Canada can ill afford to ignore the treatment of military families: our national security depends on it

National security depends on ensuring the fair treatment of our military members and their families. We must ensure they get the benefits and service they need for the safety and security of all Canadians. My office has been signalling the need for better supports and positive change for many years. And yet, although many initiatives are being worked on, little has changed concretely. My predecessor, Gary Walbourne, in his submission for the new Defence Review Policy in 2016, wrote that we needed leadership with the will to right the wrongs before the credibility and image of this treasured institution is further eroded. I could not agree more. Take for example, linking an injury or illness to the performance of military service (service attribution). Recently, I appeared at the House National Defence Committee, alongside the Veterans Ombudsman Nishka Jardine, a retired colonel. Our appearance was to aid the committee's study on military health and transition services. Conservative MP James Bezan, his party's defence critic, raised the topic of service attribution. He questioned why the Canadian Armed Forces' medical decision that a member cannot meet universality of service—and must therefore medically-release—cannot also be used by Veterans Affairs Canada to attribute an injury to service. I will reiterate what I said during my appearance: my office holds its position that the CAF determination of whether an illness or injury is caused or aggravated by that member’s military service should be used to support an application for VAC benefits. The CAF already does this for Primary Reservists. Why not Regular Force? Some services and benefits are only available to former members who can demonstrate that they have a disability resulting from an illness or injury that is attributable to service. Having the service attribution decision in place before a CAF member releases will make for a better transition, benefiting the member, their family and Canadian society. There has been an increasing number of requests from provinces and territories asking for CAF assistance with emergencies such as flooding, forest fires, and filling the gaps where they lack resources and personnel. It is past time for this issue to be tackled at the highest level. When provincial and territorial leaders pick up the phone to ask the prime minister for assistance, our CAF members show up and deliver. We need those leaders to now show up for our CAF members and their families to ensure they have the services and benefits they need. We need these leaders to work together to ensure that members—and their families, who give up so much to support members—do not suffer. Military families need provinces and territories to step up and support them, ensuring continuity of health care, education, and professional accreditation no matter where the CAF member is posted in Canada or abroad. I reiterated this point at the Seamless Canada Steering Committee last week in New Brunswick. I use my seat at the Seamless Canada Initiative table to ensure all members do what is within their jurisdiction to support all members of the defence community and listen to the voices of members and their families. Finally, we know that recruitment and retention are challenges for the CAF. Taking care of our members and their families will help. According to the Defence Team Well-Being Survey, only 29 per cent of CAF members feel that the Department of National Defence and the CAF are looking after their families. If we do not have members available to serve, what will we do come the next hurricane? Will we have enough personnel to combat the next wildfire? Will Canada be protected during the next global conflict? We know that part of the solution is making the CAF an attractive career for Canadians and permanent residents. And once recruited, we need to ensure that we take care of CAF families while the member is protecting us. CAF families are the backbone of our military and the support from Reservists' employers is essential. While on operations, members need to know that their family has the supports they need. We need members to focus on their important work: protecting Canada and its people. After all, if you are worrying about your child getting medical attention, you are not able to do the job that Canadians want you to do. Recently, the minister of national defence requested submissions for the new defence policy review. I encourage decision-makers to look at the recommendations my predecessors, myself, and Parliament have made in the past eight years. We have much of this information available on our website ombuds.ca. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We need the support of Canadians and all levels of government. Let's get this done now. We can do better. And we must do better. Gregory Lick is the National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman. He has held the position since October 2018. Prior to serving as ombudsman, Lick spent 33 years in the Canadian Coast Guard, retiring as the CCG’s director general operations. He also spent 17 years as a naval reservist, retiring as a petty officer 2nd class. The Hill Times

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Canada can ill afford to ignore the treatment of military families: our national security depends on it

Government leaders must work together to ensure that Canadian Armed Forces members and their families do not suffer.

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