Commodore Robert (Bob) Blakely was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. He joined the Canadian Forces in 1969 and like so many of the Prairie born opted for the Navy. As a member of HMCS NONSUCH, Edmonton’s Naval Reserve Division, he undertook his Maritime Surface Officer’s Classification training gaining a Watchkeeping Certificate and, in the fullness of time, qualified to Command HMC Ships at sea. He commanded Minor Warships of various classes on both the East and West Coasts and later qualified as a Mine Sweeping Commanding Officer.
In HMCS NONSUCH he served in all the major capacities in the unit, undertaking various divisional, operational and training taskings; he was appointed Commanding Officer in July 1993.
A strong proponent of Professional Military Education he completed the Command and Staff training for Reserve Officers programs (STAR I and II), the National Strategic Studies Course and the Reserve Officer’s Course at the NATO Defence College in Rome. He was as member of the Directing Staff for both of the STAR Courses and for the replacement program, the Joint Reserve Command and Staff Course (JRCSC). In July of 2002 he became the Director for JRCSC at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, Ontario.
He was also Commander of the Northern British Columbia Coastal Defence sub-regional district and upon Promotion to Captain (N) in 1997 became the Central Region Coordinator for the Naval Reserve Units in Manitoba and Ontario.
Promoted to Commodore and appointed Commander of Canada’s Naval Reserve in July 2004, he is looking to build on the achievements of his predecessors in furthering the professionalization of the Formation.
Commodore Blakely is a Law graduate of the University of Alberta and a CHRP with the Human Resources Institute of Alberta. He began the practice of Law in 1977 and his major area of concentration is Labour Relations, practicing on the employee side since he was admitted to the bar. A journeyman plumber and pipefitter before becoming a lawyer, a career shift of this nature seemed like a logical step. He is a member of the Law Firm Blakely & Dushenski in Edmonton and is also the Director of Canadian Affairs for the Building & Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO. Commodore Blakely is a member of the Canadian Labour Business Centre, the Labour Co-Chair of the Construction Sector Council and is involved in a number of other like organizations at the National Level.
