An investiture ceremony was held for Honorary Colonel David Bronconnier at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta., on Nov. 11.
HCol Bronconnier was first appointed to the position in July 2011. He is currently the president of Interloq Capital Corporation, a private investment firm. Prior to the founding of Interloq, he served as Calgary’s 35th mayor. He served as mayor for three terms, winning his first election in 2001.
HCol Bronconnier is a two-time recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest honour bestowed upon civilians by the Canadian Forces and has been named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International. In 2006, he received the World Leadership Award for Environmental Excellence.
Recently, he was appointed at Alberta’s envoy to Washington, D.C., for a period of nine-months, but he pledged this appointment would not affect his duties as 4 Wing’s Honorary Colonel.
The appointment of honoraries was historically an Army tradition and over the years, the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy have adopted the tradition. The role of an Honorary Colonel is to foster morale within their unit or squadron, help build relationships through the honorary colonel network and ensure that the customs and traditions of the CF are maintained.
The appointment of honorary colonels follows a formal nomination process. The Minister of National Defence, on the recommendation of the Chief of the Defence Staff, is the approving authority for all appointments and tenures are normally for a period of three years.
Honorary colonels are integral members of the RCAF family. Welcome to the 4 Wing family, HCol Bronconnier.
