Service expansion of the Chief Military Personnel Administrative Response Centre

After a successful pre-initial operational capacity trial conducted last summer, the Chief Military Personnel (CMP) Administrative Response Centre (ARC) is now ready to support more personnel policy staff.

ARC support is now available for L1 headquarters personnel policy staff from Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Joint Operations Command, Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, and Canadian Forces Intelligence Command; personnel in Military Personnel Command; CAF Ombudsman; Director General Integrated Conflict and Complaint Management (Conflict and Complaint Management Services agents); Canadian Forces Support Unit Ottawa; 12 Wing Shearwater; 5 Division; and Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre.

Personnel who directly support Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members now have access to a streamlined centre of expertise for all personnel policy related matters. The ARC is made up of a dedicated team of analysts charged with providing comprehensive, timely responses to enquiries, in order to support CAF members at all points of their career.

The ARC focuses its services on personnel whose role it is to support CAF members and their families—in effect, supporting the supporters—regarding policy clarification on queries pertaining to CMP personnel policy on pay, benefits, careers, health, dress, honours and recognition, human rights, official languages, and training, among others. The ARC will also assist in the resolution of informal complaints with Director General Integrated Conflict and Complaint Management (DGICCM).

Front line support staff such as admin support staff, unit adjutants, regimental sergeant majors, chains of command, and external organizations including the CAF ombudsman, will be better able to support CAF members through the availability of the ARC.

The ARC’s mandate does not include grievances or requests requiring adjudication; queries relating to other active processes such as harassment investigations or legal proceedings; and queries where CMP is not the functioning authority. In addition, members must first contact the appropriate front line support staff and their chain of command as the ARC is not mandated to directly service a CAF member querying on their own behalf.

Data captured through the enquiry process will provide vital analytics data regarding current areas of dissatisfaction, problems with policy, and gaps in policy where the needs of today’s CAF members are currently not being addressed.

Future audiences and locations will be announced later in 2020 once resources are available and training is completed. Full operational capacity of the ARC is expected by active posting season 2021, at which time all personnel and elements of the CAF will have access to this new responsive service.