Defence Team

Description

Recruit, develop and support an agile and diverse Defence Team within a healthy workplace free from harmful behaviour; support military families; and meet the needs of all retiring military personnel, including the ill and injured. Strengthen Canadian communities by investing in youth.

Results

People have remained at the core of everything the Defence Team does to ensure that Canada remains strong at home, secure in North America and engaged in the world. The department’s mission success continued to depend on having enough healthy, resilient, well-trained and motivated Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel supported by talented and dedicated defence public servants working within the Department of National Defence (DND). This integrated civilian-military Defence Team is the heart of the institution.

Notwithstanding challenges in recruiting and retention, National Defence continued to find ways to build a Defence Team that supports wide-ranging perspectives, cultural and linguistic diversity, gender balance, age, and other distinctive attributes of our Canadian society. A Defence Team with these characteristics will be more effective and continue to attract and retain the people needed to ensure that DND/CAF are successful into the future. Investing in its people and empowering employees to learn, work and communicate in both official languages remains an important commitment that it can make and our focus on our people must be unwavering throughout their entire careers within the Defence Team. This includes implementing an in-house second language training and testing strategy for public servants to help build linguistic capacity internally within the department.

In support of ensuring the Defence Team is one where its members feel safe, supported and accepted, programs and services were added to the Director General Conflict Solutions and Services (DGCSS), and these can be found in section DR 3.2 of this report.

In FY 2022-23, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (VCDS) Outside of Canada (OUTCAN) Program completed the digitization of screening process, which will continue in FY 2023-24 with claims, medical travel, rents, and bank transfers.

To strengthen the CAF Professional Development System, the department published The CAF Ethos: Trusted to Serve which is DND and CAF’s renewed commitment to professionalism, and is a roadmap for the necessary growth and change required to improve our culture and rebuild trust.

In FY 2022-23, DND/CAF:

• Continued to develop and advance focused and Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus)-informed recruitment initiatives (campaigns, events, and priority processing) for women, as well as special measures to ensure that all qualified women applicants are selected and additional occupation positions for women are established if needed. More results can be found in section DR 3.3 of this report;
• Continued to operationalize the Total Health and Wellness Strategy and supported a healthier workplace by continuing to monitor the development and implementation of supporting initiatives and efforts;
• Continued to prioritize support for ill and injured members and their families working to reintegrate into their military duties or transition to civilian life and results can be found in section DR 3.2 of this report;
• Continued the on-schedule rollout of the new Military-to-Civilian service model at CAF Transition Centres across Canada to better support CAF members’ transition to post-military life under Operation TRANSITION;
• Continued to work with Veterans Affairs Canada (via the Seamless Transition Task Force), to support Veterans’ career mobility in alignment with the Veteran’s Employment Strategy. A key driver of this effort within DND/CAF was the new Military Transition Engagements and Partnerships (MTEP) enabling capability layered into the existing service delivery functions of the CAF Transition Group, which led the development of a web-based National Resource Directory to assist transitioning CAF members and veterans in finding career, education and training opportunities with civilian employers and institutions;
• Supported victims through the DND/CAF Victim Liaison Officer Program launched on 22 June 2022, that can assist victims by explaining how service offences are charged, dealt with and tried under the code of service discipline;
• Continued the development and implementation of an improved CAF promotion selection processes which is critical to ensuring the best leaders are selected for our members – people who will truly embody CAF values and are driven and motivated to effect positive change throughout the organization. All officers promoted into and within the General Officer/Flag Officer (GOFO) cadre now undergo a comprehensive 360-degree evaluation as well as an interview by a third-party expert who is external to DND/CAF;
• Transitioned to the Performance and Competency Evaluation system, initially for Regular Force personnel, in order to modernize performance appraisal using a scientifically founded, competency-based and digital system; and
• Announced the implementation of the new Canadian Forces Housing Differential to replace the Post Living Differential. This benefit was designed to offset the high housing cost in particularly expensive communities and is tied to salary to help those who need it most.

In FY 2022‑23, the DND/CAF remained committed to supporting and expanding the reach of the Cadet and Junior Canadian Rangers programs so that more Canadian youth can benefit from these positive development opportunities.

The CAF continued to refresh and optimize the Cadet Program and the cadet experience for today’s youth across Canada by leveraging the lessons learned and best practices from operating this program during the COVID-19 pandemic. This provided the opportunity to reinforce the fundamental program aims of developing in youth the attributes of good citizenship and leadership, promoting physical fitness, and stimulating the interest of youth in the sea, land and air activities of the CAF. Notable achievement for FY 2022-23 for the youth programs are:

• The establishment of the National Cadet Advisory Council which investigated topics and concepts to offer a cadet perspective on the Cadet Program's Re-scope; and
• Adjustments were made to the delivery of the Cadet Training Centre curriculum, where training is now offered both in a traditional in-house setting as well as online through a Summer Digital Learning Centre.

Operation DISTINCTION is the CAF’s support to Government of Canada-led military commemorative events. In FY 2022-23, Operation DISTINCTION successfully concluded with commemorative activities to mark the 80th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid from 16 to 19 August 2022 in Canada and in Dieppe, France, where the Chief of the Defence Staff and company of the His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Kingston were in attendance. The National Sentry Program, concluded successfully on 10 November 2022 and was extended to 2027. In addition to the regular sentry program, the Canadian Rangers (CR) were employed in all seven rotations in recognition of the CR 75th Anniversary celebrations. In 2023, domestic events are planned for the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice and the CAF support to the Swissair flight 111 crash (Halifax).

For more information on the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces’ planned results, see the “Results: What we achieved” section of this report.

Gender-Based Analysis Plus

The Defence Team continued to expand the network of full-time Gender Advisors and part-time Gender Focal Points to pursue the institutionalization of Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) and increase capacity and accountability for the development and implementation of policies, directives, and programs to better support members and employees on promoting a healthy work environment free of harmful behaviour. Key highlights from FY 2022-23, include:

GBA Plus continues to be applied to policies and programs for Defence Team personnel to support equity and inclusivity. In FY, 2022-23 DND/CAF launched a GBA Plus Enterprise Approach to achieve the institutionalization of GBA Plus across the Defence Team. The eventual and ideal steady state of this approach is that Defence Team initiatives and outcomes are optimized by the full integration of intersectional factors in evidence-based decision-making. The GBA Plus Enterprise Approach has five lines of effort and associated strategic objectives. The lines of effort are based on best practices for the institutionalization of intersectional analysis, they are: resourcing; capacity building; enabling leaders; governance and accountability; and monitoring and evaluation. This strategy clearly articulates GBA Plus as a shared, command responsibility which requires a decentralized capacity building approach to ensure intersectional analysis goes beyond the National Capital Region and is conducted throughout daily decision-making down to the smallest units and teams.

Throughout FY 2022-23, Chief of Military Personnel has taken several initiatives to build GBA Plus capacity and accountability:

• GBA Plus professional development sessions for Gender Focal Points have been developed and led by Gender Advisors, and GBA Plus documentation is now a requirement for policy endorsement at governance meetings; and
• Other initiatives include hiring a contractor to conduct a GBA Plus on the Canadian Military Colleges’ Physical Performance Test, the development of data collection plans to improve service capabilities for programs related to Women and Diversity Health and applying GBA Plus to review proposed Canadian Armed Forces badges.

Additional information on GBA Plus pertaining to its governance structures, human resources and planned initiatives can be found in the “GBA Plus Supplementary Information Table” in the Supplementary Information Tables section of this report.

Key Risks

There are many risks associated with the Defence Team Core Responsibility. One of the Key Risks is articulated below.

Defence Team Conduct - There is a risk that failure to address misconduct, adopt an inclusive culture and provide a psychologically safe environment for current and future team members, will negatively impact operational readiness and effectiveness as well as public trust in the institution.

The above risk can affect the department’s ability to achieve the Departmental Results of the Defence Team Core Responsibility.

Because the Defence Departmental Results Framework reflects a chain of delivery from conceiving of the required armed forces, to developing them and then executing operations, the activities to mitigate the risks to the Defence Team Core Responsibility can also be found in other core responsibilities that deliver building blocks that enable the results of the Defence Team.

Many of the preventative and mitigating controls for this risk are articulated as activities of each Departmental Result below.

Departmental Result 3.1 – Canadian Armed Forces is growing toward its end state of 101,500 personnel

DND/CAF continued the implementation of a plan to modernize military personnel generation. One key initiative introduced at the end of the FY 2022-23 was the eight-week Basic Military Qualification pilot course. Successful pilot serials were conducted from January to March 2023. The first objective of this course-length reduction was to have newly qualified individuals assigned to their subsequent occupational training more rapidly. A second objective was to align training with the Non-Commissioned Member General Specification while ensuring the introduction of CAF ethics and values as laid out in Trusted to Serve at the most influential stage of a member’s career.

Other key activities to meet recruiting objectives in FY 2022-23 included:

• Opened CAF enrolment to permanent residents of Canada;
• Continued collaboration with key internal stakeholders to reduce the time to enroll in the CAF, such as the establishment of quarterly priorities of files that require medical review and the issuance of family doctor letters; efficiencies in security clearance processing were explored, along with information sharing opportunities with Other Government Departments;
• Progressed the implementation of digitized portions of the recruiting process in the Canadian Forces Recruiting Information Management System which resulted in the simplification of the application process and improved customer service in key areas;
• Continued and enhanced virtual recruitment through Forces.ca as the primary means to inform prospects on a wider scale on the employment opportunities within the CAF. DND and CAF maintained five advertisement campaigns (Awareness, Talk to a recruiter, Priority/Threshold occupations, Indigenous peoples, and Women in the CAF) to promote career opportunities and key recruitment priorities. Social media was used to generate positive results in terms of applicant participation and attendance. A decrease in participation in virtual recruiting events over the FY was noted as face to face events became the more preferred means of communication with prospects;
• Continued development of performance metrics attributable to recruiting campaigns. A logic model was created to identify subjective measures related to awareness (attendance, interactions, registrations) and objective outcomes (measurable impacts on business) with work on definitions progressing;
• Continued the prioritization of the processing and selection of women, Indigenous Peoples and visible minorities. Various advertising campaigns were developed, including campaigns directed at women and Indigenous peoples. Self-identified Visible minority applicants represented 19.78 percent of total CAF enrollees. The recruitment and processing of applicants for Indigenous Summer Programs, the CAF Indigenous Entry Program and the Indigenous Leadership Opportunity Year were supported and self-identified Indigenous applicants represented 4.06 percent of total CAF enrollees. Outreach processing was conducted for communities not within the geographical boundaries of a recruiting center;
• Began the consultation process with the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Métis National Council on CAF Indigenous Entry Programs and the CAF Identity project. With respect to Indigenous Entry Programs, the statistics of the past FY show a positive effect. As a result of consultations with stakeholders in the community and in compliance with Government of Canada policy and United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Aboriginal Leadership Opportunity Year (ILOY) underwent a name change to the Indigenous Leadership Opportunity Year;
• COVID-19 imposed restrictions in CAF individual training were steadily reduced – though not eliminated – and as a result, production output greatly increased. By the end of FY 2022-23, basic training had fully resumed at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School with the school running twenty-four simultaneous lines of training. Recruiting difficulties continued to impact the CAF’s ability to maximize the number of candidates participating in each line of training thus courses were currently running at reduced platoon size. Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School throughput totaled 3 331 personnel (2 807 graduated, with 544 on training) in FY 2022-23. Staffing at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School reached 95 percent by the end of FY 2022-23, which greatly facilitated increased production;
• Completed the initial trial of the Leadership Support Team at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit school and implemented the lessons learned. Developed the program further, by building off the lessons learned. The updates to the program design were incorporated in the Fall of 2022. Subsequent trials began in February 2023 and continued through Summer 2023 when their impact will be assessed. Enhancements include:
  • Added military personnel to compliment the civilian coaches/change management experts;
  • Updated the design and processes; and
  • Expanded services offered to supported units.
• Released the CAF Retention Strategy and launched the Retention Program Office in September 2022. The initial framework and structure were completed and began development of targeted retention activities across the CAF with an initial focus on four critical occupations; and
• Launched the CAF Reconstitution Plan that will assist with the stabilization and the recovery of the CAF personnel strength.

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) introduced the Naval Experience Program as a new recruitment opportunity. Inspired by the Royal Australian Navy Gap Year Program, this new initiative by the RCN was designed to give Canadians and Permanent Residents an opportunity to enroll in the RCN Regular Force, complete the Basic Military Qualification and Naval Environmental Training Program, and then receive a realistic job preview of RCN occupations through employment in both ship and shore opportunities. Successful applicants experience this in one year, and then can continue to serve in the CAF or return to civilian life. Creation of the internal processes to support enrolment into this new one-year opportunity program began in October 2022 for enrolment beginning 1 April 2023. News releases and an advertising campaign developed for this program were launched in late March 2023.

During FY 2022-23, the Canadian Army (CA) worked to further streamline the Army recruiting processes while supporting outside stakeholders responsible for medical and security clearances to shorten intake timelines. The CA in-person attractions activities have returned to all armouries and Army reserve members are supporting Canadian Forces Recruiting Group led national recruiting events. The Reserve Army Managed Occupational Review process is being revamped to bring the process in line with current demographics, strength and training capacities.

Results achieved

The following table shows, for the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for FY 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available

Departmental results	Performance indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2020–21 Actual results	2021–22 Actual results	2022-23 Actual results
3.1 Canadian Armed Forces is growing toward its end state of 101,500 personnelFootnote *	Force Establishment that is filled	95 – 100%	31 March 2026	93%	91.6%	88.70%Footnote **
	% of Reserve Force positions that are filled	At least 95%	31 March 2026	79.78%	76%	75.18%Footnote **
	% of occupations with critical shortfalls	5% or less	31 March 2023	50.5%	61.7%	70.00%Footnote ***

Departmental Result 3.2 – The health and well-being of the Defence team is well supported

To effectively deliver on the Defence mandate, Defence continued to ensure the needs of our military members, their families, and Defence public servants are met.

In support of ensuring the Defence Team is one where its members feel safe, supported and accepted, programs and services were added to the Director General Conflict Solutions and Services (DGCSS), such as Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention (WHVP), Defence Team Coaching, Leadership Support Teams and Restorative Services. A team was also stood up to conduct a fulsome review of the CAF grievance system. DGCSS now has the capabilities to educate CAF personnel to prevent misconduct, and when misconduct occur despite the training, DGCSS can address the issues and provide feedback to the Chain of Command to improve problematic policies. To ensure the Defence Team is one where its members feel safe, supported and accepted, DND fully integrated the overall responsibility for management and transformation of the CAF Grievance System and is well placed to support the implementation of Recommendation 10 of the Independent External Comprehensive Review of DND/CAF, as well as Recommendation 3 of the Independent Review of the National Defence Act.

DND also identified and implemented Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention (WHVP) mandatory training for employees, the employer, and the designated recipient. The mandatory training on the prevention of harassment and violence in the workplace is available through Canada School of Public Service for all Defence Team members (Public Service Employees and CAF). The intent of the training is to create awareness around the Regulations and the role and responsibilities of Defence Team members. As per the WHVP Regulations, DND members will need to complete the mandatory training every three years.

Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) continued to advance the requirements of Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE): Canada's Defence Policy Chapter 1 (Well-Supported, Diverse, Resilient People and Families) by continuing to implement its Optimizing Performance Force and Family Program (OPF2). OPF2 is a pan-Command system spanning four integrated domains (Spiritual, Physical, Mental Health, and Family) that contributes to operational effectiveness by enhancing member and family wellness and resilience. OPF2 completed year one of data collection on its Performance Measurement Framework. This process included the assessment of prioritized key performance indicators that are being used to improve the delivery of health and wellness services and programming to CANSOFCOM members and their families. More specifically, an action plan was developed to address key areas of concern in relation to mental health issues, family functioning, turnover intentions, spiritual resilience, physical injury, sleep, and nutrition.

In FY 2022-23, DND/CAF:

• Continued to modernize the Universality of Service principle to respond to CAF roles and operations. Priorities focused on updating a set of clearly defined and measurable minimum occupational standards and requirements. In FY 2022-23, the Table of Statements, which comprise the Universality of Service statements, the minimum standards, and the mechanism to assess them was approved, setting the stage for policy writing;
• Continued work on the modernization of the CAF employment model (including Flexible Work arrangements) titled the Adaptive Career Path to enable DND/CAF to amend and align policy, regulatory, and legislative instruments that govern the current employment framework, focusing on management of work-life balance, while ensuring operational effectiveness. An instruction was published to enable remote work options for Regular Force members;
• Continued work in the promotion of Total Health and Wellness including work on a Communication Awareness Plan, and leadership toolkit as part of the ongoing commitment to expand wellness beyond the traditional health care model to include promotion, prevention, treatment, and support, to provide a greater range of health and wellness services and programs, under the Total Health and Wellness Strategy;
• Enhanced the well-being and support services traditionally delivered under the now 40-year-old Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which has been a people management priority at DND. It has remained a critical resource to our organization, as it acts to support employee health, well-being, and productivity by offering services across a variety of domains, such as its external services in crisis and short-term counselling, specialized mental health, trauma management, and the provision of digital tools and supports. It also includes an internal peer advisory function, which ensures that staff have access to colleagues able to listen, support and identify resources, as needed. Key departmental highlights from FY 2022-23 include:
  • Began the process of identifying a new EAP service provider for external services;
  • Initiated a successful recruitment campaign, to increase the DND's Peer Advisor contingent. Peer Advisors are DND employees trained to support colleagues in the workplace; and
  • A new three-year Peer Advisor Training Roadmap was developed to ensure that Peer Advisors are equipped to support employees and their ongoing needs.
• The department promoted mental health, physical health, and well-being resources, activities, and training opportunities to the Defence Team. Key results for FY 2022-23 include:
  • Supported the implementation of The Defence Team Total Health and Wellness Strategy;
  • Hosted more than 25 webinars focused on mental health and well-being-related topics delivered at regular intervals throughout the year to support and inform its public service staff; and
  • Planned and carried out commemorative events promoting mental health and well-being such as Bell Let’s Talk, the departmental Mental Health Week and Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month.
• The Office of Disability Management (ODM) supports public service employees and their managers in navigating disability-related matters due to illness, impairment, and injury. The ODM reduces barriers to services regardless of the nature of the disability, managing both physical and psychological cases on equal ground. Over FY 2022-23, the ODM:
  • Developed ten regional guidance documents and updated the internal webpage to provide employees with greater clarity on the Injury on Duty process;
  • Supported 1, 739^{Footnote *} employees with disability related questions and needs; and
  • Worked to improve management and reporting over the past year through the launch of the National Disability Management Consultation Committee, which addresses an identified gap in national reporting and case management issues between unions and senior leadership, and ODM’s collaboration with high-risk employers’ groups across the country to streamline and improve reporting and their internal processes.

Executed the Canadian Forces Health Services (CFHS) ongoing mission to provide high-quality health care to the CAF population. The department:

• Progressed initiatives to improve overall health and wellness for CAF members;
• Provided comprehensive domestic and deployed health care and health advice, including better understanding of force production and force generation requirements for medical teams to enable domestic and expeditionary operations; and
• Engaged with allies such as NATO, improved healthcare and clinical interoperability by updating policy and doctrine.

The following initiatives supported military operations and increased the efficiency and effectiveness of CFHS (underpinned by value-based health care principles):

• Completed the Nursing Officer modernization initiative to optimize employment of Health Services nurses. This initiative included the establishment of the Nurse Practitioner occupational stream and initiated review of the medical technician trade to optimize the employment model within CAF;
• Invested significantly in the Defence Team Coaching program, having recognized the benefits of developmental coaching for senior healthcare leaders. This opportunity, aimed at enabling leaders to enhance self-awareness and emotional intelligence capability, identify innovative possibilities for change, and to build sustainable capabilities to emergent transformation challenges was very well received by participants. This investment in future leaders is expected to pay dividends throughout the next several years as those involved take on increasing responsibility within the CAF healthcare system;
• Continued to shape the organizational structure required to improve efficiency and effectiveness for CFHS operations both domestically and abroad. The functional organizational structure re-alignment which was trialed and validated over the past two years, was approved in December 2022 and will strengthen the ability to provide quality healthcare to serving CAF personnel;
• Advanced the development of a renewed performance measurement framework based on research, and known best practices for managing, measuring, and analyzing performance;
• Completed a multi-year Summative Evaluation of the CFHS Response to the COVID-19 Emergency using a GBA Plus lens;
• Conducted a robust national strategy to capture institutional Lessons Learned throughout all phases of Operation LASER;
• Developed (with representation from key stakeholders) a draft Terms of Reference for the Person-Partnered Care Advisory Committee as it is a key element to improving culture within the CAF healthcare system. In addition, Patient and Family Advisory Councils were stood up at various base/wing CFHS Centres to enhance engagement for patients, their families, and the chain of command, while respecting and protecting the patient’s privacy rights, needs, and wishes;
• Launched a women’s health and integrated health care for diversity capability to enhance and supplement existing CAF health care, fitness, and prevention efforts to better meet the needs of CAF women and diverse members. In addition, the department;
  • Initiated staffing of strategic level program and policy team as well as augmenting CAF health clinics with clinical and administrative staff to support women and diverse members;
  • Commenced review of best practices related to women’s health care to enhance CAF member access to care and services; and
  • Introduced research and partner engagement activities dedicated to women and diverse member general health, well-being, and performance in the context of military occupations and demands.
• Continued to solidify the Health Services integrated governance framework including the refinement of key Health Services governance bodies, each with formalized decision tracking to positive effect as they reviewed submissions/items related to the management of the CAF military health system.

In FY 2022-23, the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group:

• Continued to prioritize timely support for ill and injured members and their families working to reintegrate into their military duties or transition to civilian life. All CAF Transition Centres were staffed with dedicated Casualty Support Services representatives, where members could receive support for their specific needs during an illness or injury in collaboration with their home unit and their authorized health care provider;
• Continued to work internally and with its counterparts at Veterans Affairs Canada to enable a seamless transition for all CAF members. In FY 2022-23, DND/CAF increased digitization of transition services to enhanced the members’ experience and facilitated improved digital integration between CAF and Veterans Affairs Canada. Work was conducted to improve alignment and collaboration along common priority areas such as member and veteran health support; education and career support; and research and analytics;
• Completed phases one and two of the new national Military-to-Civilian rollout plan. The new Military-to-Civilian service model includes access to personalized, standardized, professional support from a Transition Advisor, as well as new training materials to help members prepare for transition, and assistance with referrals to other key services according to the member’s specific needs;
• Continued to build-up its data collection, performance measurement and evaluation capabilities in support of evidence-based decision making. In the past year, advancements were made in data collection and reporting on transition services delivered under the Military-to-Civilian model, as well as transition training, Return to Duty programs, and evidence mobilization from research; and
• Significantly increased engagement with external stakeholders via the Military Transition Engagements and Partnerships enabling capability layered into the existing service delivery functions of the CAF Transition Group that support improved outcomes for transitioning members and veterans across the seven Domains of Well-being, including employers, educational institutions, research organizations and non-profits. Additionally, in FY 2022‑23, a public-facing, web-based National Resource Directory was developed and launched to help facilitate connections between transitioning members and veteran-friendly external contacts.

Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services continued to design, deliver, and evaluate essential support services to CAF members and their families. In FY 2022-23, they:

• Continued to deliver a broad variety of in-person and virtual services addressing members’ mental, social, physical, and financial wellness. Through the Military Family Services arm, military families have had access to 32 Military Family Resource Centres across Canada, and outside Canada. In addition, military families have had access to a Virtual 32 Military Family Resource Centres that provide psychosocial, counselling, educational, and employment support programs, telemedicine, respite care, language training, and access to emergency grants. Specific examples of new initiatives include:
  • The establishment of the National CAF Fitness Channel; and
  • Standing up of a Women’s Physical Wellness and Fitness program, which initiated the development of a Canadian Armed Forces pre-natal and post-partum fitness program as a priority activity for 2023.
• Continued to enhance evidence-based decision making by improving data maturity and performance measurement. For example, ethics board and leadership endorsement has been secured to expand data and analytics collection from physical performance outcome to also include key behaviours (Sleep, Physical Activity and Nutrition) at various levels of the CAF. In alignment with the department and enterprise Data Strategy, Military Family Services established a robust Data Strategy and research capability, including indicator monitoring for programs and services provision for military families; and
• Released a new CAF Sports Strategy in October 2022. This strategy provides a strategic framework and aims to align collective efforts in optimizing sport’s contribution to mental, social, and physical wellness within the CAF. Key activities for 2023 includes increased grassroots programming, the submission of a final research report on Sports Program Impact, as well as enhanced program reporting.

Aimed at ensuring that the health and well-being of the Defence team is well supported, the Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre (SMSRC) has delivered on the following activities in FY 2022-23:

• The Applied Research and Resource Team developed a research agenda that includes four studies at various stages of implementation designed to aid leadership in assessing, intervening, and preventing sexual misconduct hazards. The four studies include:
  • Sexual Misconduct in the CAF: A study of existing archival data designed to better understand risk factors related to sexual misconduct within the CAF. Data is currently being coded and preliminary findings are expected in FY 2023-24;
  • An evaluation of the building our future prevention program being implemented at the Royal Military College (Kingston, Ontario) to assess its short-term and long-term effectiveness;
  • An evaluation of the experiences of individuals accused of sexual misconduct within the CAF; and
  • A study of sexual behaviour within the CAF population.
• The SMSRC developed the first phase of the Independent Legal Assistance program to reimburse eligible legal expenses to those who have experienced military sexual misconduct. The launch of the program is expected in FY 2023-24;
• The new Community Support for Sexual Misconduct Survivors Grant Program has broadened the scope of critical support services accessible to those affected by sexual misconduct in the defence community. These support services are now available to the wider defence community, including families and veterans. It’s the first call for applications was launched in Fall 2022. Successful funding recipients have been identified and publicly announced. 32 grant agreements have been established and payments were successfully issued in March 2023;
• The SMSRC successfully expanded its geographic reach through the hiring of personnel outside of the National Capital Region, specifically in British Columbia, other areas in Ontario and Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Staffing and program development continues in the other provinces/and territories to remove geographic barriers in accessing individualized services and to provide more comprehensive support to those directly and indirectly affected as both survivors and witnesses of military sexual misconduct across the country and around the world;
• The SMSRC programs were expanded to former CAF and DND public service employees late in 2021 (including sexual misconduct response and support servicesresponse and support services), and since then work has continued to expand further to other groups, including family members, Cadets, and Junior Canadian Rangers, all over the age of sixteen. The expansion to these groups is expected in FY 2023-24;
• The SMSRC developed a Peer Support Program model in consultation with people with lived experience of sexual misconduct that provided an overview of the various offerings that the final program would include. This was shared publicly in June 2022 while the first phase of the program was launched to offer an online group discussion board to those affected by sexual misconduct. Work continued on the development of formal group sessions that would be co-facilitated by a peer with lived experience and a mental health professional, in preparation for the pilot of this offering in FY 2023-24;
• The SMSRC completed the initial operating capacity phase of implementation of the Restorative Engagement program. The program supported survivors of sexual misconduct (class members) who submitted a claim as part of the CAF-DND Sexual Misconduct Class Action Settlement. During this time, the program contacted an initial group of class members and multiple engagements were held. The Restorative Engagement program aims to create opportunities for class members to be supported in sharing their experiences, knowledge, and understanding of sexual misconduct and its causes and impacts. It also created opportunities for defence representatives of the DND/CAF to acknowledge, understand, and learn from what class members share, and to act, in real time, to contribute to changing the culture that enables and supports sexual misconduct. The Restorative Engagement program captured lessons learned and solidified the procedures, processes, resources, supports and systems in place to scale up service delivery; and
• The SMSRC, with the assistance of Statistics Canada, launched the third iteration of the Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces (SSMCAF) . Results from this survey will be available in late FY 2023-24 and will be used to develop initiatives and to monitor the CAF’s progress in addressing sexual misconduct.

Results achieved

The following table shows, for the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and target dates for FY 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Departmental results	Performance indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2020–21 Actual results	2021–22 Actual results	2022-23 Actual results
3.2 The health and well-being of the Defence team is well supported	% of military personnel who are medically fit for their occupation	At least 90%	31 March 2023	87%	87.1%	Results not availableFootnote *
	% of military personnel who feel that the Canadian Armed Forces provides a reasonable quality of life for service members and their families	At least 85%	31 March 2023	54.4%	34.4%	Results not availableFootnote *
	% of Canadian Armed Forces members who feel positive about their job	At least 71.5%	31 March 2023	67.4%	Results not availableFootnote **	Results not availableFootnote *
	% of civilian employees who describe the workplace as psychologically healthy	At least 80%	31 March 2023	66%	Results not availableFootnote **	65%Footnote ***

Financial, human resources and performance information for the DND and CAF Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Departmental Result 3.3 – The Defence team reflects the values and diversity of Canadian society

On 29 April 2021, the Minister of National Defence (MND) announced the launch of an Independent External Comprehensive Review (IECR) of current policies, procedures, programs, practices, and culture within the DND/CAF, with the aim of examining harassment and sexual misconduct, identifying barriers to reporting, and assessing the adequacy of the response when reports are made. The review was conducted by the Honourable Louise Arbour, C.C., G.O.Q, former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, and she delivered her final report to the Minster of National Defence on 30 May 2022. The Minister welcomed all 48 recommendations in the report and announced that work to implement 17 of them would begin immediately while the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) worked to analyze and provide the path forward for the remaining recommendations. On 12 December 2022, MND tabled a report to Parliament, indicating that she had directed DND/CAF to move forward on all of the recommendations from the IECR.

As recommended by the IECR in October 2022, the Minister of National Defence appointed an External Monitor to oversee DND/CAF efforts to address sexual misconduct and harassment, and report regularly to the MND and established an External Comprehensive Reviews Implementation Committee to ensure this coordinated approach across the implementation of all recommendations.

The department’s Chief Professional Conduct and Culture office takes a comprehensive, prevention-focused approach to culture change and conduct. It targets all forms of systemic misconduct with the aim of fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace and creating an environment where all Defence Team members can contribute and reach their full potential. The department has continued to support measures that provide timely and appropriate resolution of cases, with an emphasis on support to those who have been harmed, and on fairness and transparency. The department also examined different options related to external reporting mechanisms, such as complaints received at the OMBUDSMAN, the Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre (SMSRC), Review Services and letters sent directly to DND/CAF, the Deputy Minister DM and MND. Consolidated answers are provided to the complainant and direction is provided to best address the issues.

The department continued to establish a framework that led to the achievement of the following tasks:

• Realigning responsibilities, policies and programs that address elements of systemic misconduct across DND/CAF through the implementation of the Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (CLC) Part II;
• Implementing of the Victim’s Liaison Officer program in response to the amendments introduced with Bill C-77, An Act to amend the National Defence Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts;
• Improving technology, data applications, and service delivery in line with the Complaints Process Transformation project in order to change the complaints system experience within the Defence Team for clients and decision-makers;  
• Providing greater agency to, and support mechanisms for those who have experienced sexual misconduct and a culture framework that holistically tackles all types of discrimination, harmful behaviour, biases, and systemic barriers. As such, CPCC has been supporting the review of all external recommendations and the integration of the Declaration of Victims Right into the Code of Service Discipline within the National Defence Act. These efforts include the creation of training and education materials related to sexual misconduct and updated policies;
• Implementing the use of weekly dashboards to report sexual misconduct incidents and trends to senior CAF leadership assisting decision makers in the development of policy and training for the prevention of sexual misconduct;
• The Defence Team initiated development a public-facing Conduct and Culture Data and Resource Hub that would deliver on three specific key objectives:
  • Transparency about Defence Team culture change efforts;
  • Alignment with external report recommendations; and
  • Support Government of Canada priorities related to Open Government.
• Developed a conceptual framework and draft strategy for organizing and aligning culture change across the Defence Team. The Culture Evolution Framework, approved in December 2022, sets out a three-tier framework that includes culture strategy, action mapping, and results measurement and activity monitoring components to enable consistent and aligned culture efforts. The framework emphasizes diversity and inclusion as sources of strength and flexibility and adopts a vision of building a Defence Team where every member is valued for their knowledge, skills, and lived experience, has a sense of belonging, and has the opportunity to achieve their full potential and contribute to operational readiness and effectiveness.

During the last few months of FY 2022-23, the department worked on evolving the Culture Evolution Framework into an initial Culture Evolution Strategy. This work included extensive research and consultation. Building on the vision and strategic objectives of the initial framework, the draft Culture Evolution Strategy provides detailed guidance and support in building tailored, people-focused culture evolution plans and practices from the top-level organizations down to small teams. It establishes baseline enabling capabilities, including an enhanced and more integrated Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) into the core business processes as an enterprise approach. The strategy establishes an evergreen approach to culture, constantly incorporating new inputs and insights, and establishing an annual review to update organizational plans to respond to the evolving state of culture. Development of the strategy will continue in FY 2023-24.

Culture change is an evolutionary process, requiring an iterative and incremental approach. The Culture Evolution Strategy also links all levels of DND/CAF to supporting programs, services, tools, practices, and approaches to help them build a positive, healthy and supportive culture aligned with the overall Defence Team vision and direction. The strategy includes the development of a public-facing culture measurement dashboard that draws on a wide variety of data sources to capture and present key outputs and indicators of culture outcomes.

• Added the provision of trauma-informed analysis;
• Adjusted language to ensure clear understanding by all Defence Team members and external stakeholders;
• Expanded the meaning and intent behind the use of the word “safety” to clarify what constitutes a safe environment in an organization where physical safety is not always guaranteed;
• Reframed the engagement process to be more connected and continuous as a whole; and
• Emphasized that feedback and communication are key in maintaining meaningful relationships with our stakeholders and partners.

The department reviewed the recommendations of the consultations associated with the CAF-DND Sexual Misconduct and LGBT Purge class actions and developed a departmental implementation plan.

The department continued work to determine how to implement recommendations from consultations for supporting and improving gender representation and diversity across the Defence team.

The department continued to endorse the diversity and inclusion values of Canadian society through its commitment to the Employment Equity Act and CAF annual report, the Multiculturalism Act and annual report and the release and implementation of an updated and aligned CAF Employment Equity Plan.

During FY 2022-23 the department:

• Continued to develop and advance focused and Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus)-informed recruitment initiatives (campaigns, events, and priority processing) for women, as well as special measures to ensure that all qualified women applicants are selected and additional occupation positions for women are established if needed. Furthermore, applicants experienced, on average, a 20 percent reduction in the amount of time from application to enrolment. Female applicants represented 14.5 percent of the total CAF enrollees. On the modernization front, DND/CAF sought to acquire technology that supports data driven insights (analytics) to better understand where the diverse talent is located and then target those areas through marketing. Further, policy was reviewed with a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging lens to ensure there are no systemic barriers that are preventing women applicants to join the CAF, especially in non-traditional roles;
• Continued development and updating equity, diversity and inclusion principals in the CAF-centric People Strategy (formerly Human Resources Strategy) currently scheduled for release in the winter of 2023-24;
• Improved education and training opportunities, enabling each organization within the CAF to progress diversity and inclusion initiatives through their human resources management practices;
• Ran the Positive Space Ambassador course which provides in person/virtual training to Defence Team Members who wish to volunteer as Positive Space Ambassadors. Positive Space Ambassadors offers peer to peer assistance for all members of the Defence Team, inclusive of Two-Spirit Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex (2SLGBTQI+) and non-2SLGBTQI+ community members, where they can create networks and seek information. Positive Space Ambassadors are not counsellors but are peer-helpers who act as frontline support for CAF members and the DND community regarding 2SLGBTQI+ topics. During FY 2022-23, 78 sessions were provided throughout the DND/CAF;
  • Conducted 1 beta training session of the Positive Space Executive Experience within the department prior to rolling it out in FY 2023-24. The Positive Space Executive Experience course provides a safe space for senior leadership to collaborate and learn about Positive Space Program, and their role in implementing policies and actions for safer and more inclusive workspaces; and
  • Launched the new training, Positive Space Program Micro-Learning Stats – The micro learning series is available through the Defence Learning Network 3.0 and provides awareness of the Positive Space Program and various components as they relate to inclusion and 2SLGBTQI+ topics, such as history, terminology, pronouns, becoming an ally, compassionate communications, etc.During FY 2022-23, 1 056 people completed various courses within this training set.

The Canadian Army (CA) focused culture change priorities on three clusters of programs and activities in FY 2022-23 the CA:

• Created a Professional Conduct and Culture section at the CA headquarters to support various culture and conduct initiatives. Efforts to dedicate resources to support professional conduct and culture initiatives across the CA continued;
• Issued updated direction to the CA Initiating Directive for Professional Conduct and Culture Change (CAF Ethos: Trusted to Serve implementation) in May 2022;
• Implemented an Instructor Development program which provides instructors with soft skills and knowledge to develop safe and positive learning environments that are inherently inclusive;
• Held courses where professional conduct and culture were key themes on Unit and Formation Command Team Courses. Several guest presenters (including Commander Chief Professional Conduct and Culture) were invited and presented on topics related to Professional Conduct and Culture and change initiatives;
• Provided candidates for Victim Liaison Officer training who are available to the whole of CAF as required. The CA also provided Victim Rights and summary Hearing awareness training to its members; and
• Introduced a non-affiliated member RCAF female General Officer to the membership of the selection board(s) as part of the CA succession selection process in order to enhance transparency, while introducing varying/diverse perspectives on the succession selection process.

Indigenous Summer Programs partnered with Indigenous leaders to provide a blend of military training and Indigenous culture to hundreds of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis participants through programs across Canada: Black Bear, Raven, Bold Eagle, Carcajou, Canadian Armed Forces Indigenous Entry Program and Aboriginal Leadership Opportunity Year (ended summer 2022) all ran with a total of 211 candidates, of which a total of 164 graduated. A total of 63 candidates proceeded to join the Primary Reserves while 22 joined the Regular Force.

Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) established an enduring Command Culture Advisory Board and Unit Culture Advisory Teams and implemented concrete measures from its Command Culture Health Assessment to promote and sustain a healthy culture in CANSOFCOM. This encouraged transparency and empowered all of its members.

Harassment and discrimination prevention activities related to appropriate conflict and complaint management practices (awareness, outreach and training) will continue. Harassment and discrimination complaints will be addressed in a timely manner through simplified formal harassment complaint procedures that are consistent with the requirements set out in Part II of the Canada Labour Code (introduced as Bill C-65).

In FY 2022-23 the department:

• Stood up the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulation under the Canada Labour Code;
• Promoted the Directive on Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention and initiated workplace assessments across the department;
• Developed and implemented mandatory harassment training;
  • Harassment and Violence Prevention for Employees - for all Defence Team members;
  • Harassment and Violence Prevention for Managers and Committees/Representatives - for supervisors and managers and Health and Safety representatives; and
  • Preventing Harassment and Violence in the Workplace for Designated Recipients -for the Designated Recipient.
• Put in place a DND Designated Recipient Team to whom notice of an occurrence can be submitted when it is unsuitable for it to be submitted to the manager or supervisor;
• Created an interim policy to support the implementation of the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulation and its application within DND;
• Continued to deliver awareness briefings, training; and
• Provided alternative dispute resolution services, for the prevention and resolution of harassment and discrimination.

DND/CAF has defined the Defence Team anti-racism efforts as part of an overall Call to Action for the Government to address systemic barriers and historical harms, by evolving the practices, policies and mindsets that have harmed not only racialized members but the institution. In FY 2022-23, work began on the development of an Implementation Framework to address recommendations from both the Minister of National Defence Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism and Discrimination Report and the National Apology Advisory Committee for the No. 2 Construction Battalion Apology. A working group on anti-racism was stood up to coordinate the review and prioritization of initiatives and overall strategic approach in supporting institutional evolution in this area.

The 2022-23 Deputy Minister Commitments on Diversity and Inclusion served as a cornerstone for the department as it moved towards a workforce that better reflects Canada’s diversity and values through improved representativeness, inclusiveness  Numerous efforts to remove bias and barriers and to advance systemic change within the spheres of recruitment and retention were undertaken. 

DND has seen a steady increase in the recruitment of individuals from Employment Equity seeking groups over the past three years. Of those hired in FY 2021-22, 88 percent were still with DND as of 31 March 2023. This retention rate compares well to the overall share of DND employees hired during the same period who were employed as part of the Team a year later (89 percent).

The department increased recruitment and retention of equity-seeking groups and identified opportunities to support diversity and inclusion during FY 2022-23 and the results have been enabled by:

• Partnering with equity-seeking communities to attract and retain new talent that reflects Canada’s diversity and to review hiring processes to ensure they are culturally sensitive and barrier-free;
• Identifying biases and barriers to be removed from advertised processes and assessment tools:
  • Undertook a thorough review of assessment criteria to remove limitations and to ensure use of inclusive and common language;
  • Revised/barrier-free indicators for competency assessments were developed; and
  • Implemented flexible assessment strategies, to provide all applicants with the opportunity to perform to the best of their abilities. When possible, candidates are now given a choice of how they prefer to be assessed with innovative and culturally inclusive approaches leveraged.
• Taking steps to support the increased attraction and recruitment of neurodivergent candidates by designing flexible assessment methods, piloting new interview formats, and by ensuring all sub-delegated managers took mandatory training from the Canada School of Public Service on Inclusive Hiring Practices for a Diverse Workforce;
• Leveraging the Diverse Selection Board Inventory for all DND selection processes. It leverages the Public Service Commission’s diverse assessment board guidance tool and other relevant resources to foster inclusion. The inventory now includes 114 members from a variety of equity-seeking groups, following successful outreach efforts designed to increase awareness and promote its use;
• Guided by the Many Voices One Mind Strategy, the DND-led Executive level 01 (EX-01) Departmental Indigenous Recruitment Campaign resulted in a pool of fully qualified Indigenous employees with appointments made within DND and in other government departments thereby contributing to increasing diversity among executives across the Federal Public Service;
• DND implemented “mandatory organizational need” on job postings for all staffing processes, which means that hiring managers were encouraged to consider candidates who have self-declared as members of an Employment Equity group ahead of other candidates. The department also began developing a new applicant portal for students, military spouses, veterans, and other applicants that may allow managers to connect more seamlessly with qualified candidates from equity-seeking communities. Staffing advisors have also encouraged managers to remove mobility barriers and leverage telework opportunities, where feasible, to increase opportunities for Indigenous Communities. DND has included acceptable alternatives for education in hiring processes, which has resulted in the removal of educational barriers, thereby promoting more inclusive hiring practices;
• DND continued the departmental Executive Development Program which is an individualized one-of-a-kind leadership development program aimed at supporting a diverse group of high-potential and high-performing equity-seeking leaders as they develop the knowledge, skills and competencies required to take the next step into the executive cadre, welcomed its second cohort of fifteen participants in FY 2022-23;
• DND launched the Mentorship and Allyship Pilot Program for Public Service Indigenous, Black and other racialized Defence Team members. The program is designed to support career progression for mentees with EX-level mentors and allies while fostering greater equity, diversity, and inclusion within the department.  An Indigenous Career Navigator program was also launched specifically to support the career development for Indigenous employees;
• Implementing actions identified in the overarching Civilian Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (CDIAP) continued alongside organization-level Employment Equity Diversity and Inclusion Action Plans. An interim CDIAP is expected to be reviewed and revised for promulgation in 2023-24 to build on lessons learned and to focus DND on increasing accountability for growing diversity within the public service population; and 
• Initiating a Public Service Employment Systems Review to identify and remove barriers impacting employees from designated employment equity groups. Findings are expected in FY 2023-24 and will inform a strategic review of the CDIAP going forward to ensure DND is working towards overcoming and eliminating barriers to equity seeking groups. 

DND/CAF fostered inclusive leadership throughout FY 2022-23 which included:

• Fostered inclusive leadership as an important part of culture evolution within the Defence Team. Initiatives such as the Visible Minority Recruitment Campaign and the Indigenous Recruitment Campaign have increased the diversity of the public service executive cadre, as have the continued use of the Executive Development Program to build a diverse and representative executive talent pipeline, along with participation in the federal public service-wide Mosaic Leadership Development Program;
• Hosted an Executive Town Hall on combatting anti-Black racism with an executive panel discussion on accessibility and inclusion with senior leaders which had a profound impact on participants. Partnering with APEX on the Brave Space Onboarding Pilot, a series of bilingual small-group discussions, to equip two cohorts of 8 to 12 newly appointed Defence executives to be successful in their roles; creating a peer network; and mandatory unconscious bias training are other examples of ways Defence is working to foster a culture of inclusive leadership across the entire executive cadre;
• Required all sub-delegated managers to complete the Canada School of Public Service’s Unconscious Bias training as well as Inclusive Hiring Practices for a Diverse Workforce; and
• Worked to de-stigmatize discussions across the leadership community on racism, accessibility, and inclusion over the course of FY 2022-23. Examples of facilitated group discussions that raised the themes of unconscious bias and systemic racism include an Executive Town Hall at which an expert on critical implicit bias, engaged the EX community in an open discussion on combatting anti-Black racism; and, an EX Virtual Power Hour session with senior leaders from across the Government of Canada, which was attended by 55 DND executives, where the focus was accessibility and inclusion. 

Additional Human Resources results can be found in the Internal Services Results section of this report.

Results achieved

The following table shows, for the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for FY 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Departmental results	Performance indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2020–21 Actual results	2021–22 Actual results	2022-23 Actual results
3.3 The Defence team reflects the values and diversity of Canadian society	% of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who self-identify as a woman	At least 25.1%	31 March 2026	16.3%	16.3%	16.5%Footnote *
	% of civilians in the Defence team who self-identify as a woman	At least 44%	31 March 2023	41.3%	41.5%	42.4%Footnote **
	% of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who self-identify as a visible minority	At least 11.8%	31 March 2026	9.5%	10.8%	12.0%
	% of civilians in the Defence team who self-identify as a visible minority	At least 11.4%	31 March 2023	9.98%	9.6%	Results not availableFootnote ***
	% of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who self-identify as an Indigenous person	At least 3.5%	31 March 2026	2.8%	2.9%	3.1%Footnote *
	% of civilians who self-identify as an Indigenous person	At least 4.2%	31 March 2023	3.41%	3.2%	Results not availableFootnote ***
	% of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who self-identify as victims of harassment	11.9% or less	31 March 2023	15.5%	20.8%	24.0%Footnote ****
	% of civilians who self-identify as victims of harassment	10% or less	31 March 2026	12%	Results not availableFootnote *****	14.0%Footnote ****
	% of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who self-identify as victims of discrimination	9.2% or less	31 March 2023	14.5%	14.8%	15.7%Footnote ****
	% of civilians who self-identify as victims of discrimination	5% or less	31 March 2026	7%	Results not availableFootnote *****	8.0%Footnote ****
	Annual number of reported incidents of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces	To be determined	To be determined	431	444	443
	Number of Canadian Armed Forces members who have attended a training session related to sexual misconduct	To be determined	To be determined	1,224	650	2,164
	% of civilians in the Defence team who have completed mandatory harassment training	At least 85%	31 March 2026	31%	78.6%	74%Footnote ******
	Annual number of reported incidents of a sexual nature within the Defence Team civilian personnel	To be determined	31 March 2023	Results not available New indicator as of 2020–21	24	16
	% of CAF members who agree that culture in the CAF surrounding sexual misconduct has improved in the last 12 months	To be determined by 31 March 2024	Results not available New indicator as of 2022-23	Results not available New indicator as of 2022-23	Results not available New indicator as of 2022-23	Results not available
	% of CAF members who agree that CAF currently reinforces a culture of mutual respect, honour and dignity	To be determined by 31 March 2024	Results not available New indicator as of 2022-23	Results not available New indicator as of 2022-23	Results not available New indicator as of 2022-23	70%

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces’ Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Departmental Result 3.4 – Military families are supported and resilient

The Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services organization continued to enhance the well-being and resilience of military families at home and abroad by providing a wide variety of in-person and virtual services through the Military Family Services Program. For example, the Virtual Military Family Resource Centre is a confidential, personal, bilingual and free service that offered information, support, referrals, virtual counselling, and crisis management to the military community, including military families. Other services delivered by the Virtual Military Family Resource Centres include spousal employment network and career fairs, telemedicine licenses for relocating families, and crisis text service through the Kid’s Help Phone. Military relation support has been a key focus area for the military family services programs, including the challenges they face as they transfer between jurisdictions, in areas of health care, dependent education, daycare, and spousal employment. The Military Family Doctor Network and Telemedicine is but one example on how this challenge has been addressed.

The CAF continued to formalize the relationship with Federal, Provincial, and Territorial partners in support of military families. The Seamless Canada Steering committee, including delegates from all provinces and territories, signed the official Terms of Reference in June 2022 and endorsed a supporting governance framework in December 2022, signifying the commitment of the provinces and territories to military families. Working groups continued to address the mobility challenges faced by military families as they transfer between jurisdictions, focusing on spousal employment, health care, child and youth education.

The departments policy group supported the Military Personnel Command (MPC) by providing intergovernmental advice based on federal-provincial-territorial best practices: in the development of the new governance structure, the semi-annual meeting and the launch of the first Seamless Canada working group in February 2023. The departments policy group engaged all provincial/territorial jurisdictions prior to the launch of the working group to ensure appropriate representation and participation by Subject Matter Experts (SME).

Continued to expand the Military Spouse Employment Initiative (MSEI) Program to improve the utilization and professionalization of the program by:

• The Military Spouse Employment Initiative (MSEI) continued to be an important part of how DND supports military families and CAF members. Work continued over the past year to communicate the initiative to military spouses across the country with an increased use of social media, direct outreach, and information events; and
• A broader representation of professional work streams was added to the MSEI in the fall of 2021 which had a follow-on impact of greater candidate representation in FY 2022-23. These changes simplified searches and matches by broadening the representation of the skillset and experience of the available candidate pool. An Action Plan was developed in FY 2022-23 to assess language and competencies and will be implemented in FY 2023-24. These changes will advance efforts to support agile and flexible hiring of military spouses.

Results achieved

The following table shows, for the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for FY 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Departmental results	Performance indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2020–21 Actual results	2021–22 Actual results	2022-23 Actual results
3.4 Military families are supported and resilient	% of Canadian Armed Forces families who feel they meet the challenges of military life	At least 85%	31 March 2023	87.6%	Results not AvailableFootnote **	81.7%Footnote *
	% of Canadian Armed Forces members who are satisfied with the overall support their family receives from the Canadian Armed Forces	At least 85%	31 March 2023	67.4%	58.5%	Results not availableFootnote ***

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces’ Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Departmental Result 3.5 – Youth in Canada are provided with experience and opportunities that enable a successful transition to adulthood

In FY 2022-23, the department continued to implement the Management Action Plan in response to the Evaluation of the Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers (Youth Program) conducted in 2020. In FY 2022-23, the program:

• Began the implementation of a performance measurement strategy to define and measure outcomes to support evidence-based decision-making; and
• Continued to focus on re-growth initiatives following the COVID-19 pandemic by directing resources to core programming and expanding reach in local communities, mitigating skill gaps with recertification training, and creating opportunities that are accessible, agile, and affordable.

Results achieved

The following table shows, for the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and target dates for FY 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Departmental results	Performance indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2020–21 Actual results	2021–22 Actual results	2022-23 Actual results
3.5 Youth in Canada are provided with experience and opportunities that enable a successful transition to adulthood	% of the target Canadian youth population that participates in Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers	At least 2%	31 March 2023	2.02%	1.73%	1.58%Footnote *

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces’ Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for Defence Team, budgetary spending for FY 2022–23, as well as actual spending for that year.

2022–23 Main Estimates	2022–23 Planned spending	2022–23Total authorities available for use	2022–23 Actual spending (authorities used)	2022–23 Difference (actual spending minus planned spending)
3,738,769,207	3,738,769,207	3,902,071,414	3,914,692,450	175,923,243

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces’ Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for FY 2022–23.

2022–23 Planned full-time equivalents	2022–23 Actual full-time equivalents	2022–23 Difference (actual full-time equivalents minus planned full-time equivalents)
19,467	18,728	(739)

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces’ Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.