Paddle Canada National Programs and Policies

Program Manuals

Explore the full syllabus for each discipline in the Paddle Canada program.

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Program Policies

Learn the key policies and procedures that govern Paddle Canada courses.

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Instruction Resources

Discover key instructional resources and documents for Paddle Canada courses.

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What’s New

• 2026 Instructor Trainer Calls February 9, 2026 Ealier this month we held our annual IT calls: Call #1: Annual IT Conference Call (All ITs) This is the main annual gathering for all Instructor Trainers. Join us for key updates, policy reminders, and clarifications to procedures that support your role as a leader within Paddle Canada. We are pleased to welcome a guest speaker fromLearn More
• 2026 Instructor Updates January 7, 2026 Happy New Year! We hope that you all had a successful 2025 and are looking ahead to a wonderful 2026. Below are some important dates and initiatives coming up this year. Important Upcoming Dates Annual Instructor Trainer Call February 1, 2026, 6 pm EST This is mandatory for ALL IT’s. Instructors are also welcome toLearn More
• Big Canoe Instructor Call-2025 April 17, 2025 Earlier this year, a conference call was held for all Big Canoe Instructors to go over some updates to the program.Learn More
• Sea Kayak Program Development March 2025 Program Update April 10, 2025 Our committee has been working on streamlining and clarifying some of our procedures. We are excited to continue supporting the community and providing resources to help you offer excellent programs. We are very excited to share new Skills Checklists for Basic Skills through Level-4 Sea Kayak Skills. The skills checklists reflect all skills required basedLearn More

Philosophy of the Paddle Canada Program Manuals

The Paddle Canada Program Manuals describe the criteria and standards for measuring a participant or candidate’s abilities within each stream and level.

These are not how-to manuals, nor do they tell you how to develop, organize, and administer a course. These aspects of paddling instruction, course progression, and administration are taught in the Paddle Canada instructor levels and available through other resources. In other words, these manuals tells instructors what to teach; not how to teach it as we feel the requirements of the students and the circumstances of the moment dictate the appropriate teaching methods.

Many test items in each level describe what the boat, board and/or paddler must do but make no reference to what strokes are to be used for the manoeuvre. This does not mean that the strokes are unimportant but gives the paddler the choice of what stroke to use for any manoeuvre. It is expected that, as a part of all courses, proper stroke mechanics will be demonstrated and taught as required.

Acknowledgement of the Cultural Foundations of Paddling

Paddle Canada is a community of trusted leaders that inspires connections to Canadians and nature through paddling. The bind that ties us all, the paddle, and the craft that it propels (the canoe, kayak, and stand-up board) are not ours to claim.

We acknowledge and respect the cultural traditions of the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people on whose land and waters we live, learn, play, and earn.

We stand as allies to the owners of this land we call Canada, and we respectfully acknowledge how we came into the privilege to be here.

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