Minister’s message - DRR 2016-17

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, PC, OMM, MSM, CD, MP Minister of National Defence

I am pleased to present the Departmental Results Report for 2016-17, which highlights the Defence Team’s achievements over the past fiscal year. It was a year in which the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) did the necessary work to develop a new defence policy, while also delivering tangible results across a broad range of initiatives and missions.

Clear guidance on defence priorities is crucial to meeting current and future security challenges. That is why the Department and the CAF carried out open and comprehensive consultations throughout 2016 to create a new defence policy. Canadians submitted more than 20,000 entries online and participated in town halls hosted by Members of Parliament. Experts and stakeholders shared their perspectives in roundtables across the country. House of Commons and Senate committees contributed by issuing insightful reports. We consulted our allies throughout the process, many of whom had recently completed their own reviews.

The consultations informed an analysis of the Canadian, North American, and global environment. They guided us as we examined what the government will need to ask of the CAF in the years to come. We were then able to determine the equipment and skills our military will need to carry out future missions effectively. The result is Strong, Secure, Engaged, or SSE, released in June 2017, which will enable the CAF to anticipate, adapt, and act to protect Canada, Canadians, and Canadian interests at home and abroad.

As we developed the policy, we also took immediate action so that our military members have the right tools to carry out their duties. That included investments in 2016-17 to maintain and upgrade National Defence equipment and infrastructure. The National Shipbuilding Strategy made real progress, with work beginning on the second Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships. We announced the contract award to replace the legacy Fixed Wing Search and Rescue aircraft. We took steps to explore the purchase of interim fighter jets until a permanent CF-18 replacement is in place, and we procured new equipment ranging from armoured vehicles to rifles. Innovation also played an important role in finding solutions to public safety and security challenges. For example, in 2016-17 National Defence scientists developed countermeasures for remotely piloted systems that can threaten our critical infrastructure and communities.

Our people are our most important asset. To support the essential work of our military members as we continue to invest in their well-being, we implemented an enhanced Diversity Strategy and Action Plan to strengthen an inclusive and respectful culture. As a part of Operation HONOUR – the strategy for dealing with harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour – the CAF extended training and education activities, created specially trained Sexual Offence Response Teams to investigate complaints within the CAF, and CAF leaders took administrative or disciplinary action against those who were found to have committed inappropriate acts.

Creating a healthier working environment also includes civilian employees who play an essential role in delivering the Defence mission. Our commitment to diversity takes into account the need for a safe and supportive workplace. In 2016-17, that included the launch of the Total Health Strategy which focuses on personal health, the physical work environment, and the psychosocial work environment.

We also built on efforts to improve services and support for our veterans. For example, the Veteran Family Program pilot initiative extended the Military Family Services Program to medically-released veterans and their families for a period of two years from the date of release. This pilot initiative put in place at seven Military Family Resource Centres saw interface with over 14,000 medically-released veterans and their families by March 2017. In addition, we continued to work with Veterans Affairs Canada to create a suicide prevention strategy.

In operations, the past year saw our personnel making positive contributions in Canada and in all corners of the globe. At home, that included search and rescue and humanitarian assistance. Using aeronautical, maritime and ground capabilities, the CAF worked with other government partners to respond to over 10,000 search and rescue incidents.

Our military also responded when fires and storms required capabilities no one else could provide. The devastating Fort McMurray wildfires in spring 2016 needed a rapid response. Through Operation LENTUS, the CAF answered Alberta’s call for help in firefighting, evacuating residents, shipping supplies, and surveillance and reconnaissance of affected areas. In January 2017, the CAF helped northeastern New Brunswickers rebuild after a destructive ice storm. CAF members delivered emergency supplies, helped re-establish road networks, and performed door-to-door checks to ensure residents were safe.

Defending Canada’s sovereignty involves our Arctic region, where we expanded Operation LIMPID to enhance surveillance of our territory and approaches. Our partnership with the United States in the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which is vital to continental defence, includes exploring options for modernizing the North Warning System.

Around the world, Canadian personnel provided training, advice and assistance. This helped build the capacity of our partners and the security of allies, while promoting Canadian values and interests. The CAF contributed to international security through a range of missions, including in Iraq in the fight against Daesh, in Poland by supporting NATO’s assurance and deterrence measures, and in Ukraine through military training to help the country remain sovereign, secure, and stable.

In July 2016, Canada took a leadership role in Europe with the announcement that we would lead a robust multinational battlegroup in Latvia, becoming one of four Framework nations, as part of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence. In the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force worked with partner nations to fight illicit drug trafficking, and to deter criminal activity.

In 2016-17, Canada also committed personnel to supporting global peace and stability. We were in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula with the Multinational Force and Observers. We contributed to the United Nations’ peace support and stabilization actions in Haiti. Our pledge to commit up to 600 military members to peace operations is subject to ongoing analysis about how to best employ them, with Canada hosting the next United Nations Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial in November 2017 in Vancouver. Supporting peace overseas leads to a safer world – and to a safer Canada.

It was a privilege to have worked with Canadians, parliamentarians, and defence stakeholders to shape our new defence policy: Strong, Secure, Engaged, to articulate a new vision for the Defence team for the coming years.

Original signed by:

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, PC, OMM, MSM, CD, MP

Minister of National Defence

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