The HMCS Ville de Quebec is in Toronto harbour this weekend as part of a public relations exercise aimed at enticing new recruits to join the Navy.
The ship began its so-called Great Lakes Deployment tour in August departing from Halifax and travelling along the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes.
The Ville de Quebec, a multi-patrol frigate, is visiting ports in Quebec and Ontario along the way to Sarnia.
While at sea, the ship has taken part in domestic operations and international aid missions, said Luc Cassivi, the ship's commanding officer.
"This ship has had the chance to do that last year when it was on operations with NATO and the Government of Canada diverted the ship at the last minute to help escort food supply to Somalia," he told CTV Toronto.
The current deployment is being promoted as an attempt to inform and excite Canadians about what the Navy does -- from maintaining Arctic sovereignty to carrying-out anti-piracy patrols.
Cassivi said the Navy is an exciting employer.
"There's never a day that's the same. You never know from the day you're going out at sea, what's going to happen."
People are being invited to board the ship in Toronto, where it is taking part in the Canadian National Exhibition, and the other ports-of-call to learn more about how a naval career could fit their skill set.
"Our goal is to bring the Navy to Canadians who might not otherwise know of its valuable contribution both at home and abroad," Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden, Chief of Maritime Staff said in a news release ahead of the visit.
"We want Canadians to see one of their ships and meet its sailors firsthand. We also have a team of recruiters onboard, and they will provide information about the fantastic jobs we have available for those interested in serving their country at sea."
The Navy offers subsidized college education for applicants of qualify -- a feature they hope will entice out-of-work Canadians to come aboard.
Qualifying occupations include that of marine engineering mechanic, naval electronics technicians in the communications, sonar and radar specializations, and naval weapons technician.
Lieut. Tony Calussi said he wouldn't trade the experience for anything.
"I've visited 14 countries, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 60 cities. I've gotten to see a lot of things that I wouldn't have normally, and I've gotten paid very well to do it over the last seven years," he told CTV Toronto.
The ship will sail from Toronto on Tuesday morning for Sarnia, then will continue to Windsor, Oshawa, Montreal, Trois-Rivieres, Que., La Malbaie and Saguenay before concluding in Matane on Oct. 5 and 6.
