In October 2014, Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was deliberately hit by a car outside a support centre for ill and injured military members and veterans in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, and Corporal Nathan Cirillo was shot from behind while standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. These two murders, perpetrated by radicalized individuals, reinforced the vulnerability of Canada and of Canadian women and men in uniform to terrorist attacks.

In reaction to those incidents, and further alarmed by the March 2016 knife-attack against two other members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) at a recruitment facility in Toronto, members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence (the Committee) unanimously adopted a motion to study the protection of CAF personnel at military facilities.

On 24 November 2016, the Committee held an in-camera hearing with Major-General William F. Seymour, Chief of Staff (Operations) at the Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC) and Brigadier-General Robert Delaney, CAF Provost Marshal and Commander of the Canadian Forces Military Police Group. At the meeting, the following topics were discussed:

• the complex and dynamic threat environment;
• the roles and responsibilities of CAF individuals, units and commanders with respect to force protection;
• risk mitigation and force protection measures;
• CAF cooperation with other government departments and police forces; and,
• internal CAF studies on force protection and the key lessons learned.

Though the study initially focussed on the domestic front, the discussion evolved to include threat perspectives and force protection measures abroad.

In light of the information it received, the Committee recommends:

That the Government of Canada continue to strengthen its plans and processes to ensure the protection of CAF personnel at all CAF installations.

In turn, Committee members intend to stay apprised of this critical issue and to continue its dialogue with the Government of Canada on how best to ensure the security and safety of CAF personnel, infrastructure, and assets both at home and abroad.