There’s a recruitment and retention crisis decades in the making

On Oct. 6, 2022, Canada's Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre announced “one of the largest and most significant reconstitution efforts in recent memory.” Eyre ordered the Canadian Armed Forces to immediately cease all non-essential activity to focus on the critical personnel shortage. This emergency reconstitution is happening in the context of unprecedented demands on our Canadian Forces. They were instrumental in providing emergency relief to COVID outbreaks in long-term care homes, they have increased presence in Europe to support Ukraine against Russia’s illegal invasion, and climate change has led to increasing domestic deployments; most recently, 400 are fighting the wildfires raging through Alberta and more than 700 were sent to provide supports for the victims of Hurricane Fiona in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Labrador and Newfoundland last September. At a moment when their mandate has expanded, Canadian Forces cannot maintain personnel levels, as many are leaving their postings and they cannot bring new hires on in the required numbers. The recruitment and retention crisis we are facing has been decades in the making. Successive mismanagement by Liberal and Conservative governments have left the Canadian Armed Forces underinvested and overcommitted. Liberal and Conservative governments have prioritized ballooning super projects—whether it’s $70-billion for F-35 fighter jets, or the talks of a new submarine fleet—while freezing CAF member salaries, delaying repairs on military housing, and avoiding meaningful culture reforms. We all believe that our Forces need effective, safe and modern equipment to do their jobs, but we cannot sacrifice all other considerations to satiate the American military industrial complex. The Canadian Armed Forces make our country proud because of the dedication of thousands of service members and veterans. But they cannot do this job solely to feel proud or dedicated. We need to do better for the women and men in uniform, so they, too, can afford to feed their families, have safe, affordable housing, a family doctor or a workplace free from internal violence, discrimination and harassment. It’s just not enough to halt non-essential activity to deal with the recruitment and retention crisis— Ottawa needs to seize this opportunity to take stock and repair our relationship with service members and veterans. Despite a great deal of arguing over this point, I believe the Government of Canada has a social contract with Canadian Armed Service members and part of that agreement is to ensure we keep them as safe as we can, and take care of them and their families during their time in service and after their careers have ended. First, we need to heed the call by countless survivors of military sexual trauma to make a real plan for culture change. Some progress has been made since Justice Louise Arbour’s Independent External Comprehensive Review of the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces. However, when I invited Justice Arbour to the House National Defence Committee, she warned us that her report could join “the graveyard of recommendations"— the numerous reports that were never refused, but linger in perpetuity before internal working groups. In response to the report, the government appointed an external monitor to oversee the implementation of external recommendations. Regretfully, the external monitor’s first progress report states “there is no overall framework that sets out how the organization, as a whole, will move from one phase to the next.” We cannot accept a piecemeal approach to culture change. We must keep pressure on the Liberals to do what’s right for survivors. Second, we need to make serious investments to fix military housing. The Department of National Defence has the single largest infrastructure portfolio within the federal government, but it also has significantly and chronically underinvested in the maintenance and construction of military housing. The Canadian Forces Housing Agency has an estimated backlog of 5,200-7,200 housing units. And beyond military housing, the department recently announced a change of policy, one that provided supports to members’ housing expenses, in order to cut $30-million from their budget. Third, we must finally act on the mental health crisis in the Canadian Armed Forces. Despite the New Democratic Party repeatedly introducing legislation, the Liberal government has refused to remove an archaic section of the National Defence Act that makes self-harm a disciplinary offence, which prevents members from coming forward for support. They have also repeatedly delayed action to enact the Veterans Ombudsman’s call for peer support services to be provided for military sexual trauma survivors. Fourth, we need to finally delete antiquated legislation known as the 'gold-digger clause' or the ‘marriage after 60 clause,’ which makes spouses who married veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP after the age of 60 ineligible to receive survivor pensions. Let’s treat veterans with more respect than that. Finally, we need to rein in for-profit corporations lining their pockets from outsourcing. The Liberals gave Loblaws a $560-million contract to provide veterans with mental health services only to find they’re paying more for a worse product. We have seen for-profit health-care provider Calian receive $1-billion to replace military and public sector health care workers, leading to record profits. There are countless examples of our dedicated public service being outsourced by Liberals and Conservatives, with veterans and military members paying the price. Canadians know we are in an increasingly dangerous world. And whether it is peacekeeping missions abroad, natural disasters at home, or increased activity in the Arctic, we know the demands on our women and men in uniform will only grow, and they certainly need reliable tools to do the job. But we cannot fly fighter jets with no pilots. We cannot operate submarines with no fleet. We cannot deploy without cooks or medical officers. Our single greatest national defence priority must be rebuilding trust in our defence community. The New Democratic Party's vision is a military where Canadian Armed Forces members can work safely, get the support they need when they need it, and count on fair policies to govern their work. With the ongoing reconstitution order, it is time for Parliament to step up and do more for the women and men who serve in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen, who represents London-Fanshawe, Ont., is her party's critic for national defence. The Hill Times