Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group (CAF TG)

1. About the Department of National Defence (DND)

Over 10,000 members of Canada’s Regular Forces and military Reserves leave the CAF each year. Due to numerous interrelated factors, many CAF members have difficulty transitioning to civilian life, or feel inadequately prepared or supported in transition. In 2017, in recognition of these difficulties (and in keeping with its new Defence Policy), DND announced a new military transition program putting people first. The purpose of the program was to begin the process of better supporting members in their transition to post-military life, and to streamline and reduce administrative burdens suffered by many in the release process.

2. About CAF TG

In December 2018, following the announcement of the new transition program, the Chief of Defence Staff and Deputy Minister jointly issued a Directive on Operation Transition, authorizing the establishment (or ‘standing up’) of the CAF TG. The directive brought together the services and resources of the renewed Joint Personnel Support Unit (JPSU) and the Directorate Casualty Support Management (DCSM) into one integrated formation. The group is headed by a General Officer and a Captain (Navy)/Colonel (who serves as its Deputy) and is comprised of both DCSM and a Directorate of Transition Services and Policy (DTSP).

Built on the successes of the Joint Personnel Support Unit, CAF TG’s mandate is to deliver personalized, professional, and standardized casualty support and transition services to CAF members and their families to enable seamless transition and enhanced well-being with special attention provided to ill and injured personnel, their families and the families of the deceased. CAF TG is headquartered in Ottawa but provides services through nine CAF TUs, and thirty-two CAF TCs dispersed across the country.

Once fully operational, CAF TG will introduce a full, standardized, and national transition process. That process will be supported by new transition tools and resources, tailored transition planning services, career-long education and training programs, a centralized online transition access portal, a release process tracking tool, and a new ‘My Transition Services App’. These services (some currently in place, some under development), will help improve the administration and efficiency of transition services, and to enhance the transition experiences of members and their families

3. Purpose and Scope of the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA)

In fulfilment of its mandate, CAF TG collects, uses, discloses, and retains personal information.  This includes information about both active and newly retired members and their families.  As such, DND has elected to undertake a PIA in relation to the core activities of the CAF TG.  Its purpose was to ensure that personal information used in relation to transition services is being properly handled, and that privacy is considered in the management and design of new transition programming.  The PIA was also intended to demonstrate compliance with the federal Privacy Act and its supporting polices and directives.

The PIA was completed under the direction of the Director General of Military Transition (DGMT), who serves as the Commander of the CAF TG, and approved by DND’s Director of Access to Information and Privacy (DAIP) Coordinator, DND’s delegate under section 73 of the Privacy Act.

The PIA was performed in line with the requirements of the TBS Directive on Privacy Impact Assessment and complies with the requirements for the performance of PIAs at DND, as set out in Defence Administrative Order and Directive (DAOD) 1002-5. It also meets the PIA recommendations of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC), as set out in Expectations: A Guide for Submitting Privacy Impact Assessments. 

Only programs and services offered by CAF TG which collect and use personal information for administrative purposes were evaluated as part of the PIA process.  As per section 3 of the Privacy Act, an administrative purpose, in relation to the use of personal information about an individual, means the use of that information in a decision-making process that directly affects that individual.

4. Privacy Analysis

Based on the results of the PIA, privacy risks arising from the administrative activities of the CAF TG are expected to be moderate. The administration and delivery of transitions services by CAF do not, inherently, present a serious risk to the privacy of its members, though transition service do at times involve the collection of sensitive information.  Recommendations included in the PIA, all of which were fully adopted, are expected to lower privacy risks to an acceptable level.

5. Risk Area Identification and Categorization