliament to Scouts Canada.

 

Since 1910 the Governor General has been either the Chief Scout for Canada (prior to 1946) or Chief Scout of Canada (after 1946). The current Governor General and Chief Scout is His Excellency David Johnston.

 

Today, Scouts Canada is a highly diverse organization with over 100,000 members nationwide representing every faith and culture. Scouts Canada offers programming in more than 19 languages reflecting Canada's multicultural landscape and communities.