History

The first Guard Mount took place on Parliament Hill on July 2nd, 1959. It was carried out by the Regiment of Canadian Guards, a Regular Force regiment of the Canadian Army. The Public Duties Detachment was later manned by the two Reserve Guards Regiments, the Governor General's Foot Guards, from Ottawa and the Canadian Grenadier Guards, from Montreal.

The Ceremonial Guard, today, is a composite Canadian Forces Unit of over 400 people that includes a Headquarters Company a Public Duties company, the Band of the Ceremonial Guard and the Pipes and Drums of the Ceremonial Guard. This year, the majority of the Guard is composed of Regular and Reserve Force Guard and includes soldiers from regiments across Canada. The Guard also employs Regular Forces members from the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Canadian Navy to execute sentry duty at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Ceremony is performed daily on Parliament Hill from late June to the end of August. Sentries are also posted daily, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial on Confederation Square, located at the corner of Elgin and Wellington Street and from 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., at Rideau Hall, the residence of His Excellency, the Governor General, located at 1 Sussex Drive.