I would like to know the declassified military history of my father
William Arthur White born February 21st, 1920 in Edmonton, Alberta and
died August 15th, 1996 in Penticton, B.C, Canada.
His parents were Estelle Mae Hamilton and Jesse Arthur Whyte 
We believe that he served in the RCAF and did a tour of duty in Europe
as a squadron commander during WWII. We do not have clear details.

Dear omoshiroi,

The information you are interested in is, alas, not available online
and can also not be provided by a Google Answers Researcher due to
existing access limitations for such data. However, as a member of
immediate family, you are entitled to examine or receive copies of
your father's service records, as far as allowed by the respective
Canadian laws.
The National Archives of Canada provide detailed instructions and
additional information on how to apply for access to or copies of
deceased individuals' military records, and explain possible
restrictions and limitations. The application is subject to a fee. To
learn more, please follow this link:

National Archives of Canada: Military Personnel Records after 1918
http://www.archives.ca/02/020203/02020302_e.html

For your convenience, I have compiled an shortened version of the
information that may be most important in your particular case:

---

- What are Personnel Records? -

The National Archives of Canada holds the personnel files of over
5,500,000 former military and civilian employees of the Canadian Armed
Forces. Military records include documentation about enlistment,
discharge, military units served with, and may also include other
documents concerning medical history, medals awarded, personal
evaluation reports and dental charts.

- Requesting information from our Personnel Records Unit -

We do not accept e-mail inquiries for post-First World War records.
Your request must be signed and made in writing, by mail or fax, to
the address listed below. If you wish, you can print a copy of our
"Application for Military Service Information" form (
http://www.archives.ca/02/020203/0202030201_e.html ), which can be
used to submit your request.

Personnel Records Unit
National Archives of Canada
395 Wellington Street
OTTAWA ON K1A 0N3 
Fax: (613) 947-8456

- The information we need to process your request -

To identify post-1918 military service records, we require surname,
full given name(s), date of birth, and service number or social
insurance number. If you do not know the date of birth, service number
or S.I.N. (social insurance number), secondary information (e.g. the
names of next of kin, postings, dates of service, place of enlistment,
department where employed) can assist in identifying the correct
individual.

- Access restrictions -

Access to post-First World War military records is subject to the
federal Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. Canadian
citizens and those present in Canada have the right to examine or
receive copies of government records; however, certain information may
be restricted, depending on provisions of the legislation.

In accordance with the Privacy Act, access to personal information
relating to an individual who is still living requires that person's
written consent. If the individual has been dead for less than 20
years, limited information may be released to immediate family. Proof
of death and relationship must be provided. There are no restrictions
on access to information relating to an individual who has been dead
for more than 20 years; however, proof of death is required if the
individual did not die while serving with the Armed Forces. A death
certificate, newspaper obituary or funeral director's notice are
accepted as proof of death.

"Proof of relationship" refers to a document that clearly demonstrates
the relationship between the individual concerned and the person
requesting the record. Both names must appear on the document. A
newspaper obituary, baptismal certificate or full-form birth
certificate are acceptable, but a wallet-sized birth certificate is
not. Please do not send original documents; photocopies are accepted.

Requests can be submitted informally, by letter, or formally, using an
Access to Information Request Form, available at public libraries and
government information offices. Note that there is a $5.00 application
fee for formal requests made under the Access to Information Act.

(Source: National Archives of Canada website)
---

In case you'd like to contact the National Archives, here is full
contact information:

National Archives of Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0N3
--
Phone (local calls): 613-995-5138
Phone (toll free): 1-866-578-7777 (Canada and U.S.A.)
TTD: 613-947-0391
Fax: 613-995-6274
Website: http://www.archives.ca/09/09_e.html


I hope this will prove helpful!
Very best regards,
Scriptor

While not able to answer my specific question given access
restrictions, the researcher was able to give me directions on how to
pursue my query.  Many thanks