About the Comprehensive Implementation Plan

The Comprehensive Implementation Plan lays out a multi-year plan to deliver on culture change commitments and milestones aimed at making the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) more open, transparent, and accountable to our members and Canadians.

On this page

• Context
• The Comprehensive Implementation Plan
• What will the plan do for the Defence Team?
• Implementation timeline
• Reporting
• Comprehensive Implementation Plan summary

Context

Since 2021, DND/CAF has implemented a range of culture change initiatives that respond to feedback and input from Defence Team members, stakeholders, and external experts. However, there is significant work ahead to ensure our efforts result in meaningful, measurable, and enduring culture change.

DND/CAF has received hundreds of recommendations from external reviews that relate to culture change. These reports span a broad range of issues and encompass significant expertise and insights from leading experts on how to improve the organization. Conducting a thoughtful analysis of these recommendations and taking the necessary steps to implement changes is critical to the success of our efforts. It is also critical to maintaining the trust of our members and the Canadian public.

The Comprehensive Implementation Plan

We have developed the Comprehensive Implementation Plan to prioritize and sequence work across the Defence Team to ensure a shared vision and coordinated effort.

This plan was developed following analysis of recommendations from four key external review reports:

• The Independent External Comprehensive Review (IECR), which primarily focuses on the issue of sexual misconduct;
• The Third Independent Review of the National Defence Act (IR3), which includes recommendations to modernize the military justice system;
• The Minister’s Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism and Discrimination Report (APR), which is strongly aligned with Government of Canada priorities; and
• The National Apology Advisory Committee Report (NAAC), which was developed to provide recommendations for making the Government of Canda’s historic apology to the descendants of the No. 2 Construction Battalion meaningful.

Following careful analysis and cross-comparison of overlap between the recommendations from all four reports, DND/CAF is prioritizing 194 for implementation. 

The plan also includes major policy initiatives that will have a direct impact on the lives of CAF members and their families, such as:

• CAF Complaints and Grievance Transformation: Improvements to CAF complaints and grievance processes so that all members are provided with support and access to recourse options that best address their needs;
• Expansion of CAF support services: Comprehensive support services for individuals affected by all types of misconduct. This initiative will extend support beyond cases of a sexual nature to include racism, harassment, discrimination, and hateful conduct; 
• Childcare strategy for CAF members: Efforts focusing on childcare challenges for CAF members’ families to help address employment barriers and better support members and their families.
  

These measures complement external recommendations and address critical culture change requirements.

What will the plan do for the Defence Team?

The Comprehensive Implementation Plan targets four aspects of Defence Team culture:

• Diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • 27 recommendations to be implemented
  • Example activity: Minister Blair and Minister Petitpas Taylor announce $2.25 million in funding to honour the legacy of No. 2 Construction Battalion
• Trust in the institution and leadership
  • 133 recommendations to be implemented
  • Example activity: Minister Anand appoints External Monitor to oversee National Defence efforts to address sexual misconduct and harassment
•  Professional conduct
  • 15 recommendations to be implemented
  • Example activity: Published a new CAF Ethos, Trusted to Serve, which sets out modern principles, values, and standards for the conduct of all CAF members
• Defence Team experience and well-being
  • 19 recommendations to be implemented
  • Example activity: Minister Blair Announces Changes to the Canadian Armed Forces Grievance and Harassment Process

Implementation timeline

With multiple concurrent initiatives underway, our culture change work must be prioritized and sequenced carefully to ensure we achieve maximum progress toward our objectives with available resources and while mitigating impacts to other major priorities. The Comprehensive Implementation Plan establishes a phased approach over five years (2023-2028).

Reporting

This comprehensive plan will ensure transparency and accountability in our work. We will provide regular updates on progress to our members and the public.

Comprehensive Implementation Plan summary

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