# 2020-046 Careers, Promotion

Case summary

F&R Date: 2021-05-31

The grievor disagreed with the denial of her request to change her Distinctive Environmental Uniform (DEU) from Army to Air Force. She argued that she met the requirements for a DEU change and that a medical condition prevented her from completing the Army portion of the Primary Leadership Qualification (PLQ). 

The Initial Authority, the Director General Military Careers, rejected the grievance not only on the basis that it was submitted beyond the three-month time limit but also because  the reasons provided by the grievor were not sufficient justification for the late submission. 

The Committee noted that the denial was the result of an internal 2014 direction from the Director of Military Careers (D Mil C), which stated that DEU change requests would only be approved for members who had completed their full PLQ course requirements. Although the grievor had completed the three common modules of the PLQ course, she was not able to complete the Army specific portion of the course for medical reasons.  

The Committee found that the Canadian Forces General message 051/16 introduced the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Common PLQ which consisted of only three modules due to the amalgamation of the CAF PLQ and the PLQ Army into one common PLQ. From that point on, the related environmental specific training requirements were no longer part of the common PLQ training.

The Committee concluded that when the grievor made her DEU change request in 2018, the PLQ common comprised of just the three common modules. Since the grievor had already completed the three common modules in 2017, the Committee concluded that she had completed her PLQ requirement and that the D Mil C decision to deny her DEU change request was not justified. 

The Committee recommended that the Final Authority grant redress.