A/SLt Marianne Forest: A Naval Warfare Officer with Montreal’s HMCS Donnacona

Meet Acting Sub-Lieutenant (A/SLt) Marianne Forest from Montreal, who joined the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Reserve in 2017. As a volunteer for the Sea Scouts and a member of the Canadian Forces Sailing Club, she met a number of individuals who suggested she consider becoming an officer with the RCN.

A Naval Warfare Officer at her home Naval Reserve Division, Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Donnacona in Montreal, A/SLt Forest is presently employed as a Personnel Readiness 2IC (second-in-charge) Data Coordinator.

Her work is important to her and she finds it fulfilling that as a member of the military, she can get involved with both the military and local communities, noting 2019's Operation LENTUS, where the Navy was deployed in the Greater Montreal area to help flood victims.

The best part about being in the RCN for A/SLt Forest is the variety of jobs, tasks and opportunities available.

'The most interesting part of working in the Navy is the wide variety of taskings that one can be called upon to accomplish from day to day. It is easy to stay motivated when I can switch from driving a ship, to writing reference documents for my unit, to organizing outreach events.'

'One memorable experience that I am particularly proud of is organizing a port visit for HMCS Oriole in Montreal. HMCS Oriole is a Bermudan ketch-style training sailboat that will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year. I trained a team of tour guides made up mostly of new Navy members that were unfamiliar with boat terminology, let alone sailboat terminology, and they presented the ship to the public as if they've always had known about her! What is special about organizing events in Montreal is that all the preparation is done in duplicate since we always work in both official languages.'

A memorable highlight for A/SLt Forest was participating in Pride parade.

'I particularly enjoy working with the public, so another of my highlights would be when I was asked to coordinate HMCS Donnacona's participation in the Montreal Pride Parade in 2019. As a member of the LGBTQ + community, it was my first time walking in the parade and the atmosphere of support demonstrated by both the Forces and the public was very empowering!'

The constant new and fresh opportunities is what keeps A/Slt Forest in the RCN.

'There is always something new to do, new things to learn, new challenges. The prospect of advancing in my career and always having new opportunities is very motivating.'

Her advice to those who might consider a job with the RCN is to thoroughly research the job opportunities offered.

'There are many more options than you might think at first glance, not all military personnel go into the field; support professions are just as vital. The important thing is to choose a career that will inspire you to give your best performance.'

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