LaSalle, Quebec
Thomas Irvine, CD, served for 23 years as a reservist with the Black Watch in the Canadian Armed Forces. He is now a member of the Black Watch Association and has been a member of The Royal Canadian Legion for over 36 years. He has held executive positions at the branch, provincial and national levels and has always maintained a solid understanding of Veterans’ issues. Thomas has worked tirelessly to introduce initiatives and bring about improvements in benefits and other Veteran-centric issues with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of Veterans and their families.
At the branch level, Thomas started the Ormstown Helping Hand Fund, where he solicited funds and non-perishable foods for those in need at Christmas. He also organized and ran the branch dart league with the proceeds going to local schools for the lunch program. During Veterans’ Week, Thomas has also spoken to local scout groups and schools about his service for several years.
At the provincial level, Thomas filled a number of leadership roles within Québec Provincial Command over a period of 10 years, including Provincial Vice Chair, Provincial Chair, Provincial Vice President, and currently sits as Provincial Command President.
At the national level, as Dominion Chair, Thomas led all meetings of the Dominion Executive Council for 10 years and used his experience to lead and guide the business at five successive Dominion conventions. He designed the “Train the Trainer” program for senior elected officers of the Legion and led a fundraising initiative throughout the organization for the Legion House Project at Ste. Anne’s Hospital.
Thomas was also instrumental in procuring and distributing 2,000 canvas folding chairs to Canadian Armed Forces personnel serving overseas.