Introduction

Canada is a multicultural nation that has long benefitted from the wide range of viewpoints, experiences and traditions of its diverse population. As the country’s diversity has grown, societal values and behavioural norms have evolved, along with the expectations that Canadians have of the armed forces and its members. In the strategic context, diversity has proven to be an operational asset and is linked to stronger organizational performance.[1]

However, the participation of women, Indigenous peoples, visible minorities and members of the LGBTQ2[2] community in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is not representative of the population it serves. Moreover, addressing sexual misconduct in the military remains a priority, and has prompted calls for a “cultural shift” towards a military ethos that cultivates respect, trust and cohesion.

It is within this context that the Committee initiated its study on diversity in the CAF, adopting the following motion on 18 September 2018:

That the Committee undertake a study of no fewer than four meetings on diversity as an essential factor in overall mission success within the Canadian Armed Forces, namely (a) the importance of (i) women, (ii) members of the LGBTQ2 community, iii) members with diverse cultural backgrounds and iv) Indigenous members of the Canadian Armed Forces, and (b) that the Committee study best practices with respect to recruitment and retention, including an update on diversity targets of the Canadian Armed Forces and an update on the progress of Operation HONOUR to eliminate harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviours; and that the Committee report its findings to the House.

The Committee held seven public meetings between 18 October 2018 and 11 April 2019, and received testimony and briefs from a number of witnesses, including academics, veterans, practitioners, and Department of National Defence (DND) and CAF officials. The study is not an exhaustive investigation of all of the complex matters relating to diversity. Rather, it focuses on the issues raised by witnesses that can help to transform the CAF into an organization that not only leverages the operational and institutional advantages associated with a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives and capabilities, but one that – ultimately – understands them as necessary for success.

Based on the testimony and briefs received during this study, as well as publicly available information, the Committee reports the following findings and recommendations to the House of Commons.

Part A: The State of Diversity in the Canadian Armed Forces

In today’s complex security environment, a diverse military is viewed as a strategic advantage. In 2017, the Government of Canada released Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada’s Defence Policy, which both recognizes Canada’s multicultural population as one of the country’s greatest strengths and identifies several personnel modernization initiatives aimed at enhancing diversity, respect and inclusion in the CAF. In particular, the policy notes that the CAF is committed to “striving for gender equality and building a workforce that leverages the diversity of Canadian society.”[3] At the same time, the CAF must reflect the society it serves and uphold the values it defends. As Canada’s population has grown increasingly diverse, the CAF has placed a stronger emphasis on improving its attractiveness as an employer of choice for women, Indigenous peoples, visible minorities and members of the LGBTQ2 community.[4]

To that end, and as discussed below, the CAF has set targets for recruiting and retaining underrepresented populations, recognized the benefits of diversity for operational effectiveness in its doctrines, and made various commitments relating to improved diversity and inclusion.

A. Diversity Targets and Status

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Jonathan Vance, has established targets in an effort to help build a more diverse military workforce, and has announced that the CAF is aiming to increase the representation of certain designated groups over a 10-year period:

• women: from 14.9% in 2016 to 25% by 2026;[5]
• Indigenous peoples: from 2.6% in 2016 to 3.5% by 2026;[6] and
• visible minorities: from 6.7% in 2016 to 11.8% by 2026.[7]

As illustrated in Appendix A and B, the representations of women, Indigenous peoples and visible minorities in the CAF fall well short of these 2026 targets.[8]

The Committee heard that women have played a significant role in defending Canada for more than 100 years, and – according to Commodore Rebecca Patterson, Director-General of the CAF Strategic Response Team on Sexual Misconduct and Defence Champion for Women – today “women have been fully integrated in all occupations and roles within the [CAF].”[9] She noted that – as of January 2019 – 15,116 women were serving in the CAF, representing 15.7% of the total force,[10] while Lieutenant-General Charles Lamarre – Commander of Military Personnel Command and Defence Champion for Visible Minorities – indicated that “the number of women in the armed forces has increased by about 1,300” over the last two years.[11] As of March 2019, women’s participation in the CAF Combat Arms was 2.9% for the Regular Force and 6.7% for the Primary Reserve.[12] Moreover, with a focus on the representation of women in the CAF’s senior leadership positions, Commodore Patterson said that – as of January 2019 – 13 were General and Flag Officers, and 57 were Chief Warrant Officers and Chief Petty Officers 1^st Class.[13] Female enrolment at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) was in decline until 2016. Yet, “[o]ver the last two years, 25% of the cadets coming into the regular officer training program have been women.”[14]

As well, witnesses told the Committee that Indigenous peoples – First Nations, Inuit and Métis – have a long and storied history of military service that dates back to the War of 1812, and includes substantial contributions to the First and Second World Wars, to the Korean War and in Afghanistan.[15] Nevertheless, according to Edward Lerat, Third Vice-Chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, in joining Canada’s war efforts, many Indigenous people “lost their status or their treaty right to be an Indian,” and became “a non-status Indian.”[16] Lieutenant-General Jean-Marc Lanthier, Commander of the Canadian Army and Defence Champion for Indigenous peoples, said that there are currently “approximately 2,800 Indigenous members serving in the [CAF], in both the Regular Force and the Reserves, amounting to a representation of 2.8%.”[17] As of February 2018, of 129 General and Flag Officers in the CAF, one had self-identified as Indigenous.[18] These numbers do not include the Canadian Rangers, who support the CAF’s sovereignty and domestic operations in remote, northern and coastal regions of Canada. Lieutenant-General Lanthier commented that, as of February 2019, 26% of Canadian Rangers self-identified as Indigenous.[19]

Lieutenant-General Lamarre spoke about visible minorities in the CAF, noting that their representation was 8.7% as of January 2019.[20] As of February 2018, of 129 General and Flag Officers, one had self-identified as being a member of a visible minority group.[21] Lieutenant-General Lamarre described recent steps that the CAF has taken to be more inclusive, particularly regarding religious accommodation:

[T]he dress manual policy now includes clauses related to religious accommodations for members' hair. Muslim women may wear the hijab in a modified uniform. Jewish members may wear the yarmulke with numerous orders of dress. During some of our events, aboriginal and Métis members proudly wear the aboriginal veterans medallion or the Métis sash. Sikh members may observe the five symbolic aspects of the religion and wear a turban, subject, of course, to safety and operational considerations.

In addition, the policy has been amended to allow members to observe prayer and fasting requirements that align with religious practices. We also offer access to a variety of meals at home and during operations, including kosher and halal preparations for our field rations.[22]

In November 2017, the Government of Canada issued a formal apology to members of Canada’s LGBTQ2 community for government–sanctioned discrimination against employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity dating back to the 1940s, which included unjust treatment in the military.[23] Homosexuality was partially decriminalized in Canada in 1969. However, CAF policy regarding sexual orientation was derived from Canadian Forces Administrative Order (CFAO) 19-20, Homosexuality – Sexual Abnormality Investigation, Medical Examination and Disposal, which continued to prohibit the recruitment and retention of homosexuals.[24] Official military restrictions on homosexuality were lifted in 1992 when the CAF repealed CFAO 19-20 following the Federal Court of Canada’s ruling that policies restricting the service of homosexuals in the CAF were contrary to the Chart of Rights and Freedoms.[25] CDS General Vance has confirmed that “[DND] spied on, interrogated, and criminally pursued [its] own people.”[26]

DND reportedly does not collect data on the sexual orientation of its members. While the Employment Equity Act does not include members of the LGBTQ2 community as a designated group[27] “the evolving societal and human rights context has extended the spirit of equality and equity to other equity-seeking groups, such as the LGBTQ2 community.”[28] DND’s Defence Plan 2018–2023 tasks the Chief of Military Personnel with conducting “research on attitudes towards [LGBTQ2] issues, diversity climate, ethnic tolerance/intolerance and cross-cultural competence to support the CAF Diversity Strategy and action plan, in order to maintain efforts to ensure that the DND population is reflective of Canadian society and values.”[29]

In the CAF context, recent public reports have emphasized the imperative of addressing longstanding obstacles to recruitment and retention in order to enhance diversity. For example, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada’s (OAG’s) Fall 2016 Report 5—Canadian Armed Forces Recruitment and Retention identified the need to eliminate employment barriers to ensure that diverse groups are appropriately represented in the CAF. Moreover, the 2015 External Review into Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces (the Deschamps report) called for comprehensive cultural change to respond to an underlying sexualized culture in the CAF that is hostile to women and members of the LGBTQ2 community. In response to the Deschamps report’s findings, CDS General Vance launched Operation HONOUR – the CAF mission to eliminate sexual misconduct in the Canadian military – in 2015.

B. Diversity and Inclusion: a Force Enabler

The definition and understanding of “diversity” have changed over time as Canadian society has become increasingly multicultural. In recent years, diversity and inclusion have emerged as separate, but mutually reinforcing, concepts. The Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion states:

Diversity is about the individual. It is about the variety of unique dimensions, qualities and characteristics we all possess. Inclusion is about the collective. It is about creating a culture that strives for equity and embraces, respects, accepts and values difference. Diversity and inclusion is about capturing the uniqueness of the individual; creating an environment that values and respects individuals for their talents, skills and abilities to the benefit of the collective.[30]

The 2016 Census conducted by Statistics Canada reported that the country’s citizens had more than 250 different ethnic origins or ancestries, and found that 21.9% of the country’s population was born outside of Canada, the highest proportion since the 1921 Census.[31] The population of Indigenous peoples in Canada – including First Nations (Status and Non‑Status Indians), Métis and Inuit – is rising. Whereas the 2011 Census reported that 4.3% of Canada’s population identified as having Indigenous ancestry, the 2016 Census found that this proportion had risen to 6.2%, or just over 2.1 million individuals.[32]

Canada’s changing demographics have implications for the communities from which the CAF recruits.[33] According to Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) John Selkirk, Executive Director of Reserves 2000, “tapping into communities, beyond the traditional French, English, white communities” is beneficial to the CAF because “you're obviously opening up the potential of the bigger pool, so you can attract more recruits. That's good. Units can grow that way.”[34]

The CAF has adopted a Diversity Strategy centred on promoting and safeguarding the respect and dignity of all of its members. According to the strategy, which the CDS signed in 2017, “diversity means respect for and appreciation of differences in ethnicity, language, gender, age, national origin, disabilities, sexual orientation, education, and religion. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing, celebrating and integrating the rich dimensions of diversity within each individual.”[35]

Several of the Committee’s witnesses mentioned that the unique experiences and perspectives of individuals from diverse backgrounds can be viewed an asset in the current strategic environment, which is characterized by complex and multifaceted conflicts, technological advances and globalization.[36] For example Rear-Admiral Luc Cassivi, Commander of the Canadian Defence Academy and Defence Champion for Gender and Diversity for Operations, noted that “a defence team composed of members of diverse backgrounds, languages, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and so on is an operational and institutional advantage. It provides the defence team with more depth to plan and conduct operations around the globe and to develop more comprehensive policies and provide better institutional leadership.”[37]

Ms. Sandra Perron, Senior Partner with A New Dynamic Enterprise, Inc. and Canada’s first female infantry officer, spoke about the advantages of a diverse military workforce during overseas deployments. She underscored that:

complex, fast-evolving missions … require diverse competencies within the deployed battle groups, some of which can best be provided by women.... Every soldier has a specific gift to the unit.… We need the sprinter, and the person who can carry a lot of weight, and the one who speaks a different language or the local language, and the one who navigates really well. We need all these skills in a platoon.[38]

Commodore Rebecca Patterson observed that the CAF has “learned through experience that gender diversity is essential for achieving operational effectiveness and tackling complex operational challenges.”[39] In emphasizing the tangible benefits of diversity in a theatre of operations, Lieutenant-General Lanthier described his experience working with the Afghan National Security Forces in the following way:

In late 2000, the concept of female engagement teams came forward. It was deployed initially mostly by our allies. The understanding, despite what appears to be initially a very patriarchal society, is that the role of women in society in Afghanistan is critically important. What happens in a compound is that the rule of the house is led by the ladies. To be able to break that cultural barrier through the use of a female engagement team allowed us to understand culture and influence over and above the military's traditional means. Here's a clear example of where gender really matters.[40]

Technological advances may also have consequences for diversity in the CAF. Dr. Andrea Charron – Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies – suggested that, “given the changing nature of war as a function of new revolutionary technologies (i.e. a pilotless air force) one needs to recognize that existing biases may increasingly become dysfunctional, and thereby [undermine] the effectiveness of the CAF.”[41] Lieutenant-General Paul Wynnyk, Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff, commented that the CAF is evaluating its structure and the extent to which the current design of units is relevant for the 21^st century. He noted that one component of the evaluation is “whether everybody needs to meet the same standard, because different jobs require different standards of fitness,” and stated that these questions are applicable in the context of new trades and occupations, such as cyber.[42] According to him, potential accommodations relating to standards of universality of service, which currently preclude persons with certain disabilities from participating in the CAF, are being explored.[43]

Witnesses provided the Committee with concrete examples of situations in which linguistic diversity has benefitted the CAF. Lieutenant-General Lamarre explained that, when Typhoon Haiyan – a category 5 typhoon – made landfall in the Philippines, the CAF was “fortunate to be able to do a call-out and get 34 Tagalog speakers … so that the first helicopter that showed up, hovering over a village that had not been reached by any force whatsoever, a Canadian helicopter, had a crew on board and a Tagalog speaker who could at least be understood for the dialect.”[44]

Ms. Kristine St-Pierre – Director of the WPS Group – suggested that, in addition to impacts on operational effectiveness, organizations that can call on a diverse range of perspectives are more effective and efficient. She pointed out that “diverse groups tend to be smarter and make better decisions than do homogeneous ones. Companies with more women in leadership positions tend to do better financially.… A more diverse employee pool offers improved and more accurate thinking as well as better decision-making skills.”[45] In her view, beyond its operational advantages, diversity is “also a matter of equality,” and the CAF’s diversity framework has evolved over time to reflect both its legal and moral obligations to increasing the representation of designated groups in its ranks.[46]

C. An Evolving Diversity Framework

Historically, the extent to which women, Indigenous peoples and visible minorities have joined the armed forces has often depended on the political, social and cultural context of the time. Dr. Alan Okros, Professor at the Canadian Forces College, described the CAF’s approach to diversity over time as one that has evolved “from reluctant implementation of changes in response to external direction to seeking to proactively lead, based on military requirements and social alignment.”[47] He explained the three phases of philosophy and policy that have guided the CAF’s diversity trajectory:

The first was tolerance and accommodation. The focus was on removing overt barriers and providing individuals with accommodations based on justified needs, and generally, as required under law.... The second phase was a shift to acceptance and integration. The shift here was the CAF's recognition that those who didn’t fit the dominant norm – specifically women and those from differing cultures, religious beliefs, sexual orientations and gendered identities – deserved the right to serve and the opportunity to progress in a career.… The challenge in this phase was the fact that efforts to achieve integration were more often experienced by these individuals as assimilation … I see the current phase as intended to move to understanding and inclusion. The objective is to enable the CAF to enhance operational effectiveness by drawing on the differing perspectives, world views, cultural knowledge and personal perspectives contained in the rich diversity of Canadian society.[48]

Canada is not alone in taking steps to broaden the potential pool of recruits and retain underrepresented groups in its armed forces. In recent years, Canada’s Five Eyes partners – the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom – have adopted policies aimed at improving diversity within their military forces by focusing mainly on recruitment and retention, and on responding to instances of sexual misconduct and harassment.[49] The CAF is working with its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Five Eyes partners to reduce instances of discrimination and to expand equal opportunity in the military.[50] Dr. Okros commented that the CAF’s efforts to draw on “the differing perspectives, world views, cultural knowledge and personal perspectives contained in the rich diversity of Canadian society … is admirable and valuable and should be supported,” and added that, “[a]mongst NATO nations, Canada serves as the exemplar.”[51]

The CAF’s current approach to diversity is guided by existing initiatives and legislation, including Strong, Secure, Engaged, and is also intended to align with the Government of Canada’s directives, policies and international commitments, including those relating to the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, the Employment Equity Act, the Official Languages Act, Status of Women Canada–Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+), Operation HONOUR and United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security.[52]

Witnesses identified the following policy instruments as key to the CAF’s approach to diversity: United Nations (UN) Women, Peace and Security Agenda, Operation HONOUR, the Diversity Strategy and Strong, Secure, Engaged.

1. The Women, Peace and Security Agenda

As a member of the UN and NATO, Canada has committed to implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), which recognizes the protection and rights of women as peace and security issues. Since its adoption in October 2000, UNSCR 1325 has been augmented by subsequent resolutions.[53] Known collectively as the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, these resolutions emphasize the imperative of women’s involvement in efforts to prevent, resolve, rebuild and recover from conflict. According to Article 1 of UNSCR 1325, Member States must “ensure increased representation of women at all decision-making levels in national, regional and international institutions and mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution of conflict.”[54] In November 2017, the Government of Canada released its second National Action Plan on WPS, which outlines the country’s key objectives regarding implementation of the WPS Agenda for the 2017 to 2022 period.[55]

In recognizing the role of the CAF in implementing the WPS Agenda, in January 2016, the CDS issued CDS Directive for Integrating UNSCR 1325 and Related Resolutions into CAF Planning and Operations.[56] Strong, Secure, Engaged also emphasizes the importance of the WPS Agenda, and indicates the following:

Women broaden the range of skills and capacities among all categories of personnel, improve the delivery of peace and security tasks, enhance situational awareness and early warning by facilitating outreach to women in communities, and improve a military force’s accessibility, credibility and effectiveness in working among local populations. Lastly, when women are included, peace processes are more likely to be successful and peace agreements are more likely to endure.[57]

Despite significant research demonstrating the positive impacts of women’s meaningful participation in all aspects of the conflict cycle, and the longstanding recognition that women have a right to serve, “little more than five percent of uniformed personnel in UN peacekeeping forces are women.”[58] In 2017, the Government of Canada launched the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations, with the aim of developing approaches to help overcome barriers to the deployment of women. The initiative supports UNSCR 2242, which calls on the UN Secretary General and Member States to double the number of women in military and police contingents of UN peacekeeping operations over the next five years.[59]

NATO is also working to implement the WPS Agenda, and has issued direction to its members in this regard. In 2007, it adopted the first NATO/Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) Policy on Women, Peace and Security, followed by – in 2019 – an Action Plan to support the policy’s implementation. The Policy and the Action Plan have been updated and endorsed, most recently during the 2018 Brussels Summit.[60]

The Committee’s witnesses drew attention to the link between implementing the WPS Agenda and increasing diversity in the CAF. Ms. Perron contended that “[h]aving women fully integrated and thriving within their combat teams not only reflects the change we wish to see in these failed states, but it will be instrumental in achieving it, for in these violence-plagued areas of the world where women have been abused, victimized, dispossessed and raped, it makes sense to give them hope of what could be and show them what is possible.”[61]

In the view of Dr. Okros, implementation of the WPS Agenda could help to address what he described as one of the barriers to increased representation of diverse groups in the CAF: “the expectation that young people have about how they would be treated and what they would be able to contribute.” He explained that the CAF’s “image is evolving” as a result of policies relating to the WPS Agenda, and suggested that “the number of Canadians who will consider the military as a career” is expanding.[62]

2. Operation HONOUR

Following articles published in Maclean’s and L’actualité in 2014 that estimated that 1,780 sexual assaults per year occurred in the CAF, former Supreme Court Justice Marie Deschamps was asked to conduct an independent external review of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment in the CAF.[63] The Deschamps report, which concluded that the CAF’s culture was conducive to more serious incidents of sexual harassment and assault, contained 10 recommendations concerning the ways in which DND and the CAF should address the prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military and “drive” cultural change.

In response to the Deschamps report, in 2015, CDS General Vance launched Operation HONOUR in an effort to eliminate harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour in the CAF. Operation HONOUR focuses on four lines of effort: understanding the problem; responding to incidents of sexual assault; supporting those affected by sexual misconduct; and preventing sexual misconduct from occurring in the first place.[64]

To date, DND and the CAF have implemented a number of related initiatives, some of which are in response to the recommendations in the Deschamps report. For example, in September 2015, a Sexual Misconduct Response Centre (SMRC) was created in DND to provide support to affected CAF members, improve preventive measures and enhance the CAF’s response to sexual misconduct.[65] In 2016, on behalf of the CAF, Statistics Canada surveyed 43,000 active CAF members; the survey had a response rate of 53%. The results of the Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces[66] reaffirmed the findings of the Deschamps report, and underscored the pervasive nature of sexual misconduct in the CAF. In 2016, more than 25% of Regular Force members who are women stated that, at some point in their career, they had been victims of sexual assault in the workplace involving military members, DND employees or contractors. In May 2019, Statistics Canada released the results of the 2018 Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, which found that the prevalence of sexual assault in 2018 for both the Regular Force and the Primary Reserve was similar to what was observed in 2016. The 2018 survey reported that approximately 900 Regular Force members, or 1.6%, were victims of sexual assault in the previous 12 months.[67] The survey also found that approximately 600 Primary Reservists, or 2.2%, indicated that they had been sexually assaulted in the previous 12 months.[68]

Strong, Secure, Engaged announced new initiatives relating to Operation HONOUR, and indicated that DND and the CAF will: fully implement the 10 recommendations contained in the Deschamps report; provide additional victim and survivor support services; address harassment complaints in a timely manner; and communicate progress clearly and openly.[69]

The OAG’s fall 2018 report on inappropriate sexual behaviour in the CAF determined that sexual misconduct undermines the camaraderie, trust and cohesion that is essential for the CAF to carry out its operations and missions effectively. In particular, the OAG’s report identified deficiencies related to victim support, education and training on inappropriate sexual behaviour, and oversight of the response to inappropriate sexual behaviour and issued seven related recommendations.[70] In responding to the OAG’s report, DND agreed with each recommendation and announced several new initiatives designed to address the gaps identified in Operation HONOUR’s approach to responding to, and preventing, inappropriate sexual behaviour in the CAF.[71]

In December 2018, the CDS issued Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Intent—Operation HONOUR, which describes Operation HONOUR as “the CAF’s highest institutional priority” and calls for “an effective, fully coordinated and resourced long-term response to address this challenge.”[72] It directs the Vice-Chief of Defence Staff to lead the development and implementation of a campaign focused on: support for victims; a new Defence Administrative Order and Directive to guide a person through the process of reporting an incident of sexual misconduct; expansion of the SMRC’s mandate; prevention; engagement; the elimination of policy gaps; and cultural change.

3. The Diversity Strategy

The CAF’s 2017 Diversity Strategy, which adopts a value-based model, states that “[d]iversity in the CAF is about championing, respecting and leveraging the unique differences, background, talents, and cultural perspectives amongst members to enable an inclusive environment where everyone feels empowered to contribute to their full potential in the execution of their military duties.”[73] The Diversity Strategy outlines four overarching goals: understand diversity culture; inculcate a culture of diversity; modernize policies to support diversity; and generate a CAF that reflects Canada’s diversity.[74]

The Diversity Strategy’s Action Plan contains the detailed activities, outputs, performance measurements, tasks and resources required to accomplish the four goals. Annual monitoring of the Action Plan is intended to “support the organizational changes allowing the complete integration of diversity as part of the CAF core values,” and CAF leaders have been directed to “maintain situational awareness and fully support the CAF Diversity Strategy Action Plan.”[75] The Diversity Strategy includes the concept of inclusivity and, according to the Action Plan, the CAF will “investigate the potential for a national network and/or community forum for LGBTQ2 members.”[76] Lieutenant-General Lamarre commented that, in response to the objectives set out in Strong, Secure, Engaged, the CAF’s Diversity Strategy is being revised.[77]

4.   Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada’s Defence Policy

In 2017, Canada’s Minister of National Defence announced Strong, Secure, Engaged, which contains five diversity- and inclusiveness-related initiatives:[78]

• Promote diversity and inclusion as a core institutional value across the Defence team;
• Appoint a Diversity Champion who will oversee the implementation of all aspects of the Diversity Strategy and Action Plan including instituting mandatory diversity training across all phases of professional development;
• Integrate Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) in all defence activities across the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence, from the design and implementation of programs and services that support our personnel, to equipment procurement and operational planning;
• Place a new focus on recruiting and retaining underrepresented populations within the Canadian Armed Forces, including, but not limited to, women, Indigenous peoples, and members of visible minorities;
• Aspire to be a leader in gender balance in the military by increasing the representation of women by 1 percent annually over the next 10 years to reach 25 percent of the overall force.

Rear-Admiral Cassivi told the Committee that a team of six executives across DND and the CAF have been appointed to fulfill the defence policy’s diversity champion commitments, including three positions for gender diversity in operations, two champions for GBA+ and one champion dedicated to WPS Agenda issues.[79]

D. Policy into Practice

While the policy framework guiding the CAF’s approach to diversity is based on a range of commitments with distinct objectives, the Committee heard that the they intersect in significant ways. For example, Ms. St-Pierre explained that:

[t]he success of Operation HONOUR in working toward creating an environment that is safe from sexual harassment and discrimination is crucial to the ability of the CAF to recruit more women and more members of diverse groups. The ability to recruit more women is crucial in fulfilling our commitments under the Canadian national action plan on women, peace and security. This national action plan, in turn, provides an important tool for DND and the CAF to incorporate gender perspectives as part of defence planning, policy and operations abroad.[80]

Witnesses acknowledged that the CAF has made important progress in adjusting its policy measures to improve the number of underrepresented groups within its ranks. However, several witnesses underlined that a number of challenges remain when translating policy into practice. Dr. Grazia Scoppio, Professor and Dean of Continuing Studies at the Royal Military College of Canada, observed that, “[a]lthough employment equity policies are important tools to level the playing field, compliance with legislation is only the first step toward attaining a more diverse workforce and a more diverse military. The next step is seeing diversity as a strength and as value added for the organization, and ultimately changing the organizational culture.”[81]

Part B: Key Challenges for Diversity in the Canadian Armed Forces: Recruitment, Retention and Sexual Misconduct

Lieutenant-General Lamarre underlined that, “diversity in the [CAF] brings us the talent critical in maintaining the defence of Canada and Canadians.”[82] In order for the CAF to achieve its diversity objectives, however, efforts must be directed both to recruiting diverse individuals and then to retaining them. Witnesses shared their perspectives about recruitment and retention challenges. They also spoke about the impact sexual misconduct has on both these areas, progress Operation HONOUR has made in addressing inappropriate sexual behaviour, and opportunities for further action.

A. Recruitment

The Committee’s witnesses generally supported the CAF’s recruitment targets concerning women, Indigenous peoples and visible minorities, and noted the need to also increase the representation of members of the LGBTQ2 community. Dr. Okros suggested that setting targets clearly signals the CAF’s priorities, and can help to challenge the status quo by causing “some young people to reconsider whether the military is the place they want to go. Some, particularly young women, may not have considered the military, but if they know that [the CAF is] serious about this, maybe they’ll consider it.”[83]

Recruitment plays a central role in achieving the CAF’s diversity targets. Lieutenant-General Lamarre stated that the CAF has created Operation GENERATION, which is “a formalized system that uses a targeted approach to get the people we want to get in the Canadian Armed Forces, whether it be women, visible minorities or Indigenous people.”[84]

While the Committee heard that the CAF is modernizing its recruitment practices to ensure that it welcomes all applicants, witnesses highlighted a number of areas where the CAF could focus its recruitment efforts in order to achieve greater representation of women, Indigenous people, visible minorities and members of the LGBTQ2 community. These areas include: new recruitment strategies; recruitment in rural, remote and Indigenous communities; recruitment in urban centres; and Reserve Force recruitment.

1. New Recruitment Strategies

Attracting a broader range of individuals is a necessary first step in achieving a more diverse CAF. According to Lieutenant-General Wynnyk, the CAF has traditionally recruited from “that white male cohort.… That hasn’t changed in 50 or 60 years.”[85] Referring to the importance of attracting youth and expanding the CAF’s traditional recruitment base, Ms. Perron underlined that “people need to understand that we are recruiting our soldiers from 26% of the population when we recruit mostly white men.”[86]

Lieutenant-General Wynnyk spoke to the Committee about efforts that are underway to create stronger awareness across Canadian society that the military is “open for business.”[87] Lieutenant-General Lamarre said that – in order to raise awareness about opportunities in the CAF, particularly among young people and women – the CAF has focused on creating a new website, a virtual recruiting centre and recruiting application, and social media campaigns.[88] He also said that the CAF has learned both that the recruitment website “can’t be a stultified, difficult thing to navigate,” and that it “must be able to recruit in six clicks … as opposed to the 27 that it used to be.”[89]

According to Lieutenant-General Lamarre, the CAF has emphasized “demystifying” military service, and its advertising and social media presence increasingly feature young women, Indigenous people and visible minorities so that designated groups can see themselves reflected in the CAF.[90] In mentioning that the CAF measures its online initiatives, he observed that “we've found that when we have young women who are recruiting and appearing in some of our online videos … or doing the chat rooms, which we do around the world, the reaction is very, very positive if people can see themselves, so we do emphasize the fact that we need to have more women and more visible minorities in recruiting.”[91]

Similar methods are being applied to on-the-ground recruitment efforts. For example, Lieutenant-General Lamarre commented that the CAF uses “recruiters who are multilingual and from a wide range of ethnic and racial backgrounds,” which has “enabled easier communications with potential recruits” and addressed concerns that minorities sometimes have regarding the military.[92] He also noted that recruiters participate in Indigenous awareness and cross-cultural training programs “designed to sensitize all recruiters to cultural norms that may differ from their own backgrounds and beliefs.”[93]

New recruitment strategies, such as the “Women in Force” pilot program that the CAF introduced in 2017, offer women practical military experience prior to enrolling and may encourage women to enter non-traditional occupations where they are underrepresented, such as Combat Arms. Dr. Scoppio noted that popular trades for women include those in logistics, as well as the “health-related occupations.”[94] Concerning CAF targets for diverse groups in certain military occupations, Lieutenant-General Lamarre stated that “we are setting targets for anybody for each occupation, and we encourage women, when they show up, to go into non‑traditional ones and the ones where we have the most need. For example, we're looking to increase the number of sonar operators we have to make sure we can maintain our ships and have them sailing properly.”[95] According to Dr. Okros, increased attention is being paid to women in STEM, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics. However, in his opinion, “[o]ne of the challenges there is that the women who are interested in those kinds of areas of employment at the present time tend to have a lot of opportunities. I think the military is looking at some of the STEM initiatives that some universities are applying to determine what can be done.”[96]

As well, in identifying another new approach to recruitment, Lieutenant-General Lamarre mentioned Operation RESURRECTION, which involves CAF recruiters investigating applications that were started but not completed, with a view to trying to “get them back.”[97] He commented that the “return rate for reviving the file [is] approximately 30%.”[98]

2.   Diversity and Recruitment in Rural, Remote and Indigenous Communities

The Committee’s witnesses highlighted the CAF’s outreach to rural, remote and Indigenous communities as a recruitment challenge. Mr. Lerat drew attention to ways in which the recruitment process could be improved to encourage more people from Indigenous communities to consider a career in the CAF. He outlined the following challenges associated with the current approach:

In many cases in Saskatchewan we have people who are interested, but it's a matter of getting them to the cities from the far north to first of all get some assistance in filling out their application. The application is somewhat confusing. At the same time, for the medical tests in those areas, our people have to go south instead of maybe having a doctor come in and test 10 [people]. Logistics, then, is a huge problem in recruiting. I know the interest is there. It's just a question of getting them to the places they have to be.[99]

Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) John Selkirk echoed concerns about medical testing requirements. In his view, although processing times associated with security clearances have been shortened considerably, over-centralization continues to be a problem because “the medical people still need to see every file.”[100] He underlined that “the biggest thing that still needs to be improved is the delay caused by the medical process.”[101]

A number of witnesses spoke about the federal government’s most recent workforce adjustment exercise, and linked a diminished CAF presence in rural, remote and Indigenous communities to the allocation of fewer human and financial resources. In this context, Dr. Scoppio observed that “there have been fewer positions and fewer resources for recruiting.”[102] According to Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) David A. Quick, Member of the Canadian Aboriginal Veterans and Serving Members Association, the decline in the CAF’s outreach to such communities can be attributed to “the cost of sending these teams to remote areas, the time it takes. The funding is not there anymore.”[103] Ms. Tasina Pope, an Indigenous advocate and former CAF member, highlighted the dissemination of information from the CAF to Indigenous communities, noting that “[m]any indigenous women have vocalized on social media their concerns about having limited resources sent out to them.”[104] In reiterating the need to pay greater attention to recruitment and outreach in Indigenous communities, Mr. Lerat underscored that, “[i]n today's age of communication, I don't see how there couldn't be a more focused drive on recruitment” in northern communities.[105]

The CAF’s Indigenous educational and experience programs provide Indigenous people with an opportunity to learn more about a career in the military. Lieutentant-General Lanthier said that these programs include the Aboriginal Leadership Opportunity Year, through which young Indigenous CAF members attend the Royal Military College of Canada for a year; the Canadian Forces Aboriginal Entry Program, which is a three-week course for Indigenous peoples who are considering a military career; and the summer Primary Reserve training programs, which are known as Bold Eagle, Black Bear, Carcajou, Grey Wolf and Raven.[106]

According to witnesses, Indigenous leadership programs are, in part, successful because they arose out of consultations with elders. For example, Bold Eagle – which is entering its 29^th year – provides leadership skills and military training for Indigenous youth over the summer. In Mr. Lerat’s opinion, that program’s success “has largely been due to the partnership between the Canadian Armed Forces and the First Nations, and also the fact that we are able to infuse a huge cultural component starting for one week that helps them acclimatize into CFB Wainwright. A lot of current servicemen who are of Aboriginal descent are part of that program as role models.”[107] Lieutenant-General Lanthier stated that CAF Indigenous experience and educational programs “enable Indigenous men and women to become leaders in every field of the [CAF]. Conversely, they allow the [CAF] to learn from the Indigenous communities.”[108]

In describing the high level of interest among Indigenous youth in Saskatchewan in the CAF’s summer experience programs, Mr. Lerat noted that, “for every spot, there are 10 applicants to get into that spot,” but “getting them from there into the Reserves, and then into the [Regular Force], the armed forces, still remains a challenge.”[109]

Dr. Scoppio suggested that, beyond offering only summer or year-long programs, the CAF could offer shorter and more varied programming to attract different groups. In her view, “[o]ne week they could target indigenous youth, and another week they could target visible minorities. They could be very short, just getting out there and getting the youth interested in the organization.”[110]

3.   Recruitment and Diversity in Urban Centres

The vast majority of Canada’s ethnocultural diversity is concentrated in the country’s urban centres. Accordingly, as Lieutenant-General Lamarre indicated to the Committee, the makeup of units located in these areas “reflect[s] the population.”[111] He highlighted that, “in Vancouver, the second service battalion is based in a community that is almost entirely of Chinese origin. 80% of the personnel in the unit, therefore, have come from the Chinese community.”[112] As well, he commented that units in Toronto are also becoming increasingly representative of the diverse population, and noted that “this is what [the CAF wants] to see and increasingly become the norm.”[113] Mr. Lerat commented that a focus on urban recruitment is also important because Indigenous youth are increasingly moving to larger cities.[114]

In the context of the CAF’s recruiting activities in urban centres, senior CAF officers and non-commissioned members conduct outreach during citizenship ceremonies where they “address new members of the Canadian family and encourage them to consider [the CAF] as potential employers.”[115] Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) John Selkirk was encouraging of initiatives to recruit recent immigrants, suggesting that it provides new Canadians with “an opportunity to participate in an important national program.”[116]

In Dr. Scoppio’s opinion, the CAF should also be looking to non-citizens to improve recruitment of diverse individuals. Dr. Scoppio underscored that “[o]ne of the barriers to increasing the visible minority population within the military is citizenship,” and observed that, “in the U.S., many occupations are open to non-citizens, and in fact, their citizenship is expedited once they join.”[117] She characterized extending recruitment to non-citizens as “one of the key strategies to increase the representation of visible minorities.”[118]

4.   Reserve Force Recruitment

Acknowledging that Canada’s vast territory is comprised of distinct communities, some witnesses suggested that the Reserve Force is in a position to help overcome the CAF’s recruitment challenges that are unique to particular geographic areas. Lieutenant-General Lanthier told the Committee that “[o]ne of the great successes of the Reserve [Force] in attracting diversity is the attachment to the community.”[119] Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) Selkirk claimed that, despite “limited advertising budgets … [d]ecentralizing recruiting in the Army Reserve has already produced increased enrolment of new members from traditionally under-represented populations.… Allowing units more autonomy in advertising and other methods of attraction could help … target potential recruits from under-represented populations more efficiently.”[120] He noted that, at about 16%, the percentage of women in the Reserve Force is slightly higher than their representation in the Regular Force.[121]

The nature of the Reserve Force’s local employment may be attracting to individuals who would like to join the CAF and remain in their community, including Indigenous peoples with strong connections to their ancestral lands, family and customs. Ms. Pope suggested that “Reserve [Force] units themselves could emphasize bringing in diversity by hiring Indigenous people.”[122]

B. Retention

Recruitment and retention go hand in hand. For the CAF to meet its diversity objectives, recruiting a diverse workforce is necessary, but it is not sufficient. Once diverse individuals join the CAF, addressing barriers to their retention is crucial to fostering diversity at all levels.

Dr. Andrea Charron underscored that, “[i]n the absence of a retention strategy designed to keep women and minorities in the CAF, a successful diversity recruitment strategy may only create a CAF that appears at a macro level to be a reflection of Canadian society.… [T]his reflection disappears at the micro level.”[123] As Appendix A and B illustrate, the representation of designated groups in the CAF is concentrated at the lower ranks. A number of the Committee’s witnesses discussed two specific barriers that cause diverse individuals to leave the CAF: limited career progression and family supports; and a lack of support for spiritual and cultural practices.

1.   Career Progression and Family Supports

Gender-based research has demonstrated that unpaid family care and household work are still primarily carried out by women,[124] and – according to some of the Committee’s witnesses – women face particular challenges relating to career progression in the military.

Commodore Patterson said that, in the CAF, “men and women are selected for training, promotions, postings, and any career opportunity in exactly the same way: based on rank, qualifications and merit.[125] Lieutenant-General Wynnyk characterized the CAF as a meritocracy that gives “the same opportunities … to everybody as they go forward.”[126] That said, other witnesses suggested that a dichotomy exists for women who must balance family obligations with their military career, with the need to balance responsibilities in both areas perhaps negatively affecting women’s career advancement in the CAF.

In the view of Ms. Perron, “[i]f we wonder why women aren’t progressing [in their careers], we should be looking at the number of men taking parental leave and the number of men helping out with elderly care. Still today, close to 70% of elderly care is being done by women.”[127] She also stated that, in some cases, women “lose opportunities to deploy on exercises, to punch those leadership tickets that will gain them the personnel evaluation reports to get them promoted, and the courses.… [W]hen only 10% of the senior officers are women and when 90% of deployed forces are men, it means that women are losing opportunities.”[128] As well, Ms. Perron commented that, even following deployment, women are not progressing at the same rate as their peers.[129]

Similarly, Dr. Scoppio noted that, “a lot of times for promotion you also need to have ticks in the box. In certain occupations, without a deployment overseas, it’s very hard to go beyond, say, the rank of major.”[130] In questioning whether the CAF needs to re-examine its criteria for promotion, she commented that – as a means of offsetting stringent deployment requirements – “there are some professional military education qualifications that can be obtained through distance learning. That's one way, so that a woman who has young children doesn't have to spend, say, one year at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto to complete a qualification in order to go from Major to Lieutenant-Colonel.”[131]

Lieutenant-General Lamarre suggested that the CAF has “established very good policies so that women who take maternity leave are not penalized. We have the merit board. Those women are not demoted as they would be if they were simply absent.”[132] However, Ms. St‑Pierre stated that “[t]here is a career penalty for motherhood and the ability to get time off.”[133] Ms. Laura Nash – a former CAF member – spoke about her experiences in the CAF, noting a lack of support for her transition to motherhood and rigidity in processes that made it difficult for her to switch to a trade that would allow her to meet the demands of raising a child as a single parent.[134] She highlighted challenges in securing child care, and underscored that flexible work arrangements could help to relieve some of the significant demands placed on women pursuing military careers.[135] In addition, she drew attention to deficiencies in entitlement benefits for single mothers.[136]

The WPS Group echoed calls for improvements to the CAF’s accommodation policies, and proposed that “[p]articular attention should focus on the supports required by serving female members, single parents and single members. It cannot be assumed that all military members are men with stay-at-home female spouses.”[137]

Ensuring that opportunities exist for women, Indigenous peoples, and visible minorities to progress in their careers is crucial to fostering greater diversity throughout the CAF’s senior ranks. Presently, however, the CAF’s diversity is not reflected within senior leadership positions. Dr. Charron suggested that the CAF’s promotion processes tend to “discount support trades, which, statistically, is where you find much of the diversity within the [CAF].”[138] As an example, she noted that the RCAF tends to privilege pilots over all other air force trades for promotion to Flag Officer positions. As a result,

[I]t becomes very clear early to junior officers outside of the pilot trade that they confront a promotion ceiling. In doing so, they are more likely to leave the CAF in early or mid-career.… We cannot recruit diverse individuals with diverse opinions and approaches if at the very top of the chain of command the system perpetuates a homogenous group of mainly operators who have supported and protected their own candidates.[139]

Moreover, Dr. Charron explained that as CAF officers move up the rank structure, “the promotion process narrows to a smaller and smaller number of decision-makers and inputs which is acute at the Colonel level and above.” She explained that “there is very little if any transparency in the decision-making process at the highest levels.” As a result, “idiosyncratic influences are likely then to dominate [promotion processes]. In particular, individuals have a tendency to seek to replicate themselves” when they promote other people. In her view, this “represents another potential barrier to diversity.”[140]

With a focus on the United Kingdom’s armed forces, Brigadier Nicholas Orr – United Kingdom Defence and Military Adviser and Head of the British Defence Liaison Staff – noted recently adopted measures that will allow service personnel to request flexible working hours “to better fit their service career around their family life.”[141] Moreover, he said that the country’s Ministry of Defence expanded its eligibility criteria for military-provided housing to non-married personnel who have been in relationships longer than 12 months and have served for at least four years.[142]

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is also focused on improved career management for women in its armed forces. For example, it has established specific targets to fill leadership positions with more women, and is aiming to have 20% of lieutenant-colonels, as well as 20% of sergeants and warrant officers, be women.[143] It will also “establish a minimum threshold of gender-based appointments” to be applied “when all employment criteria are met by potential candidates.”[144] Concerning parental accommodation, the Government of New Zealand has established breastfeeding policies and public–private partnerships to increase childcare services available to armed forces members.[145]

2.   Spiritual and Cultural Traditions

The expectations associated with Regular Force service, including rotational postings and deployments, can be challenging for Indigenous peoples and visible minorities with close connections to their families, communities, cultural traditions and customs. Ms. Perron told the Committee that “[e]very two or three years [CAF members] uproot their families. They have to find a new school, a doctor, and get new licence plates. They lose friends and long-term equity in their homes. They are far away from their families.”[146]

Mr. Lerat explained that, “as First Nations, we have our own customs, our own traditions, and each region has its own protocols” and that steps have been taken to “protect the religious rights for First Nations persons in the [CAF], such as the right to wear braids. Out west … we do a lot of partnership with CFB Wainwright, there’s the right to have sweats.… That’s our way. That’s our church.”[147] He also highlighted the important role played by elders in the CAF’s educational and experience programs, noting that some Indigenous youth have “difficulty in knowing where they fit in … [the Bold Eagle summer program] is successful in ensuring that there is someone there to assist them when they are having problems with loneliness, or the individual problems that our children have when they're away from home.”[148]

According to Dr. Okros, the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service is “very much paying attention to evolutions in Canadian society around both religion and spirituality, and are making sure that they are providing the right services.”[149] Lieutenant-General Lanthier noted that the CAF has revised its policies to recognize the importance of Indigenous spirituality, traditions and customs for its Indigenous members, and mentioned that the first Indigenous advisor to the Chaplain General was appointed in 2017.[150]

From her perspective as an Indigenous woman, Ms. Pope characterized her experience in the CAF as isolating, and described the difficulties that she encountered:

There were few to no cultural practices of Indigenous spirituality. I was denied the right to grow my own hair.… I was also denied the opportunity to attend close family members' funerals. In an Indigenous community, attending funerals honours the family clan.[151]

Recognizing the diversity that exists within and among First Nations, Inuit and Métis, Ms. Pope suggested that closer relationships with local elders could be developed. Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) Quick agreed that local relationships with spiritual leaders would enhance support to CAF members who are Indigenous peoples, and referred to the Royal Military College of Canada’s Aboriginal Leadership Opportunity Year – where a local elder is embedded – as a good model to follow.[152] Mr. Lerat explained that “our sacred ceremonies and protocols are helpful to us as First Nations.… [I]t’s easier to talk to an elder, as they are part of your culture.”[153] Ms. Pope also encouraged the incorporation of smudge rooms into military units, wings and bases.[154]

As an example of successful integration of Indigenous practices, Dr. Scoppio pointed out the significant representation of Māori members in the New Zealand Defence Force. The Defence Force has a “Bi-cultural Policy” that outlines how the Defence Force will achieve “a bicultural status that recognizes Māori cultural interests, and the special place Māori culture has within the [New Zealand Defence Force].”[155] The policy also stipulates that the NZDF’s Rūnanga (council), comprised of Māori cultural advisors, Defence Force leaders and elders, will meet every six months to provide advice on Tikanga Māori to the Chief of the Defence Force.[156] Among other initiatives, Māori cultural advisors are appointed to camps, ships and bases to “assist commanders and managers to engage with local iwi (tribes) external to [the New Zealand Defence Force].”[157] Participation in Kapa Haka Groups (cultural groups), which are formed to conduct and support ceremonial requirements, are open to all Defence Force personnel. The bicultural approach requires the Defence Force’s leaders to demonstrate a commitment to protecting Māori interests, and requires the development of an Awareness Education Plan.

Lieutenant-General Lanthier identified multiple activities conducted throughout the year “to celebrate the contributions of Indigenous peoples to military service,” and said that “[t]he flagship activity is the Indigenous awareness week.”[158] He also mentioned that such “initiatives and efforts are informed by the Defence Aboriginal Advisory Group,” which “helps ensure that the unique voices of our Indigenous members are heard on a multitude of platforms. It advises commanders on issues such as recruitment and retention, and other issues affecting the lives of Indigenous members. It also provides a forum for Indigenous peoples.”[159] However, Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) Quick noted that, during his membership on this Advisory Group, “members of the group had difficulties obtaining permission to attend the monthly meetings.… [T]he impression I was given was that the supervisors did not want to lose productivity for a two-hour meeting plus travel time. [Some of the group’s members] felt there would be retribution from their supervisor through their yearly performance assessment.”[160]

C. Operation HONOUR

The Deschamps report unequivocally concluded that sexual misconduct in the CAF was widespread among its ranks and endemic to its culture. This situation creates recruitment and retention challenges; it also undermines the CAF’s ethical standards and the integrity of its members. By eroding trust among peers and in the chain of command, sexual misconduct has compromised the professional values and principles of Duty with Honour: The Profession of Arms in Canada, which is the CAF’s cornerstone document.

Every CAF member deserves to be safe from sexual harassment, assault and other forms of inappropriate sexual behaviour. Lieutenant-General Wynnyk stated that “[d]iversity and inclusiveness is about ensuring all [CAF] members feel welcome in [the] organization.”[161] Within that context, rooting out the behaviours and attitudes that have perpetuated occurrences of sexual misconduct is integral to achieving diversity in the CAF.

Efforts to address sexual misconduct shifted from an organizational focus to an operational imperative in 2015. Operation HONOUR, which is the CAF’s mission to eliminate harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour in the Canadian military, is based on two principles: people who serve their country deserve to be treated with dignity and respect; and attitudes or behaviours that undermine camaraderie, cohesion and the confidence of serving members threaten the CAF’s long-term operational success.[162] Yet, the results of the Statistics Canada survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces Regular Force, 2018 found that “the prevalence of sexual assault did not change between 2016 and 2018.”[163] In the Regular Force, 7 in 10 members reported that they had witnessed or experienced sexualized or discriminatory behaviour in the past 12 months, down from 8 in 10 in 2016.[164] In both the Regular Force and the Primary Reserve, more than half of all sexual assaults in the military workplace involved a peer; among female Reservists, however, the survey found “a significant proportion of these incidents involved a supervisor or someone of higher rank (51%, up from 38% in 2016).”[165]

Commodore Rebecca Patterson noted that, “[i]n the past three years, the [CAF] has taken definitive action to address all forms of sexual misconduct, through Operation HONOUR, but there's still much work to do. We're fully committed to continuing our efforts to better support victims, while working to reshape our culture to ensure respect and dignity for all.”[166]

According to some witnesses, the CAF has made progress in acknowledging the problem of sexual misconduct and in improving awareness of the issue. Ms. Perron contended that “[h]earing stories of abuse is hard and discouraging, but it's a sign that we've created an environment where victims are safe to come forward with their stories. They can tell them from a place of strength instead of a place of resentment.”[167] That said, Lieutenant-General Wynnyk emphasized that “we haven't gotten everything right and we certainly recognize there is much left to do.”[168]

In Lieutenant-General Wynnyk’s view, the barometer for evaluating the CAF’s progress addressing sexual misconduct and improving awareness is assessing the implementation of the Deschamps report’s 10 recommendations.[169] He said that, while the CAF has reiterated its commitment to implementing all 10 recommendations “to the fullest extent possible,” two of the recommendations are – to date – considered to be fully implemented: acknowledging the problem; and simplifying the harassment resolution process. According to him, a third recommendation relating to victims’ requests to transfer complaints to civilian authorities is not considered to be fully achieved, but rather “has been achieved in a manner that meets the intent of the recommendation while remaining consistent with [the CAF’s] structural, functional and jurisdictional parameters.”[170] He also indicated that the CAF continues “to make progress to varying degrees on the remaining seven [recommendations].”[171]

Sexual misconduct is a complex and difficult issue to address, and – in the opinion of Lieutenant-General Wynnyk – “there is still much to learn.” A number of witnesses commented that more work remains to be done, particularly in those areas that the OAG has identified as deficient: victim support; education and training; and oversight.[172] The Honourable Marie Deschamps underscored that “there are lots of things that should have been done immediately” when the Deschamps report was released in 2015, and suggested that the CAF could lose the confidence of the public if it does not do more to implement the report’s recommendations.[173] Concerning the attractiveness of the CAF as an employer given the prevalence of sexual misconduct, Dr. Scoppio warned that “[the Deschamps report] may still be fresh in a lot of parents' minds when their kids are making a career choice.”[174]

In evaluating Operation HONOUR’s progress, the Committee’s witnesses focused on the SMRC, data collection, the process for reporting and disclosing instances of sexual misconduct, and cultural change.

1.   The Sexual Misconduct Response Centre

The Deschamps report called for the creation of an “independent centre for accountability for sexual assault and harassment outside of the CAF with the responsibility for receiving reports of inappropriate sexual conduct, as well as prevention, coordination and monitoring of training, victim support, monitoring of accountability, and research, and to act as a central authority for the collection of data.”[175] As noted earlier, in 2015, the CAF responded to this recommendation by establishing the SMRC, whose primary objective is to support CAF members affected by sexual misconduct. Dr. Denise Preston, Executive Director of the SMRC, explained that the SMRC offers “confidential, bilingual, client-centred services to [CAF] members 24-7 and may be accessed by members no matter where in the world they may be. The centre's counsellors all have expertise in working with survivors of sexual trauma and do not have a duty to report.”[176]

The Honourable Marie Deschamps told the Committee that there is a “disconnect” between her recommendations concerning a centre and the way that the SMRC has been implemented. In particular, she stated:

What they initially created was something with a tiny bit of responsibility. Initially, … it was called a call centre. It was not very well known and it was not properly resourced.… The way I designed it was that this centre was supposed to be able to receive both formal reports and reports or disclosures from victims who initially only wanted to be supported. The centre was to be able to receive the victims and not be obliged to go to the chain of command.… Even up to this date, the centre does not yet have the responsibility or the power to receive the reports.[177]

The OAG’s 2018 report on inappropriate sexual behaviour in the CAF expressed concerns about “who does what,” and recommended that DND and the CAF should clearly define the roles and responsibilities of both the Strategic Response Team on Sexual Misconduct, which is headed by Commodore Patterson, and the SMRC, which is led by Dr. Preston. Moreover, the OAG identified a need to revise and expand the SMRC’s mandate.[178] Concerning that mandate, Commodore Patterson said that “[the SMRC], once it was stood up, had to grow. It started off dealing with the most critical issue and it was supporting those victims who were affected by sexual misconduct.”[179] Dr. Preston indicated that, while the SMRC’s services initially “filled a critical gap, they are not sufficient to address the range of needs affected members have within the complexity of the Canadian Armed Forces environment.”[180] She also noted “a need for better coordination of support services and specialized training for those who provide support.”[181]

Witnesses spoke about the evolving relationship between the CAF and the SMRC, with a greater emphasis being placed on victim support and efforts underway to expand the SMRC’s mandate. According to Lieutenant-General Wynnyk, the SMRC will become the “authoritative voice to guide, support and monitor progress”; however, the SMRC’s new terms of reference have not yet been finalized.[182] In Dr. Preston’s view, the new mandate will enable the SMRC to provide case management services, serve as a single point of contact for CAF members regardless of whether they have reported an incident, and assist with navigating administrative and legal processes.[183] She also mentioned that the SMRC will play a role in guiding the national victims strategy.

In acknowledging that LGBTQ2 personnel are often targets of inappropriate sexual behaviour, Dr. Preston indicated that “SMRC staff have received specialized training from community agencies and are researching enhancements to service delivery to better meet the needs of [LGBTQ2] and other specialized groups.”[184] She also noted that the SMRC will fund sexual assault centres located near the CAF’s largest bases and wings in Canada to increase support options for victims.

Concerning external expertise, Lieutenant-General Wynnyk said that an external advisory council has been established to “enhance and support the [SMRC’s] independence.”[185] According to him, this council has contributed to CAF documents relating to Operation HONOUR, including in respect of the development of “a clearer definition of sexual misconduct and a decision tree tool to guide members of the chain of command in responding to reported incidents.”[186] Dr. Preston commented that the SMRC has recently hired an expert to develop a sexual misconduct prevention plan and to contribute to a CAF policy regarding perpetrators.[187] Although the Honourable Marie Deschamps welcomed the SMRC’s additional expertise, she added that “it comes very late in the day.”[188] Lieutenant-General Wynnyk noted that progress continues to be made regarding the SMRC having “responsibility for the development of the training curriculum and for monitoring training related to inappropriate sexual behaviour,” as was recommended in the Deschamps report.[189]

2.   Tracking and Reporting

Concerning the tracking of instances of sexual misconduct, Ms. Perron stressed that “what gets measured gets done.”[190] To date, the CAF’s approach to collecting data has been largely piecemeal. According to Commodore Patterson, statistics relating to sexual misconduct are obtained primarily through two surveys: qualitative surveys – known as “Your Say” surveys – that the CAF conducts twice each year to measure members’ attitudes and beliefs; and the Surveys on Sexual Misconduct in the CAF that Statistics Canada conducts every two years.[191] Statistics Canada’s initial survey was released in 2016, and the results of the 2018 survey were released on 22 May 2019[192]

Lieutenant-General Wynnyk commented that a new database – the Operation HONOUR Tracking and Analysis System (OPHTAS) – has been designed specifically to help the CAF record and manage information about sexual misconduct more effectively, and is separate from the SMRC’s data collection system. The OPHTAS was launched in January 2018, and the data that have been collected since then were included in the CAF’s most recent Progress Report Addressing Sexual Misconduct in the CAF. He noted that the OPHTAS is “probably one of the first bespoke data collection devices or methods that we've seen in the Five Eyes countries.”[193]

3.   Process for Reporting and Disclosing Instances of Sexual Misconduct

A number of witnesses discussed issues relating to sexual misconduct reporting and processes. For example, underreporting of sexual misconduct continues to be a challenge in the CAF, with Dr. Preston suggesting that “fewer than about 10% [of sexual offences] are ever reported. The ones that get reported tend to be the ones that are more severe in nature.”[194]

Regarding the issue of whether the chain of command should be removed from sexual assault investigations, Ms. Perron stated that:

[a]bsolutely, I think it’s crucial. The victims of sexual abuse or sexual misconduct are often in a position where they have to report their case to a senior officer or leader who has not been trained in dealing with investigative and interviewing processes for victims of sexual misconduct. At different levels there are blockages, perceptions and preconceived notions of women coming forward. It's also devastating to their career.… They are still afraid of the chain of command.[195]

That said, Commodore Patterson noted that – among respondents to surveys conducted by the CAF –“87% … had confidence that their chain of command would support them if they came forward with a complaint about sexual assault.”[196] However, according to Dr. Preston, those who have reported instances of sexual misconduct tend to have less confidence in the system than those who have not. She claimed that “[i]t's the people who have either never experienced it and never gone through these sorts of issues who have confidence.”[197]

Some witnesses expressed concerns about the “duty to report,” which is the legislative requirement for CAF members to report all incidents of misconduct, including inappropriate sexual behaviour. The OAG’s 2018 report on inappropriate sexual behaviour in the CAF found that this requirement discouraged some victims from disclosing or reporting an incident and that “the duty to report all incidents of inappropriate sexual behaviour increased the number of cases reported by a third party, even if the victim was not ready to come forward at that time.”[198]

In the Honourable Marie Deschamp’s opinion, by “imposing a duty to report, [the CAF is] not taking a victim-focused approach.”[199] In discussing the obligation to report an incident regardless of a victim’s preferences, Ms. Perron said that “the victim can choose to move at her own pace and decide whether she wants to report the incident or not. I understand that the organization absolutely wants to know about incidents in order to be able to react appropriately, but sometimes a report causes more damage than anything else.”[200]

The Deschamps report recommended that victims of sexual assault should be allowed to request that their complaint be transferred to civilian authorities. In a 2018 decision, the majority of the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada concluded that “paragraph 130(1)(a) of the [National Defence Act] is unconstitutional because it deprives a member of the right to a trial by judge and jury for a civil offence for which the maximum sentence is five years or more.”[201] That decision is currently before the Supreme Court of Canada.

As it stands, to make a formal report about an incident to military authorities, victims can approach the chain of command, the Military Police, or the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service.[202]

Witnesses informed the Committee that determining jurisdiction when a sexual offence occurs depends on a variety of factors.[203] For instance, Lieutenant-General Wynnyk commented that, if the nature of the offence constitutes a Criminal Code offence, “it would be handled externally.”[204] Other circumstances, such as the location in which the offence took place, are also considered. Dr. Preston suggested that, “if the offence took place in a civilian establishment, typically it would be the civilian police who are called, whereas if it happened at a military establishment, it would be the military police who are called.”[205] She further noted that:

the victim's wishes are taken into consideration in terms of where the charges end up being laid, but it's actually the prosecution who has the final decision-making authority as to where the case is going to be addressed.… Sometimes cases are charged by the civilian police, and the civilian prosecutors choose not to prosecute. Those cases might get transferred to the military.[206]

The Honourable Marie Deschamps said that, if the duty to report is maintained, there must be “a prerequisite to take care of the victim and to ensure that she is comfortable with the way things are evolving.… In some cases, the victim might be more comfortable in the civilian system. In other instances, it might be the military system. However, this is an example of the victim-focused approach.”[207]

The OAG’s report on inappropriate sexual behaviour in the CAF also identified timeliness in resolving cases as a challenge for the CAF. In this context, Lieutenant-General Wynnyk commented that “rushing” to resolve all cases within 30 days, which is the direction given to the Military Police, does a disservice to those involved. He remarked that “[t]he provost marshal … has six teams that are specially trained in sexual misconduct. There is a liaison officer who works in Dr. Preston's office.… We want to make sure that the resources are brought to bear on this, that there's no shortage of resources. That's the way it's being approached to make sure that all the cases are investigated as thoroughly as they need to be.”[208]

According to witnesses, the manner in which perpetrators are dealt with is another issue warranting greater focus. In characterizing the current system for responding to perpetrators as “a gap,” Dr. Preston mentioned that “[t]here is a wide range of severity [of inappropriate sexual] behaviour, and some of it can very readily and very informally be addressed at a local level. Some of it would mirror the severity of offences I saw in the federal penitentiary system, and those people would require specialized referrals for specialized assessments and intervention.… We need to do a better job of looking at individuals.”[209]

4.   Addressing the CAF’s “Sexualized Culture”[210]

The Deschamps report identified a need for comprehensive cultural change in the CAF to eradicate the sexualized environment that is hostile to women and members of the LGBTQ2 community, and to “create a more inclusive organizational culture that respects the dignity of all its members.”[211] In acknowledging that changing the culture of an organization takes time, and noting the importance of engaging senior leaders in this effort, the report recommended that the CAF should adopt a cultural change strategy.

Witnesses told the Committee that the CAF is fully committed to reshaping its culture to ensure that all of its members are respected. That said, Lieutenant-General Wynnyk recognized that the CAF has “not made sufficient progress in key areas, such as policy and strategic cultural change, and that has hampered our overall effort.”[212] Notwithstanding efforts to develop a cultural change strategy, the Honourable Marie Deschamps expressed disappointment with the limited progress regarding changes in the CAF’s culture to date, and noted that “they’ve already taken four years, and we haven’t seen the colour of the strategy yet.”[213]

The reaction of some CAF members to Operation HONOUR suggests that institution-wide cultural change will not happen quickly. Ms. Perron referred to Operation HONOUR as a “necessary evil in that it has propelled us to move forward and explore issues” of sexual misconduct, but contended that “the backlash against women is atrocious.”[214] In suggesting that CAF members are “sick and tired of hearing about it,” she attributed negative responses to Operation HONOUR–related training to a lack of “buy-in from leadership.” In particular, according to her, “[w]e’re asking leaders at every level, from sergeant up, to teach courses on diversity and harassment. They are in front of a class and they don't want to do it; they don't believe in it.”[215] In her opinion, to accelerate the process of cultural change in the CAF, “we have to go upstream and create conditions in the training where women are valued.”[216]

Some witnesses agreed that drawing on external expertise is crucial in advancing cultural change in the CAF.[217] Lieutenant-General Wynnyk noted that the CAF is taking external information and advice into account in order to take action against sexual misconduct.[218] On the other hand, Commodore Patterson indicated that an additional challenge is translating “expert advice into a tool that military members can actually use.”[219]

With a focus on the future, Lieutenant-General Wynnyk noted that a “campaign plan” is being developed to move Operation HONOUR forward in certain areas, such as sexual assault and harassment prevention, engagement, policy development, victim support and cultural change, with dedicated resources. He indicated that the plan will be informed by research, stakeholder engagement and the sharing of best practices with Canada’s allies.[220] According to him, changing attitudes and beliefs requires systemic shifts, from the institutional to the individual level, and “involves everything.” He elaborated by indicating that:

[cultural change] involves training, it involves education and it involves what we talked about, which is getting more women into leadership roles and more women into the Canadian Forces so we reach that critical mass and just hammer home that this behaviour is unacceptable and won't be tolerated.[221]

Despite the progress made to date, Honourable Marie Deschamps and Dr. Preston cited the need to move more quickly on implementing the outstanding recommendations in the Deschamps report and in the 2018 report by the OAG.[222]

Part C: Cultural Change, Diversity and Inclusion

Efforts to address sexual misconduct, as well as recruitment and retention challenges, play a crucial role in creating the conditions for enhanced diversity in the CAF. However, these efforts must be part of an overarching objective: achieving transformational cultural change in the CAF. Altering longstanding paradigms is not an easy task. All individuals who choose to serve in the CAF deserve to feel that they belong and are valued, and that they will be protected from mistreatment and supported throughout their career. Transforming organizational – and individual – attitudes and behaviours will require sustained commitments to bringing about cultural change over the long term.

According to Dr. Okros, diversity must be “understood and embraced as a core institutional value” in the CAF.[223] Moreover, as noted by Rear-Admiral Cassivi, in addition to specific targets for increased representation of women, Indigenous peoples and visible minorities, Strong, Secure, Engaged sets out a clear commitment to reflect “the Canadian ideals of diversity, respect, and inclusion.”[224] That said, Ms. Perron pointed out that “[y]ou cannot order soldiers to respect women, [members of the] LGBT[Q2 community], visible minorities or any [designated group member].”[225] In her view, the paradigms must be changed, and the CAF needs to “create situations where a light will appear in [CAF members’] mind and they'll say, ‘Wow, luckily we have women on board,’ women in their platoons who can push through this exercise in a certain way.”[226]

While a number of the Committee’s witnesses agreed that fostering a culture within the CAF that is based on dignity, trust and respect is paramount, there is uncertainty about how cultural change can be measured and assessed.[227] Commodore Patterson remarked that traditional measurement and assessment models have not been successful in substantially moving the CAF forward regarding cultural change.[228] That said, witnesses provided an indication of what cultural change in the CAF could look like in practice.

In Dr. Scoppio’s view, the trajectory towards cultural change is hastened when more people from designated minority groups are represented in the CAF. She said that, “[a]s long as we don't have a critical mass of women or visible minorities or Indigenous members, it's very hard to change a culture.”[229] As well, she noted that “vision without resources is hallucination, so we can have a great strategic document, but if there are no resources to achieve that vision, then we're not going to get there.”

Dr. Okros indicated that a demonstrable change in the right direction would be a move away from an emphasis on conformity towards an approach that values differences.[230] In his opinion, the most important shift in military thought and practice is understanding diversity as “us,” rather than “others,”[231] which requires a re-examination of what constitutes “the ideal service member – the image of the prototype desired and rewarded soldier, sailor, aviator, General, or Flag Officer.”[232]

Ms. Perron illustrated the ways in which traditional approaches to policy design tend to overlook implications for those in the minority. She explained that, “[i]f we design our training so that women are valued, with scenarios like Afghanistan or Haiti, … men are going to see that if they didn't have women, they wouldn't be getting this information, this precious intelligence. We don't do that. We force them to respect women, and then we design obstacle courses that physically highlight women's weaknesses instead of their strengths.”[233] In providing further examples of “what it means to challenge our paradigms today,”[234] she pointed out:

Every year, we recognize mothers who have lost children in the service of our country through the appointment of a Silver Cross Mother chosen by the Royal Canadian Legion.… There was a time in our history when child-rearing was mostly left to mothers, and often these same mothers were left to do so single-handedly as husbands left for war. Those were the norms, but times have changed.… Appointing only women as Silver Cross mothers demeans the role of fathers and contributes to the stigmatization of those who choose to take parental leave or to be a stay-at-home dad. By the same token, it perpetuates the perception that only women bear the responsibilities of raising children or that their contribution is more important.… It's time for Silver Cross parents.[235]

According to Ms. St-Pierre, challenging established social norms can play a role in eliminating such behaviours as harassment and discrimination.[236] She indicated that socially constructed gender norms limit the agency of all individuals and perpetuate male stereotypes in the CAF, such as “the notion that you have to take on masculine traits, that you have to act like a man, in order to be accepted as one of the guys.”[237] In her view, these factors can create an environment that is hostile to women and members of the LGBTQ2 community.[238] In discussing the linkages between military culture and diversity, the Honourable Marie Deschamps commented that “[d]iversity is often viewed as a way to change culture, and cultural change is crucial to fighting sexual misconduct.”[239]

The Committee’s witnesses proposed a number of areas where they believe greater attention could be paid to galvanize cultural change efforts in the CAF. In particular, they focused on: using GBA+; facilitating diversity training and education; engaging men; holding the CAF’s senior leadership accountable; collecting data; and creating support networks.

A. Using Gender-Based Analysis+

For a number of witnesses, the use of GBA+,which is a tool to “assess how diverse groups of women, men and non-binary people may experience policies, programs and initiatives,”[240] can contribute to cultural change in the CAF. Applying GBA+ as a policy tool does not automatically mean that CAF standards must be altered. Rather, GBA+ plays a role in recognizing and moving beyond assumptions. In Ms. Perron’s view, “[i]f the enemy builds six-foot walls, every single soldier should be able to scale six-foot walls, but if we say that all our soldiers need to be five foot seven because we got the lowest bidder on our aircraft and that's the height minimum that we need to have, there's something wrong with that.”[241]

In referring to GBA+, Dr. Okros stated that achieving a shift in military thought and practice requires “expansion from the narrow consideration of employment equity-designated groups to a broader recognition of all aspects of diversity.”[242] The ‘plus’ in GBA+ acknowledges that multiple identity factors intersect, such as sex, gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, income, geography, culture, education, age, and mental or physical disability.

The inequalities experienced by people who identify with more than one marginalized group are generally compounded. For example, the experiences of Indigenous women in the CAF differ from those of white women. Similarly, a person who identifies as a visible minority and a member of the LGBTQ2 community can face more challenges than a person who identifies as one or the other, but not both. In posing a question about how he, “as an older, privileged, white male [can] fully understand the perspectives of a young, marginalized woman of colour,”[243] Dr. Okros encouraged increased dialogue on these types of questions to examine what diversity means in practice.

Dr. Scoppio noted that “everybody in the public service and in the military has to complete the GBA+ course online.”[244] Evidence suggests that there is a need for additional training concerning the application of intersectionality. Dr. Okros went on to say that, although there is a “strong degree of acceptance” in the CAF regarding sexual orientation, “[t]here is not yet the understanding of gender and gender expression.”[245] Ms. Perron mentioned that, for many, the concept of intersectionality “[is] so far outside their comfort zone. Many who are in the traditional culture have never been exposed to that. We need to talk about it, expose them, and we need to review our paradigms, with regard to all non‑binary issues.”[246]

B. Facilitating Diversity Training and Education

A number of the Committee’s witnesses made comments about the diversity-focused training that is currently being offered to CAF members, including the critical role of experts in both providing such training and eliminating inappropriate sexual behaviour. Dr. Okros indicated that “there are definitely programs bringing [diversity] forward and trying to ensure that those who are moving up to the middle levels and preparing for the more senior levels are being exposed to these perspectives.” Dr. Scoppio suggested that “[w]e also need an education piece, … and that education piece cannot be a canned PowerPoint presentation after which everybody says they are trained in diversity. It has to go beyond that, and it has to happen at all levels of the organization.”[247]

Ms. St-Pierre emphasized “the importance of the defence community's learning to leverage gender expertise, which the military lacks, from civil society … to create a conducive environment and address all the commitments that have been identified by DND and the CAF. If these commitments are carried through, all taken together, including a change of mindset and a change of culture, that could lead to some changes.”[248] Moreover, Dr. Preston acknowledged that

“[o]ne of the other things that the [CAF has] done that will be positive, other than looking at culture change, is that they recognized that they have failed to appropriately take into consideration expert advice in terms of guiding and developing their strategy. Now they've recognized that, so further responsibilities are coming over to [the SMRC]. I believe that external advice and expertise is crucial to the success of the implementation of Op Honour as well as the [SMRC’s] mandate.[249]

Concerning unconscious bias training, Ms. St-Pierre highlighted the difficulties that “deeply ingrained attitudes and biases against women and other diverse groups” can have when attempting to instil diversity as a core institutional value.[250] Rear-Admiral Cassivi explained that the CAF has “some courses across [its] professional development framework that introduce the concept of bias and bias awareness.… We've generated a self-development website with recommended readings, and we encourage people to take the tests that are available online, realize and understand their biases and understand how they impact their decision-making and the people around them.”[251] He added, however, that “there are still struggles at the tactical level in some areas, such as bias consciousness and what we may or may not understand or recognize as systemic biases.”[252] Lieutenant-General Lamarre said that he was “not familiar with an institutionalization of training everybody on the issue of bias.”[253]

Increasingly, Canada’s defence allies are recognizing unconscious bias as a barrier to cultural change. Brigadier Orr noted that, in the United Kingdom, “all our advisers will certainly have unconscious bias training. Our senior leaders will have all undergone some unconscious bias training as well. I think we will all accept as well that unconscious bias is one of those issues on which you have to keep being trained; otherwise, your unconscious bias will just come back again.”[254] As well, in New Zealand, training sessions help “to examine and address unconscious biases on merit committees which are responsible for deciding promotions.”[255]

C. Engaging Men

As part of the CAF’s efforts designed to bring about cultural change, some witnesses proposed greater engagement of men. For example, Dr. Okros called for “men to be willing and able to expand their military world view and practices of leadership to embrace what are commonly seen as feminine approaches” in order to “better recognize and prevent certain inappropriate behaviours internally within the CAF while also contributing to military mission success when deployed.”[256]

Moreover, Ms. Perron underscored that “men hold most of the power when it comes to moving things and propelling change forward. Imagine a classroom where that same sergeant tells everybody that he doesn't want to teach the Operation HONOUR crap, and a male corporal stands up and says, ‘Hey, wait a minute. I think this is really important, and I'm all in.…’ That would make a whole lot of difference.”[257] In agreeing, Dr. Okros stated that “[t]hat's where the military is going to make the change. It's when people look around and say they don't have the right team, the right mix of talent.”[258]

D. Holding Senior Leadership Accountable

Some witnesses discussed the role of senior leadership in achieving cultural change. For example, Ms. St-Pierre stressed that “the goal of inculcating a culture of diversity is a long-term process that will require sustained efforts by all members of the CAF, beginning with the leadership.”[259] Lieutenant-General Wynnyk stated that “[t]here is complete buy-in, in the chain of command, that we need to do better and that we need to increase the proportion of not only women, but visible minorities as well across the Canadian Armed Forces.”[260] He elaborated that:

[t]here are exceptions, but on average, when you become a Brigadier-General or a Commodore, you're at the 27- to 31-year point. We've reached down very far to ensure that we're providing opportunities for all minority groups in the Canadian Forces, and I include women in there because they are in a minority percentage-wise. The chain of command is being held accountable to make sure we're examining every individual, to make sure we're not necessarily privileging them, because it is a meritocracy and it has to be a meritocracy, but that the same opportunities are afforded to everybody as they go forward.[261]

Concerning incentives for the CAF’s senior leadership to do more in reaching diversity targets and promoting cultural change, Lieutenant-General Lamarre suggested that responsibilities in this regard emanate from orders and that the CAF has “been given the mandate to [increase diversity], and it’s a mission that we take very, very seriously.”[262] That said, according to Dr. Scoppio, [w]e're not incentivizing individual people to go and do it, but we are indeed saying that you're going to benefit from what is out there.… The only level at which we formally incentivize is the recruiting level.… The recruiting group is actually assessed as to how they're going to meet the requirements we've identified through an annual military occupational review.”[263]

Dr. Scoppio suggested that there could be an opportunity to hold the CAF’s leadership accountable for diversity-related progress, including through their performance evaluations. According to her, “one of the things that would be a great incentive for males and females in uniform to promote diversity would be if it were right there as one of the things they need to do to move further in the organization.… Right now, there are no such criteria.”[264] Ms. St‑Pierre felt that the CAF’s senior leadership has a role to play in communicating that diversity is an organizational priority, and suggested the need for “a strong and rigid communication plan … so that everyone from the top to the bottom really understands why we're doing this and why this is so key and important to changing the culture of the organization of the military.”[265]

E. Collecting Data

Recognizing that statistics are needed for a comprehensive understanding of how designated groups are being treated in the CAF and of the extent to which progress is being made to bring about – and sustain – cultural change, some witnesses made comments about improved data collection. For instance, with a focus on identifying the reasons for self-selection out of the CAF, Ms. St.-Pierre suggested that, “in terms of setting targets for more women or more diverse groups, we need to understand who's coming [in], why they're dropping out and who's going up.”[266]

Similarly, Ms. Perron highlighted the “need to get better data at every level,”[267] and drew attention to the practices of the private sector in this regard. She noted that, in her earlier employment with General Motors and Bombardier, “[w]e measured our [designated group members] at every step of their career to make sure we were doing the right things. When women weren't promoted, we did an analysis. We did problem-solving and wondered why we were losing our women. Sometimes it was work-life balance; other times it was career progression.”[268] However, in her view, the CAF is not “measuring the level of success and progress of women.”[269] In identifying a similar problem concerning statistics pertaining to sexual misconduct, she stated:

Operation HONOUR is keeping very minimal data on the number of transgressions or complaints. We need to know by unit. For every single unit, at every level, we should be monitoring not only the complaints, but the career progression, the failure rates, the success rates, the recruiting, the pass and fail on courses, and why. Sometimes it's just equipment. Sometimes it's just the way the courses have been designed.[270]

A number of witnesses proposed exit interviews as a means of gathering relevant information. Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) Selkirk expressed his amazement that formal exit interviews are not part of the CAF’s standard operating procedures,[271] while Ms. Perron suggested that, when women leave the CAF, they should have exit interviews “to find out what their experiences are, and we should learn from them.”[272] Brigadier Nicholas Orr emphasized that understanding why people leave military service is important. He indicated that the British Armed Forces do conduct “some exit interviews” but that they are not mandatory.[273] Lieutenant-General Lamarre indicated that some exit interviews are being conducted for those who have a trade that is in high demand, and said that the CAF is considering whether to conduct such interviews each time someone leaves the CAF.[274]

Data collection can also help to identify where the CAF has been successful in its efforts to address sexual misconduct. Ms. Perron suggested that there is a need to “measure the good stuff too.”[275] In Dr. Preston’s view, there is a “need to do a better job of marketing the good-news stories and the progress we are making.”[276]

F. Creating Support Networks

Witnesses told the Committee that a supportive environment for all CAF members is conducive to increasing the representation of women, Indigenous peoples, visible minorities and members of the LGBTQ2 community. That said, some witnesses described experiences that suggest that the wellbeing of CAF members is being compromised because of inadequate support systems. Commodore Patterson underlined that, “in [an armed force] where you can be a minority in the group, losing that network can make you feel very isolated.”[277]

In sharing her experiences as a CAF member, Ms. Pope said that she “felt confused, not having an Indigenous woman mentor within the non-commissioned member rank. There was competition amongst all female ranks, and belittling behaviour. Very few meaningful relationships developed during my time in the Canadian Forces.”[278] Ms. Nash described a similar situation, and stated that she was unable to find any female mentors.[279] As Ms. Perron underscored:

Women aren't naturally suited for [the competition that exists amongst women in the CAF]. We do things differently. We're very suited to helping each other in different stages of our lives. Then we get into the military and become competitors and our own worst enemies, instead of being mentors to one another.[280]

The Committee was told that, to date, the CAF’s approaches to mentoring have been ad hoc. According to Lieutenant-General Lamarre, while informal mentoring occurs, “[t]he mentoring program isn’t yet formally in place.” That said, he noted that it “will be implemented as part of the ongoing review of the Canadian Armed Forces' [D]iversity [S]trategy.”[281]

Several witnesses agreed that a formal mentorship program could encourage women, as well as other CAF members with diverse backgrounds, to succeed.[282] Ms. Perron proposed that designated groups should have an option to choose their mentor, and the opportunity to become “the mentors we never had.”[283] In Ms. Pope’s view, this type of program would lend itself to a “long-term commitment to the [CAF].”[284] When asked about whether a sponsorship model could be applied to increase the number of women at more senior levels, Ms. Perron suggested that the units with fewer women should be “specifically targeted for career progression and sponsorship. In the [C]ombat [A]rms, anything above Major would be open for sponsorship, and in all the other trades, probably Lieutenant-Colonel and above.”[285]

Dr. Okros characterized the establishment of a culture that supports the wellbeing of all CAF members as an important task. In his opinion, “[a]chieving the United Nations' [WPS] agenda, the Prime Minister’s international assistance policy objectives, the goals under Strong, Secure, Engaged and related directives from NATO and the Chief of Defence Staff will require military members to deliver human security at the level of the individual, their family and their community.”[286]

Conclusion and Recommendations

The richness of diversity within Canadian society provides the CAF with a broad and talented pool from which to recruit. Not only does a diverse military workforce give the CAF a strategic advantage in theatres of operation, it is intrinsically beneficial for the CAF to comprise members that differ in terms of ethnocultural background, language abilities, race, sexual orientation, gender and age, among other identifying factors. Inclusive policies respect diversity as a source of strength. While the CAF has taken steps in the right direction to recognize its advantages, it has yet to harness the full potential of Canada’s diverse population.

In striving to reach the CAF’s diversity targets, greater attention must be paid to the recruitment and retention challenges that witnesses identified during the Committee’s study. Appealing to a broader demographic is essential if the CAF is to embody the same values it defends. Moreover, policy instruments and practices that reflect understanding of – and support for – family dynamics and cultural traditions could help in achieving positive results.

Above all, every individual who serves in the CAF deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. As a national institution charged with defending Canadians, the CAF must demonstrate an unwavering commitment to expelling all forms of harassment and discrimination from its ranks. In launching Operation HONOUR, the CAF recognized that sexual misconduct is a serious problem that demands the highest level of attention. However, as witnesses pointed out, the CAF has a long way to go in implementing all 10 of the recommendations contained in the Deschamps report.

Taken together, the overarching message from witnesses was one of cultural change. Their focus was not only the difficulties in achieving and measuring it, but – more so – the urgent requirement for it. The CAF has taken steps to promote inclusion and respect for diversity at home and abroad. In the words of Ms. Perron, who was Canada’s first female infantry officer, “[t]here is no doubt that the CAF has veered towards making military culture more inclusive, more welcoming and more valuing of diversity, but it's too slow. Veering is not enough. We need a hard right.”[287]

In light of what the Committee heard throughout its study, it recommends the following:

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada

• (a) encourage and support existing efforts by the Canadian Armed Forces to implement Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) across the organization, including the unit level, and to promote awareness and training among all current members, including new recruits, and newly-hired civilian staff; and
• (b) proceed expeditiously with the development of assessment and evaluation mechanisms to regularly monitor the impact of GBA+ analysis within and across the Canadian Armed Forces.

Recommendation 2

That the Government of Canada

• (a) ensure the efforts by the Canadian Armed Forces to designate gender, diversity and inclusion champions, at the unit level, across the organization, and to promote awareness of the focal points among all current members, including new recruits, and newly-hired civilian staff; and
• (b) encourage and support the development and implementation of recognizing individual initiative and leadership in the area of gender equality, diversity and inclusion within the Canadian Armed Forces.

Recommendation 3

That the Government of Canada provide greater flexibility in scheduling and career paths for all families in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Recommendation 4

That Government of Canada introduce mentors for new recruits in the Canadian Armed Forces to assist them in navigating the environment and understanding expectations while serving Canada.

Recommendation 5

That the Government of Canada establish a database of critical skills held by members of the Canadian Armed Forces, in particular reserve members, and that it includes but not be limited to such things as languages, and electronics and cyber expertise.

Recommendation 6

That the Government of Canada dedicate additional funding to allow the Canadian Armed Forces to send recruiters to First Nation, rural, and remote communities to support the Armed Forces goal of increasing the number of Canadian Armed Forces members in both the Regular and Reserve forces from Indigenous communities and to ensure equal opportunities for rural and remote communities.

Recommendation 7

That the Government of Canada instruct the Department of National Defence to release a detailed plan showing how the Canadian Armed Forces will achieve its goal of 25% women by the year 2026.

Recommendation 8

That the Government of Canada increase funding for Canadian Armed Forces recruitment to be allocated for services like mobile clinics which would allow those living in remote and rural communities to complete medical examinations closer to home as part of the recruitment process.

Recommendation 9

That the Canadian Armed Forces develop a larger role for community Elders in Chaplain services in order to help foster a greater sense of community for Indigenous recruits.

Recommendation 10

That the Government of Canada work closely with the Department officials and the Chain of Command to set firm target dates for the full implementation of the Deschamps Report recommendations which aim to change the culture of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Recommendation 11

That full consideration be given to the possibility of locating any new reserve units in rural, remote, and northern communities.

Recommendation 12

That the Government of Canada continue to support Operation HONOUR, including efforts to raise awareness of existing support services, while taking careful account of the perspectives and positions of stakeholders, including, female members and veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, mental health professionals, legal professionals, commanding officers, senior non-commissioned officers, academia, and community leaders, especially those of marginalized communities.

Recommendation 13

That the Government of Canada instruct Senior Leadership Team members of the Canadian Armed Forces to implement a program that will ensure the sponsorship of promising female Canadian Armed Forces leaders as they progress through the ranks. 

Recommendation 14

That the Government of Canada make unconscious bias training available to all members of the Canadian Armed Forces, and that this training be repeated as necessary pursuant to best practices established by knowledgeable experts.

Recommendation 15

That the Canadian Armed Forces explore options for holding senior leadership accountable for improving the representation of women and diverse groups.

Recommendation 16

That the Canadian Armed Forces create programs for men and women to learn about gender equity and diversity.

Recommendation 17

That the Canadian Armed Forces implement standard exit interview programs for individuals who leave the Forces; and that the exit interview includes questions concerning advancement, work environment, the reason for their departure, and ask how the Canadian Armed Forces can be more supportive and welcoming of diverse groups, so that the government acquires the data necessary for improving retention.

Recommendation 18

That the Canadian Armed Forces, with the assistance of relevant and knowledgeable organizations and academics, identify and maintain data on sexual assaults in all divisions, units and other parts of the military.

Recommendation 19

That the Government of Canada immediately implement all recommendations made in the Fall 2018, Report 5 of the Office of the Auditor General, Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour – Canadians Armed Forces, and that it table an update regarding measures implemented to address these recommendations at the earliest possible date.

Recommendation 20

That the Canadian Armed Forces conduct a review of the circumstances under which Canadians who do not meet the standards of universality of service are able to serve as members of the Canadian Armed Forces or as civilian employees of the Department of National Defence.

Recommendation 21

That the Government of Canada implement solutions for members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are parents in the areas of child care and occupation transfers to ensure compatibility of service with family life.

Recommendation 22

That the Government of Canada ensure the Canadian Armed Forces provides members with more flexibility in completing training and qualifications, such as through distance education when practical.

Recommendation 23

That the Government of Canada provide the Canadian Armed Forces reserve the unit autonomy necessary to carry out advertising and other activities related to recruiting.