At the time, there were no tanks available to be acquired from Britain. Initially, the Canadian Armoured forces brokered a deal to obtain scrap iron on behalf of the Canadian Government because isolationist laws prohibited the U.S. From these modest beginnings, the modern Canadian Armoured Corps began on 13 August 1940. The first tanks since the First World War did not arrive until a few Vickers Mark VI light tanks appeared the year before Canada went to war with Germany again. when the Canadian Tank Corps was finally authorized two days after the armistice. However, the 1st Canadian Tank Battalion was still training in Mark V tanks in the U.K.

Initially, these units were considered to be part of the Machine Gun Corps and the 1st Canadian Tank Battalion 2nd Canadian Tank Battalion and the 3e Bataillon de chars d'assaut were all too late to join the fighting in the First World War.

Originally formed as the Canadian Cavalry Corps in 1910, Canada's first tank units were not raised until late in 1918. Main article: Royal Canadian Armoured Corps

British centurian mk1 main battle tank