Vice-Admiral Topshee reflects on his time as Commander of the RCN

Vice-Admiral Topshee reflects on his time as Commander of the RCN

June 11, 2026 - Royal Canadian Navy

On May 13, 2026, Vice-Admiral (VAdm) Angus Topshee was announced as the next Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. Before he leaves his role as Commander of the RCN he sat down with Kareena Kumar of the RCN's Public Affairs Team to look back on the past four years. In this interview he reflects on leadership, loss, pride and the realities of command.

Watch the full video interview or read the dialogue below.

This interview was conducted in an unscripted, conversational format. The English and French versions were produced from separate recordings and may not align exactly in structure or content; however, both have been reviewed for accuracy.

Early lessons in leadership

You spent the last four years leading the Royal Canadian Navy, but before all of that, you were a young officer at sea. When you look back at that version of yourself, what part of you still shapes the way you lead today?

I think it was my experience on HMCS Winnipeg, where I saw a commanding officer who really created a culture of fun but professional behaviour. It was then Commander Dave Hudak, and he conveyed the idea that he had the best job in the world and that every sailor was contributing to the mission, that everybody had a place to contribute. And he put us in a position to succeed. I've always admired that leadership model and tried to figure out how to replicate it at every level of being in the Navy.

The weight of command

I think a lot of people hear the word "command" and picture authority or rank. But over these last four years, what part of command has felt the most difficult or heavy for you personally?

Well, that's a tough question. I really believe that we don't talk enough about team when we talk about leadership, because we think about leadership as something where an individual directs a group of people. But actually, the essence of leadership is how you get the most out of your people. How do you put them in a position to succeed? Every person has different attributes, different strengths, different abilities, and it's the collective that's the most important. It's also about holding people accountable for doing well but doing it in a way that's constructive, so that they step up and see the opportunity to do that.

The final thing I was really focused on is that if everything has to come to the top, then we're failing. How do we really bring initiative and innovation to every level of the RCN? How do we really get people to take risks to move forward? Part of that is making sure that if something goes wrong, if we make a mistake, that we don't overreact to it, that we deal with it and move on, and we understand the circumstances of the mistake. If it touches on ethics and values, that's a different matter. But if it's an honest mistake, then we correct and move forward and learn.

A moment of reflection

What moment over the last four years humbled you the most?

The death of Petty Officer Aplin in Bedford Basin. I regard that as a preventable death.

It was a reminder that the ocean, the seas, are always there. They're always a threat. It's always a challenge that will kill you on a bad day. And if we're not an organization that is ready in all respects, we're going to struggle.

I think it revealed that there's a level of complacency that we need to figure out how to address. I think we didn't have a very good process to really assess that incident properly, complicated by the fact that there was a criminal investigation as well, which meant that we had to step back.

But I think that was the one where I really felt as though we needed to have done better and it highlighted that we still have a lot of work to do collectively.

Why the Navy matters

Many Canadians have never stepped on a warship and may not even know Canada has a Navy. How would you explain the importance of Canada's Navy?

Canada is a maritime country. Our Prime Minister has made it clear that he wants to increase our trade with other countries. That trade is going to go across the oceans if it's not going to the U.S.

I like to describe four maritime boundaries for Canada: our three oceans, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, which is hugely important.

If we don't control our waters, if we don't know everything that's happening on and under our waters, then we don't control our destiny in Canada. We don't control our ability to be a player in the world. And our security at sea is tied inextricably to our prosperity as a country.

I think that's what I would try to tell Canadians. But a lot of that is esoteric and hard to understand. The best way for Canadians to appreciate what the Navy does is to find a way to experience it. I wish I could take every Canadian to sea for a couple of days, because I really feel that you know what's best when you spend the night at sea with us. You see what sailors are doing. You realize it's a 24/7 business. You realize that the sea is a meritocracy. It doesn't care who you are, where you come from, or what you're doing. It only cares if you're competent.

It's an incredible life. It's an incredible thing to see the world from the deck of a ship or the hull of a submarine. I wish more Canadians could experience that and see what we do to protect their interests every day.

Service and family life

In this role, you stressed the importance of taking care of your family. What kind of sacrifices have you and your family had to make throughout your career?

A military life is a difficult life because we move a lot. I really appreciate the sacrifices of my family. First and foremost, my four daughters and my wife have taught me a lot. They keep me humble because they remind me all the time of the places where I need to do better, can do better, and should do better.

You really see in them the impact that service can have on families. We've never lived in a house longer than three years as we move about.

That has been the solution for us. The solution will be different for other people, and I think we need to be open to the idea that there are different ways to manage the challenges of a military career.

My wife served for 23 years, so we're very familiar with the challenges of being a service couple, especially with young kids, as you meet the demands of service. I think as an institution, we're really striving to do as well as we can to take care of the whole person.

The other challenge I see is that we sometimes forget single members. We treat them as though they don't have a family or independence, so we can move them wherever, whenever and ask them to do all sorts of stuff. And that's a good way to make sure they stay single and without dependence.

And so, we need to do better. We can have a family, a career, and truly serve your country, and there are ways to find the right balance in all of that.

Work-life balance means different things to different people. For some, it could be the hours you work that you find a way to flex in a bit of time to focus on family at the right moment. It could be a meaningful, emotional connection even while you're deployed. How do you achieve all those things? We have tools to do some of that, but there will always be challenges and demands of service.

As you leave this role, what do you hope your family feels most proud of?

Well, I don't know. I've never thought about the question in those terms. My family gives me comments sometimes that I've been meeting a lot of different provincial premiers in the course of my duties. At one point they said I was collecting premiers like Pokémon because I'd send a different photo all the time.

I've met just about every premier in Canada, and I think they enjoyed the photos and seeing what I get to do and where I get to go in the job.

But what I'm most proud of is the incredible work of all the great sailors that we've got in the Navy, and all of the defence team members who support the Navy outside of uniform, but in the public service.

It has been an incredible honour to command the Navy over the last four years, and I'm so proud of everything we've achieved in that time.

Advice for future leaders

What would be your message to young sailors who aspire to be leaders one day?

My advice has always been to go do the things that you know you're good at. Because if you're good at something and you love doing it, then you're going to succeed.

What matters most is your performance. That will highlight the potential that you have.

Don't worry about whether the next job is the fastest path to promotion. Do what makes sense, do what's best for you and your family in the moment, and you'll have success.

But success is not defined by promotion or any position that you might get - it's defined by the type of person you are, the friends and family that you make, and the contribution you make to the organization. Everyone has the ability to make a huge contribution to this organization no matter what level they're at. That's the key - find a place where you believe you're having a positive impact and focus on that.

Thank you very much for your time. I wish you the best of luck on this new chapter as Vice Chief of Defense Staff.

It should be very interesting.

I am excited for the investment government is making into military right now, and we owe them the best possible Canadian Armed Forces, in exchange for that investment. And it has to work for all Canadians, support Canadian defense industry and Canadian prosperity overall. So, can't wait to get on with that next job.