No one would diminish the incredible achievements of the Legion nor its value to veterans at large and to Canada as a whole. However, the Royal Canadian Legion’s membership is declining at the rate of approximately 15,000 members per year. Though it still boasts a membership of more than 400,000, only about 1/3 are War or CF Veterans:Veteran Statistics: According to VAC (July 2004) Total Number CF members (serving and veterans): 490,000 Total Number of War Veterans (WWI, WWII and Korea) 250,000
Legion Membership (end 2004 statistics)
Legion Membership Total 416,071 Actual Veterans in Legion (also includes Commonwealth Veterans and Life non-veterans) 149,730
Total War Veterans 52,238 Total CF Veterans (149,730 – 52,238) 97,492 Legion percentage of total veteran population: War Veterans (assuming all Canadian Military Veterans) 20.9% CF Veterans (assuming all Canadian CF Veterans) 19.9
OnLine Database