Commander Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers Group Command Philosophy

Within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers Group (CJCR Gp) has been entrusted with a unique and important mission: Contribute to the development and preparation of Canada’s youth for their transition to adulthood, enable them to meet the challenges of modern society, and strengthen local communities. We do this, by offering dynamic, relevant, and credible community-based programs that invite all Canadian youth, to participate in a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment.

Like the overarching CAF, our program thrives on diversity and a commitment to equity and inclusion. Whether youth engage for a short time or many years, our goal is to ensure their experience is enriching and impactful.

Being entrusted with youth’s well-being is both a privilege and a significant responsibility. It requires unwavering commitment to ethics and conduct, on and off duty, as our actions reflect on the program’s credibility and the CAF’s legitimacy. Our actions have far-reaching consequences, impacting cadets, Junior Canadian Rangers (JCRs), communities, the program itself, and contributing directly to the legitimacy and institutional credibility of the CAF.

We are a team of CAF members, public servants, civilian instructors, and volunteers. We have partners internally within the CAF and the Department of National Defence, and externally with the Cadet Leagues and within our communities. Our combined efforts enable us to execute our mission, and I expect that we continue to identify, build, and nurture those relationships.

To accomplish our mission, we will invest in people. We will actively pursue learning opportunities and cultivate a culture that embraces mistakes, promoting a growth mindset where errors are viewed as chances for learning and development rather than shortcomings. This environment will encourage openness, transparency, and innovation, empowering us to take risks and explore new approaches without fear of reprisal. We will be accountable. While I encourage learning from mistakes, it is essential that we hold ourselves and each other accountable for actions stemming from negligence or disregard for established regulations, policies, and procedures, especially considering the potential impact on our program. I expect all personnel to fully understand their areas of authority, responsibility, and accountability.

Our CAF Ethos: Trusted to Serve speaks to the importance of trust. It states that trust takes time and energy to build through principled character and excellence in professional competence. However, trust is fragile and can quickly erode through weakness of character or an inability to deliver results. We must therefore prioritize strength of character and professional excellence in who we are and what we do as a Profession of Arms. Within CJCR Gp, trust is also the foundation upon which we build meaningful relationships, foster growth, and facilitate learning. Trust instills confidence in cadets’ and JCRs’ parents and guardians, assuring them that their children, our cadets and JCRs, will receive the necessary support to not only succeed within our program but also in life. Furthermore, trust within our Command Teams, within our lines and across the organization serves as the foundation for effective communication, collaboration, and impact, thereby enabling us to fulfill our mission.

Trust is cultivated through transparency, the sharing of information, and inclusive decision-making processes. It is also maintained through empathy, by considering the perspectives of others and understanding the challenges, concerns, and dynamics at all levels of leadership that may influence our realities. Building and preserving trust is a shared responsibility - I expect all levels of leadership to foster open and honest communication, to be accountable for their actions and decisions, and to ensure fairness and consistency in all actions.

Our unique mission within the CJCR Gp also requires agility and adaptation. The Cadet and JCR Programs have been delivered across Canada, in over 800 communities, by nearly 10,000 personnel, over many decades. To be agile is to understand the Programs, have situational awareness of the environment within and external to each of the regions, to have insight and anticipate the unique challenges and opportunities that enable effective decision-making and the delivery of the Programs. Our ability to adapt to the needs of Canada’s youth, to the resources available to us, to the challenges we face, is dependent on our innovation, resourcefulness, and the expertise of our personnel, as well as the input and perspective provided by the youth voice. Leaders at all levels must create the environment that fosters innovation, information sharing, creative thinking, and organizational learning.

Finally, in all my engagements with cadets, JCRs, and our leaders across the country, I have seen the impact a positive mindset has made. Encouraging a positive outlook will help adapt to changing circumstances and enable us to maintain focus despite challenges. This approach will foster trust, enhance communication, and promote collaboration, which are vital to the successful execution of the CJCR Gp mission.

I have complete confidence in your ability to continue to lead with excellence, inspire our youth, and achieve our mission.

D.N. Brais, CD
Brigadier-General
15 April 2024