Scenario: Out of the Running

Group Size: 4-15

Scenario

“Major (Maj) Lafrance, have a seat,” says Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Aja Sachar, the section second in command (2IC). 

“Thanks, Sir. I’m never comfortable getting debriefed for performance appraisal reports (PAR),” replies Maj Emil Lafrance. Both are logistics officers serving in a regional materiel support depot. 

“Well, how are things going, Emil?” asks LCol Sachar. “Life is getting better,” Maj Lafrance replies. “As you know, my partner was military and was killed on duty two years ago. Although I’m still adjusting to life as a single parent, I’ve worked really hard this year despite my personal challenges. I really believe that my dedication and performance this year has paid off. I’m particularly proud that my team received the commander’s commendation for the new system implementation. We completed it before the deadline, with significant savings to the Crown.” 

“Yes, you should be proud of that. The commander mentioned it in their meeting,” LCol Sachar says. “So, read your PAR and then we’ll discuss it.” 

Maj Lafrance reads through their PAR, and notices that they didn’t score any higher than last year. Although the commentary is very positive, they realize the scoring will not merit high enough to put them in the running for promotion. Another year of hard work and dedication down the drain, they think.  

“Sir, I’m confused,” Maj Lafrance says. “I’ve never worked harder. I’ve taken courses. I’m a good leader. I’ve got an exceptional skill set. I stay fit. Yet, I still don’t seem to merit a PAR that will lead to a promotion. What more should I be doing?” Maj Lafrance asks. 

“Emil, it’s not your skill set,” says LCol Sachar. “You are one of the best logistics officers I’ve seen. Unfortunately, you’ve turned down two deployments in the past few years due to your family status. That tells us that you are not meeting your full commitment as a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) member.” 

“And, obviously, not promotable,” replies Maj Lafrance. “Doesn’t the military have a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination of any kind? Am I not being discriminated against because I am a single parent and have three young kids under 6 years old to look after? I can make family arrangements for temporary absences, but I can’t leave them for six months or more. Besides, I did deploy as a junior officer.”

Categories

• Principles: Respect the Dignity of all Persons, Obey and Support Lawful Authority
• Values: Stewardship
• Cultural themes: Service, Leadership
• Misconduct types: Discrimination
• GBA Plus themes: Family Status, Marital Status
• Audience: Canadian Armed Forces

Facilitator’s Guide

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the ethical principles of Serve Canada before self and Obey and support lawful authority in this scenario. 
• Discuss discrimination and bias in relation to this scenario. 

Facilitation Questions

1. What is the problem in this scenario?  
   • Open group discussion.
   • The problem in this scenario is related to potential discrimination against a member of the CAF due to his family status. 
2. What considerations are at play with respect to Defence Ethics and the CAF ethos? 
   • Open group discussion.
   • Serve Canada before self – Maj LaFrance suffered a significant personal tragedy (loss of their partner) and is a single parent with young children. This is surely a challenging situation with significant personal responsibility associated with it. Ethical treatment would involve acknowledging the importance of their role as a single parent and ensuring that military policies and decisions will not place undue burdens on them. 
   • Obey and support lawful authority - Maj LaFrance’s refusal or inability to deploy can be seen as a violation of their duty in the CAF.  On the other hand, in this scenario it appears that LCol Sachar’s interpretation of deployment policies and promotion criteria can be viewed as discriminatory as it fails to account for personal circumstances such as family status. 
   • Stewardship – Explore this value with relation to effectively use human resources, potential for development and promotion even with some temporary accommodation on any individual could have.
   • Consider the fact that the CAF has zero tolerance for discrimination.  
3. To what extent should family considerations be prioritized over operational effectiveness/deployments?   
   • Open group discussion. 
   • Discussion point: Discuss the military’s primary mission and balancing that mission with family life and personal priorities.    
   • This scenario is a difficult one.  While this member’s family situation makes deployments difficult, the member needs to recognize CAF members’ universality of service requirements, which include being deployable (DAOD 5023-1, 2.4). Although all members with children must have a family care plan (ref: DAOD 5044-1, 5) in place, it could still be difficult for a single parent to deploy for a full tour. Any such anticipated difficulties should be discussed with the chain of command.
   • Although operational tours often result in additional points on merit boards towards promotions, it should not affect the PAR evaluations assessing the member’s achievements during the past year or the leadership skills they have exhibited.
4. What course of action could Maj Lafrance take?  
   • Option 1: Engage the chain of command. They could request a meeting with their superiors and seek guidance and potential solutions. This would provide an opportunity to explain their family responsibilities and the challenges they face, as well as seek their understanding and discuss potential accommodations. 
   • Option 2: Engage in dispute resolution. Mediation or dispute resolution processes within the military may be an option to find a compromise or solution. 
   • Option 3: Explore options with relation to family care (e.g., with family members, relative, close friends). Maybe this can’t be achieved for many reasons undue to the member.