Defence Team Initiating Directive for professional conduct and culture released

April 30, 2021 - Defence Stories

The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and Deputy Minister (DM) have signed an initiating directive for professional conduct and culture. This directive is intended to refocus internal efforts to align Defence culture and professional conduct with the core values and ethical principles we aspire to uphold as a national institution.

In particular, this directive seeks to address matters of systemic misconduct throughout the DND/CAF. This term covers many negative aspects of our culture and conduct, including:

• sexual misconduct;
• hateful conduct;
• any form of discrimination, harassment, or violence;
• employment inequity; and
• abuse of power in the workplace.

Systemic misconduct is a term that has been deliberately chosen, both to convey the gravity of these prejudicial behaviours, and to indicate that these problems are systemic – which is to say, they have causes that go beyond individual failures. For example, the existence of the chain of command by design creates an imbalance of power between more senior and junior levels of our institution – an imbalance that can be abused by senior leaders. This is a problem that exists precisely because of a necessary system; it is thus a problem that must be addressed, and resolved, by looking at the entire system.

A newly announced Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture, LGen Jennie Carignan, will lead on these efforts. Over the coming months, her team will establish a framework that will help them achieve the following critical tasks:

• Realign responsibilities, policies and programs that address elements of systemic misconduct across DND and the CAF.
• Simplify and enhance misconduct reporting mechanisms, including for those external to the chain of command;
• Give greater agency to, and strengthen support mechanisms for those who have experienced misconduct, as well as other affected persons;
• Enhance tracking mechanisms from initial reports of misconduct to case closures and integrate additional data points such as intersectionality, reprisals, member satisfaction, and retention; and
• Lead institutional efforts to develop a professional conduct and culture framework that holistically tackles all types of harmful behaviour, unconscious biases, and systemic barriers.

More information on this effort can be found in the initiating directive.

In the coming months, LGen Carignan will be speaking with DND employees and CAF members about these efforts, and about where her team will focus their efforts.