Ngakala was promoted to the rank of master corporal in 1968.
The rank immediately below corporal is 1st private and the rank directly above 1st master corporal is sergeant.
In an infantry section a corporal will sometimes command an assault team if a master corporal is leading the section or they are pending promotion to master corporal.
Corporal is deemed to be the substantive rank of the members carrying the appointment of master corporal.
The rank of corporal in artillery units follows the British convention and is styled bombardier - thus a master corporal is a master bombardier.
Gold Star (grade 11) - if the student passes the final Gold Star exam, he will be promoted from a master corporal to a sergeant.
A master seaman is equal to a master corporal of the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force.
After unification, the rank of corporal became nothing more than a pay raise with authority being granted instead to the new master corporals.
Some branches and regiments use distinctive rank names in place of master corporal, corporal and private:
Later that year Patrick Cloutier was granted an "accelerated promotion" to the rank of master corporal.