Defence Team Champion for Visible Minorities Message for Black History Month

February 12, 2021 - Defence Stories

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Vice-Admiral Haydn C. Edmundson, Commander, Military Personnel Command and Defence Team Champion for Visible Minorities

As the Defence Team Champion for Visible Minorities, I am honoured to recognize Black History Month and the incredible achievements of Black military personnel, and Public Service employees, past and present. Throughout my military career, I have had the privilege to work alongside these great Canadians whose dedication, bravery and commitment to excellence have brought great credit to Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Department of National Defence (DND).

While we officially celebrate Canadians of Caribbean and African descent each February during Black History Month, I encourage all Defence Team members to embrace the operational contributions of their Black teammates year-round. Black soldiers, sailors, aviators and public service employees have added to the capacity of the CAF in invaluable ways. From global to domestic conflicts, they have brought new perspectives to operations that make us stronger and more resilient.

We know that diversity and inclusion of underrepresented Canadians in the CAF/DND is a force multiplier; we are stronger because we are more diverse in what we do and how we think. The experiences and cultural traditions of Black CAF members and public service employees enrich the whole Defence Team. Even though we have achieved much together, we can and must do better to ensure full acceptance of the diversity of our ranks. This will encourage our Black Defence Team colleagues to feel safe and respected wherever they work in our team. We need to sustain an environment in the CAF/DND that welcomes Black members, one that works towards eliminating systemic barriers that prevent Black Canadians from advancing and assuming key leadership roles within our Defence Team. To help achieve this, our attraction / recruitment efforts are focused on bringing Canadians of various ethnicities into the CAF in order to better reflect Canada’s diversity.

That’s why we developed a formal strategy to foster diversity and inclusion in the Forces. The central vision of the CAF Diversity Strategy is: “A CAF that is comprised of members who reflect the rich diversity of Canada and who are recognized and encouraged to maintain and contribute through their unique experiences, abilities, and perspectives within a respectful and inclusive environment.” We also have Defence Advisory Groups (Accessible only on the National Defence network), structured networks of volunteers located at bases and wings across the country who help identify systemic barriers and advise leadership on possible solutions to systemic issues. The Defence Visible Minority Advisory Group is one such network that has had great success in raising awareness of the issues facing visible minorities.

Black Canadians are in all segments of Canadian society, and the part they played and continue to play in building our great country isn’t limited to Black History Month. It is part of our history, clearly, but it is also part of who we are today and who we will be in the future. In this sense, having Black Canadians as part of our Defence Team ensures that our future is bright.

Vice-Admiral Haydn C. Edmundson
Commander, Military Personnel Command and
Defence Team Champion for Visible Minorities