Combatting systemic racism and racial discrimination in the Defence Team

October 30, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

On October 30, 2025, the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Bob McCann, delivered an apology on behalf of the CAF to current and former CAF members, as well as their families who have experienced systemic racism, racial discrimination, and racial harassment during their military service.

This apology is part of the CAF’s continued responsibility to address the harm caused and to work toward meaningful and lasting change. This public apology is aimed to:

• Acknowledge and take responsibility: Formally recognizing the harms caused by systemic racism including racial discrimination and harassment within the CAF.
• Support healing: Providing a foundation for healing for affected members, their families, and their communities.
• Strengthen commitment to an inclusive culture: Demonstrating accountability and reinforcing the CAF's ongoing work to remove systemic barriers, strengthen equity and inclusion, and improve operational readiness.

The CAF’s commitment to evolving its culture and anti-racism

Racial discrimination and harassment have no place in the CAF and the Department of National Defence (DND).

Providing everyone in the Defence Team with a healthy, respectful, and inclusive workplace, free from racism, harassment, discrimination, and bias, is a top priority for our institution. Diverse perspectives and lived experiences contribute to the Defence Team’s success. When members are empowered to bring the full range of their creativity, innovation, and talent to the workplace, it leads to greater operational effectiveness.

The Defence Team has been taking important steps to evolve its culture and implement meaningful change, including measures to eradicate racism, discrimination, and hateful conduct.

Much work that has been done and is underway related to work in anti-racism, diversity and inclusion. Recommendations from the Minister of National Defence’s Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism and Discrimination Final Report (APR) and the National Apology Advisory Committee Report (NAAC) continue to be implemented.

All 8 NAAC recommendations have been addressed, while close to 80% (or 31 of 39) of the recommendations of the APR have been implemented and 38 recommendations are expected to be addressed by December 2025.   

Some examples of actions taken to implement these recommendations include:

• In 2023, the Minister of National Defence announced dedicated funding to commemorate the legacy of No. 2 Construction Battalion, making $2.25 million available over five years for commemorative activities, educational materials, and community war memorials.
• In November 2024, the Minister of National Defence announced the establishment of an anti-Black racism Ministerial Advisory Committee, to provide external and independent oversight and guidance on current and future Defence Team anti-Black racism policies, programs, and initiatives. This announcement marks the completion of the last outstanding NAAC recommendation; work is underway to establish the committee.
• In November 2024, the Hateful Conduct Spectrum was introduced within the Defence Team. It identifies inappropriate behaviours like harassment, inappropriate social media use, and affiliations with hate groups, as well as criminal acts like hate crimes, violent extremism, and terrorism. It offers Defence Team members guidance and examples of behaviours on the opposite end of the spectrum, like allyship, anti-racism, and inclusive language, that help to build a safer and more inclusive workplace. The tool has been integrated into ongoing training and education efforts throughout CAF members’ developmental periods for both Officers and Non-Commissioned Members. This fully addressed recommendation 5.3 of the APR.
• Recommendation 5.2 of the APR which called on the Defence Team to leverage the insights of Defence Advisory Groups (DAGs) and Networks, has also been fully addressed. The Defence Team has embedded DAGs within their equity and anti-racism governance structures as formal consultative bodies, and they are now routinely engaged in employment equity and anti-racism consultations at local, regional, and national levels. Their structure, legitimacy, and ability to surface grassroots insights enable institutional responsiveness to harmful conduct, including extremism.

To further recognize and promote the history of Black and racialized service personnel, and to amplify and empower the voices of people with lived experiences, the Defence Team’s approach to improve awareness on racism and discrimination has been expanded with events such as:

• A joint laying of a wreath by descendants of the No. 2 Construction Battalion and the Defence Team Black Employees Network at the National Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa;
• Nationally marking Black History Month to reflect upon the important contributions of Black Defence Team members, and commemorating the No. 2 Construction Battalion during a perpetuation event every July in Gagetown, New Brunswick, and Pictou, Nova Scotia; and
• Highlighting the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination during a national event where Defence Team members can learn more about the impacts of racial discrimination.

Providing all Defence Team members with a psychologically safe and inclusive workplace, free from racism, harassment and discrimination, where they feel respected and supported, continues to be a priority for leadership at all levels.  

Associated links

• Canadian Armed Forces Apology for Racial Discrimination and Racial Harassment
• Combatting systemic racism and racial discrimination in the Defence Team
• Minister of National Defence Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism and Discrimination
• National Apology Advisory Committee - Minister of National Defence Report