Director Military Careers Support Services 2 of the Director General Military Careers unit receives commendation

September 30, 2020 - Defence Stories

Caption

From left to right: Vice-Admiral Haydn Edmundson, Mr Rivest, PO1 Carriere, WO Leblond, LCdr Bussière, MCpl Stout, Cdr Belhumeur, WO Layton, Ms Chateauneuf, Mr Knowles, Capt Gervais, WO Rediger, CWO Geoffrey, and Sgt Meija.

By MWO Manon Pellerin

Following the damage caused by a fire and tornado in September 2018, many students and staff in Gatineau, Quebec were without a place to continue their education. Thanks to the relocation of the Director Military Careers Support Services 2 (DMCSS 2) section, students were moved to the Asticou Centre and quickly resumed their school activities.

A Commander Military Personnel Command (MPC) Commendation was presented to the DMCSS 2 for their seamless relocation of the selection boards from the Asticou facility to a temporary location in Coventry and finally to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Uplands in August 2019. Those two consecutive moves required structured planning, as the operations of the personnel evaluation report (PER) processing centre could not be stopped.

The period during which the move to CFB Uplands was to take place coincided with the annual peak period for receiving Performance Evaluation Reports (PERs). At the same time, DMCSS 2 processed more than 55,000 files, held additional selection boards and managed the move. There were several interdepartmental partners for organizing the two moves and preparing the new premises. The team was an integral part of the relocation team and played a key role in conducting a smooth transition from the Coventry building to Elizabeth Park Public School at Uplands.

LCdr Karen Belhumeur and LCdr Mélanie Bussières, the two main leaders of this operation, were able to quickly organize their teams in order to successfully carry out the move and the activities of the PER processing center, including the preparation and management of the 95 subsequent selection boards in the fall of 2019. The work of Capt Stéphane Gervais is also worth mentioning, as he trained and prepared the career managers involved in the selection board process.

Throughout the move, the team’s personnel demonstrated an outstanding level of commitment and resilience to ensure its success. They remained permanently available to participate in impromptu meetings and working groups while communicating with career managers, units and other MPC sections and staff. They maintained high morale and a contagious level of enthusiasm as well as a high degree of professionalism. The team’s hard work and commitment played a critical role in bringing this project to fruition, and their continued professional dedication allows them to meet the challenges ahead and enable the Director General Military Careers to fulfill its mandate so that the Canadian Armed Forces can implement its succession plan.