Recruiting and attrition problems jeopardize plans to expand Canadian Forces
Chapter 2, May 2006 Report of the Auditor General of Canada
Ottawa, 16 May 2006—National Defence has made satisfactory progress since 2002 in stopping the decline in the number of trained military members available for duty, but it has been unable to attract enough recruits to increase its ranks overall, says the Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, in her Status Report tabled today in the House of Commons.
"Despite some progress, the current system of recruiting is not addressing the needs of the Canadian Forces today," said Ms. Fraser. "With growing numbers of people expected to leave in the next 10 years, I'm concerned that plans to expand the forces are at risk."
The report notes that National Defence has recruited 20,000 new Regular Force members since the Auditor General's 2002 audit, but the total number trained and ready for duty has increased by only 700. The report goes on to say that National Defence needs to improve its recruiting efforts to attract candidates who have not traditionally considered careers in the military.
The audit found that the Department has not tracked the impact and the progress of its 2001 strategy for retaining members in the Canadian Forces, so it cannot show that the strategy has helped resolve shortages in key military occupations.
The report also says that in the past, military human resources management was often segregated from National Defence strategic considerations. Now the Department has begun including it in long-term strategic planning for the Canadian Forces.
"National Defence has established a new strategic direction toward managing its military human resources more effectively," said Ms. Fraser. "Now it needs to ensure that its policies and practices reflect the new direction."
The Auditor General's Status Report, first released in 2002, is one of the reports from the Office of the Auditor General tabled each year in the House of Commons. It follows up on the government's progress in addressing recommendations from previous reports. The Auditor General concludes that progress is either satisfactory or unsatisfactory, taking into account the complexity of the issue and the amount of time that has passed since the original audit.
- 30 -
The chapter "National Defence—Military Recruiting and Retention" is available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada Web site.
Information:
Julie Hébert, Communications
Tel.: (613) 952-0213, ext. 6292
E-mail: communications@oag-bvg.gc.ca
