In the Canadian Forces, the rank of lieutenant-colonel (LCol) (French: lieutenant-colonel or lcol) is an Army or Air Force rank equal to a commander of the Navy. A lieutenant-colonel is the second-highest rank of senior officer. A lieutenant-colonel is senior to a major or naval lieutenant-commander, and junior to a colonel or naval captain.
The rank insignia for a lieutenant-colonel is three 1 cm stripes of gold braid, worn on the cuffs of the service-dress jacket, and on slip-ons on other uniforms.
Lieutenant-colonels are addressed by rank and name; thereafter by subordinates as "Sir" or "Ma'am".
In the Canadian army, lieutenant-colonels are often employed as commanding officers of battalion-sized groups, such as infantry battalions, armoured regiments, artillery field regiments, engineer field regiments, signal regiments and service battalions.
In the Royal Canadian Air Force, lieutenant-colonels are often seen as the commander of flying or ground squadrons.
Note: Before unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, rank structure and insignia followed the British pattern.