[Ed Storey]

The current Canadian Forces has gone down the 'Christmas Tree' road producing and issuing a badges for the sake of satisfying an insatiable demand for 'bling'. As an example, both the Regular Force and Reserves of the Canadian Army can barely field a division, yet by 2013 all five Division along with both the First Canadian Army and 1st Canadian Corps formation badges were reintroduced for wear on the Army Distinctive Environmental Uniform and CADPAT uniforms. Add to this all of the existing Regular and Reserve Brigade badges already in use and both uniforms have become quite colourful. Qualification and hazardous skill badges have traditionally only been worn on DEU but now the plethora of the various skill and qualification badges have also migrated to CADPAT. To top everything off, there is also a bewildering array of Task Force and even Commemoration badges which are now adorning CADPAT, further garnished the Christmas Tree. While this may seem like best time to be an insignia collector, the haphazard and uncontrolled way in which many of this insignia has made its way onto both the DEU and CADPAT uniforms means that documenting these badges is near impossible.