ABOVE: Ottawa businessman and Honorary Colonel of the Governor General’s Foot Guards, Brian Brulotte with his wife Kaitlin.
The Governor General’s Foot Guards (GGFG) are an armed forces reserve regiment and an institution in the Ottawa area. With a history stretching back to 1872, together with the Canadian Grenadier Guards, they offer troops for the Changing of the Guard Ceremony that runs through the summer months on Parliament Hill.
The regiment is also commonly seen at the public appearances of foreign dignitaries wearing their bearskin caps and scarlet tunics. They have proudly provided guards of honour to foreign dignitaries, including the 2011 visit of His Majesty Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.
The regiment has a storied combat history with two members being the recipients of the Victoria Cross: Corporal Lionel Beaumarice Clarke, whose storming of a German trench in the first world war is the stuff of military legend, and Major Okill Learnmonth, who, while mortally wounded, continued to hold off a German attack on his trench during the battle of Hill 70.
The GGFG’s have also earned a reputation in Canada for their help when crisis strikes. During the 1998 Ice Storm they were tasked with the helping the disaster response in the Ottawa area. More recently, the regiment partook in the public health operations run by the military during the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Sunday November 7, 2021, during the annual Remembrance Day church service, the Brulotte Foundation donated $150,000 to commemorate the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Governor General’s Foot Guards (GGFG), and the regimental Chapel, St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church. Ottawa businessman Bryan Brulotte has been the Honorary Colonel of the Regiment since 2013, and is supported by his wife Kaitlin in this endeavour.
“This donation is a sincere expression of thanks to those steadfast Foot Guard soldiers who have preceded us since 1872, and whose contribution shaped a great nation,” says Brulotte. Brulotte is the son of an enlisted soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces, so his dedication to the military comes as no surprise.
Alongside his military dedication, Brulotte has an ongoing passion for serving his community by giving back. The Brulotte Foundation provides bursaries to army reserve soldiers and engages in national advocacy to former military and homeless veterans. “By every measure, past-present-future, Canada is an extraordinary democracy. It has been forged by committed citizens demonstrating that merit, hard work, moral fortitude, cooperation, and personal sacrifice, can build a better tomorrow,” says Brulotte.
Brulotte continues his honour and loyalty to Canada through his work and philanthropy with the Governor General’s Foot Guards. He believes in people: that everyone deserves a chance, and that everyone has something to offer. Brulotte credits his military service in helping him learn the values that made him successful as a civilian.
Photo: Courtesy MaxSys Staffing and Consulting
