MAIN PHOTO: Pictured right to left are: CPO1 Doutre, RAdm Earl, Mr. Troy Crosby, and CWO (Retired) Bizier. (DND Photo)
OTTAWA: A former Lantz resident, who now calls Ottawa home, has been promoted in ranking within the Royal Canadian Navy.
On Jan. 30, Group Chief CWO (Ret’d) Mario Bizier officially passed the baton to incoming Group Chief CP01 Gerald Doutre.
As Commander of the Command, the honour of officiating the change of appointment ceremony fell to Chief of Staff of the Materiel Group RAdm Chris Earl. The ceremony was also attended by Assistant Deputy Minister of the Materiel Group Troy Crosby and the Associate ADM(Mat) Simon Page.
Doutre and his family had called East Hants home for many years until a few years ago when he was transferred to Ottawa. He was a main force as the GM of the HERH Tigers boys hockey team when he lived in Lantz.
CWO (Ret’d) Bizier wished his successor all the best in his new position.
“You are truly the right person for the job. You understand the complexities entailed with procurement,” said Bizier. “You know the Materiel Group and its people. With your leadership, vast experience, and your support, the Group is definitely in good hands.”
After the signing of the official scrolls, the ADM(Mat) Group Chief Warrant Officer’s drill cane was exchanged (virtually) from CWO (Ret’d) Bizier to RAdm Earl to Chief Doutre, signifying the passing of the responsibility from the outgoing Group Chief to the incoming Group Chief.
In his remarks RAdm Earl said,” I think it’s fair to say that retired Group Chief Bizier excelled at his duties and he did so largely in an environment that none of us would have predicted.”
Later in another reference to the pandemic he said. “As a result of your leadership and efforts we made it through wave one and were very well positioned to tackle the challenges of wave two.”
Then, COS(Mat) welcomed Group Chief Doutre, no stranger to ADM (Mat) having been the Director General of Maritime Equipment & Programme Management Division Chief for the past two and a half years.
“Looking forward, the challenges aren’t likely to let up,” he said. “We are still battling a pandemic, our workforce is more distributed than ever and the demands on the Materiel Group are unrelenting. We will need your guidance, counsel, and your leadership.”
In his first remarks as Group Chief Warrant Officer, CP01 Doutre wished his predecessor in fine Navy tradition, “Fair winds and following seas.”
He went on to thank CWO (Ret’d) Bizier for his leadership and mentorship to all the people in the Materiel Group. He finished by saying,
“Sirs, I humbly accept this new role as the Materiel Group Chief Warrant Officer and my goal now is to make the Materiel Group even better for the folks across the country in my tour as your Group Chief,” said Doutre.
