As reported in the Postmedia papers, Canadian Rangers plan to retire their Lee-Enfield rifles, in favour of a newer design chambered in a modern cartridge.
The Firearms Blog reports:
Since their formation in 1947, the Canadian Rangers, Canada’s Arctic defense/surveillance militia, have been carrying .303 chambered Lee Enfield rifles. Today, more than 60 years later, each Ranger is still issued with a Lee Enfield No. 4 rifle and each year are provided with 200 rounds of .303 ammunition. Because parts are becoming scarce, the Canadian Forces have decided to replace the Rangers’ Enfield inventory by 2014 with a rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm.
They were originally issued to the Rangers, along with 200 rounds of ammunition, to ward off incursions into Canadian territory. Today the Rangers are not expected to engage invading armies, but they still carry a rifle for personal protection and survival in the harsh Arctic territory they patrol.