Philippe Lefebvre (left) and Parliamentary Secretary Sean Casey (right).
Major Philippe Lefebvre, CD (Retired), is a Veteran of the 2nd Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery with a total of 32 years served with the Canadian Armed Forces. For nearly a decade, he has generously donated his time and efforts to various initiatives put forth by the 3rd Battery of Montreal Artillery. He has advocated for Veterans’ well-being, celebrated their many accomplishments and promoted educational activities that advance the values of peace and remembrance among youth.
Philippe has been with the 3rd Battery of Montreal Artillery, a federally registered charity, since its inception in 2008. He became the Vice-President in 2017, the Treasurer in 2019 and has acted as President since 2020. He has advanced peace and remembrance among youth through his work with the International Forum for Peace, Security & Prosperity (IFPSP). The mission of the IFPSP is to learn from the past, to educate and inform future generations of the history of peace in the world and to bring a heightened level of reasoning to the discussion of how to achieve lasting peace, security and prosperity in this digital age. Philippe was responsible for all financial matters including fundraising, supplying official tax receipts and “thank you” letters for the donors. He was also responsible for deposits and payments. Additionally, he was responsible for the technology for the live global broadcast, the plenary session of the conference and connecting the virtual speakers. His efforts have kept citizens in his community aware of Veterans’ issues and raised the profile and prestige of Canada on the world stage as a peace-promoting nation.
Philippe has also donated numerous hours of his time to Operation Husky 2013, 2018 and 2023. He was the financial administrator for the Walk for Remembrance and Peace, a 325 km walking trail and guidebook that has been created to support Operation Husky commemorations in Sicily. Additionally, he provided on-the-ground support to the Canadian team participating in the 20-day walk which followed the path of the 1st Canadian Division.
Philippe also volunteers for the Artillery Association of Montreal where he proposed a draw, whereby the cadets, Legions and Veterans groups could participate and receive funding for their organization. To date, more than $50,000 has been raised. He suggested the organization develop a website for the association in order to have an electronic presence and to add a virtual museum to their website. He continues to act as the webmaster and keeps the website up to date. In 2017, he proposed the creation of a logo which was approved in 2018. He subsequently created a graphic standard book providing direction on how to use the logo appropriately. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he rapidly set up communication channels so that the Board of Directors could meet and carry out their work. In addition, he contributed to the development of virtual activities in order to break the isolation not only within the regional association, but also at the provincial and national level. Currently, he maintains a hybrid system which allows members with mobility issues to participate virtually in activities and reunions.
In 2016, Philippe was asked to take over the position of President for the Cadet Corp 2719 Côte-des-Neiges, which had been in a financial deficit for several years. He agreed to a one-year mandate in order to form a parental committee who could take over and put the finances back on track. He ended up staying on as President for four years, turning the Cadet Corp 2719 into one of the largest corps in the Montreal region with over 145 cadets.