Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman Gregory Lick criticizes the military’s treatment of Reservists and Canadian Rangers who are ill or injured, saying it is failing to address long-standing shortcomings to part-time Canadian soldiers.
These shortcomings were first identified by the Ombudsman’s office during four separate investigations conducted between 2015 and 2017; the army then promised to act by implementing nine follow-up recommendations.
But in a new report released Monday evening, the ombudsman’s office found that none of the nine recommendations had been fully implemented in the past five years.
“Certainly I’m disappointed that they weren’t able to act or make progress on all the recommendations,” Gregory Lick said in an interview. “There are nine recommendations out of the four reports, and none have been fully implemented. »
The ombudsman’s report comes as the military grapples with a personnel crisis, with around 10,000 vacancies, representing roughly one in 10 positions. The shortage is particularly acute in the middle ranks.
The situation has become so dire that Chief of the Defense Staff General Wayne Eyre issued an order earlier in October making recruitment and retention of personnel the Army’s top priority.
Addressing issues identified by his office would help those efforts, Ombudsman Lick said, particularly in retaining experienced reservists and Rangers who might otherwise hang up their uniforms due to untreated illnesses and injuries.
“If they want to make a move and make the big moves — which they need — on Force Replenishment, the reserve force being a big part of that, they have to get the basics right. Making progress on our recommendations will provide a stronger and better basis for moving forward with the replenishment,” he said.
Previous ombudsman studies have identified gaps in the reporting, treatment and compensation of illnesses and injuries suffered by reservists and rangers, who primarily operate in the North on a part-time basis, due to their military duties .
Shortcomings include a lack of follow-up after reservists deploy for military duties, excessive bureaucracy in requesting help and compensation, and problems with the military not communicating about available help.
The update comes as many reservists are being asked to step up their missions both in Canada and abroad. This includes the recent deployment of approximately 700 part-time military personnel to Atlantic Canada following post-tropical storm Fiona.
Last week, senior commanders spoke to members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defense on the impact of the current shortage of full-time and part-time members of the Canadian Armed Forces on the of the Army.
“We are making tough choices about what we can do for operations,” said Lieutenant-General, Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Eric Kenny.