CANADIAN POLICE CHAPLAIN ASSOCIATION
A BRIEF HISTORY

The Canadian Police Chaplain Association (CPCA) grew out of the Ontario Police Chaplains’ Association (OPCA) which in turn grew out of the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC).

In 1973 the need for a police chaplain network was noted by some chaplains in the United States after the fatal shooting of officers from places other than where they were working. They decided to create a list of known chaplains and circulate it so that when the need arose contact could be made. In this way the International Conference of Police Chaplains was born. The ICPC first met in Chicago in July of 1974 when 23 chaplains came together. The only Canadian member for a number of years was Charlie Massey. In order to make the organization truly international, Charlie was elected to the executive in 1976. In 1981 he was elected president and held that post until 1983.

In 1979, the Annual training Seminar (ATS), as it had become known, was held in Detroit, Michigan. Being so close to Ontario, and as Massey was in Ontario at the time, it was suggested that invitations be sent to all known Ontario chaplains. A number did attend. They approved of what they saw and as a consequence began networking amongst themselves..

In 1982, during Massey's tenure as president of the ICPC the ATS was held in Toronto. Many more Ontario chaplains attended. In the fall of 1982 they got together to establish the OPCA which was formalized in 1983 at the First Annual ATS for the OPCA. The first conference was held at the Ontario Police College in Aylmer, Ontario. Over the next ten years they met again at Aylmer, at the Canadian Police College in Ottawa and at the Ontario Provincial Police College in Brampton.

For a number of years the Chaplain from Hull, Quebec, Jacques Roberts, also attended conferences.Gradually, chaplains from other provinces began to join the organization. In 1992 the OPCA voted on a motion to become a national national association. The motion passed unanimously.

In 1993 the first ATS of the newly formed CPCA was held at the Ontario Police College. Since that time the CPCA has met in a number of places across Canada, from Edmonton, Alberta in the west to Halifax, Nova Scotia in the east.

At the 1996 conference the CPCA had breakfast with the Governor General and his Wife at their summer residence in Quebec City. What a way to open an ATS.

Since 1995 we have had a number of chaplains from other countries join us. They include representatives from United States, as well as from New Zealand, the Caribbean, and Great Britain.

We continue to hold our annual conferences in different locations across Canada in an effort to accomodate as many participants as possible from our large and diverse country.