[Bill A]

Michael, in the US situation, their formations have been basically continuously active and have not changed the basic patch. The Canadian situation is significantly different. Perpetuating the Second World War divisions as has been done in Canada is not continuing the historical precedent in the same way as the US SSI's. It is not a continuation of the traditions of a historical antecedent. In Calgary you have your unit which was 2 CID, the KOCR which were 1 CAB, and in Edmonton, the Loyal Eddies, 1 CID, PPCLI 1 CID, LdSH were 5 CAD,while the SALH trace their lineage in part to the South Alberta Regt, which was 4 CAD. (It has been suggested by some that the PPCLI had an inordinate influence on the choice of revived division sign. They wanted the French gray to commemorate their First World War division.The PPCLI use French gray in some other dress aspects.) The divsion sign is symbolic of the heritage, but not perpetuating the lineage of those divisions.
Canadian traditions, perhaps due to both the size of our army and the British heritage has been more regimental rather than to the larger formation. It is also a significant departure from First World War and Second World War policies and practices to wear two different insignia on the same uniform. That practice did not start until the Korean War, when the Canadians wore both the Commonwealth division sign and the 25 Brigade patch.
It is certainly reflective of Canadian military history to revive the use of formation patches and that is a good thing to instill the sense of history in the contemporary army.