Introduction

In 2017, using findings from the 2016 Defence Policy Review, the release of Canada's Defence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE), emphasized how essential the well-being of the Defence Team is to the delivery of Defence objectives and the success of the Defence mandate. SSE placed an unprecedented focus on well-supported, diverse, resilient people and families, and highlighted DND/CAF’s dedication to the health and wellness of the Defence Team from the moment they are recruited, throughout their careers, and as they transition out of service. Simultaneously work on the Defence Team Total Health and Wellness Strategy (THWS) began.

A Strategic Initiating Directive for the Defence Team Total Health and Wellness Strategy was released in 2017, propelling the development of the strategy. Resource allocation and planning for the Strategy began in 2017, and in 2020, additional funding was approved to support 12 core items underpinning the strategy, which will be further described later in this report. In 2021, the Total Health and Wellness Programme Office (THW ProgO) was stood up to support the implementation of the strategy, and the official release of the strategy was in March 2022. Work to initiate the monitoring of the first phase of implementation of the Strategy action items began with standing up the THW ProgO, following with the Strategy release in spring 2022. Separated by fiscal year, the planned implementation of the strategy is spread across phases, which will be further defined later in this report.

Background

The Defence Team Total Health and Wellness Strategy (THWS) is a result of the joint commitment of DND and the CAF in promoting and protecting the health and wellness of all members of the Defence Team. Systematically improving health and wellness across the Defence Team requires the implementation of a comprehensive strategy to prioritize and manage competing demands across all dimensions of health. A comprehensive (or total) approach to health and wellness must reconcile three competing aspects of life: Work life (physical work environment and psychosocial work environment); Personal life (family, financial, social/cultural environment and physical living environment); and Individual health (physical, mental and spiritual health).

“This important strategy builds on our efforts to ensure military and non-military members of the Defence Team are cared for and supported as they under take their most important task defending Canada and Canadians” — General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff

The THWS is a comprehensive strategy that builds on cutting edge work in previous strategies, programs, and services that have led the charge on supporting a holistic approach to health and wellness. The THWS includes action items for implementation using a phased approach, organized by fiscal year. As this annual report summarizes the action items undergoing implementation in FY 21/22, it does not outline all action items. A description of action items captured by this annual report can be found in Table 2. Building from previous work, some action items that were assessed as appropriately aligned to the THWS have already completed implementation and did not have information to report this fiscal year. Through consultation with stakeholders, these items were assessed as “completed.” Furthermore, the THWS action plan includes action items that were identified to be monitored in future phases. All action items in the THWS action plan can be seen in Annex A, which is sorted into three sections corresponding to whether an action item was completed before FY 21/22, is current, or is targeted for implementation in a future phase.

The THWS covers supportive organizational policies, programs, and services through five Lines of Effort (LoEs). Each LoE has three or more strategic objectives that collectively define the focus areas to be addressed through the THWS. In total, the THWS identifies 17 strategic objectives and includes an action plan that outlines the 72 distinct initiatives and 12 associated sub-action items aimed at addressing critical capability deficiencies and improving the balance, integration, and alignment of health and wellness efforts across the institution. Through the implementation of action items associated with the LoEs in this strategy, the DND/CAF will be able to empower leaders to prioritize health and wellness initiatives that benefit both individual employees and the Defence Team as a whole.

Impact – Who is the strategy for?

The THWS will transform the organization in a variety of ways. By monitoring actions across Defence Team organizations in one strategy, gaps in service delivery and duplications of efforts can be more easily identified. This creates a framework that increases the efficiency and comprehensiveness of efforts aimed at improving the health and wellness of Defence Team members. The alignment of efforts in improving the health and wellness will impact both CAF and civilian members across the Defence Team; defined broadly as including Regular Force, Reserve Force, and their families; DND public service employees, non-public funds employees, and contractors. This definition does not represent a change in policy, but rather recognizes the contributions of a variety of individuals towards creating a healthy work environment.

Although the number of Defence Team members fluctuates, to aid in understanding the breadth of the impact of this strategy, as of July 2021, there were a total of 128,896 Defence Team employees. Civilian Defence Team members account for 28,696 of this total, with the remaining encompassing CAF members, 68,000 regular force and 27,000 reserve force. Furthermore, as indicated in SSE, the Defence Team growth plan outlines an expected growth of an additional 6,500 Defence Team members.

“The health and wellness of all Defence Team members and their families is, without a doubt, my top priority” — The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence

Although an exact number of military families is not known, as the “strength behind the uniform” all military families are considered crucial to the health and wellness of CAF members, and are therefore supported by and targets of initiatives in the THWS. Overall, the alignment of actions and initiatives through the THWS has the potential to impact a vast number of Canadians by focusing on supporting and promoting the health and wellness of all Defence Team members.

Mission and Vision

Our vision is for a safe, fit and resilient Defence Team that is empowered to achieve its mission, confident in its ability to fulfill its potential, and enabled to balance the competing demands of work and life. Our mission is to empower Defence Team members with the conditions, knowledge, and support necessary to improve their wellness in pursuit of personal and organizational goals.

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