Ottawa, July 19, 2006 Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces
Ombudsman, Yves Côté, today released a special report on the military recruiting
system, entitled The Canadian Face Behind the Recruiting Targets: A Review of
the Canadian Forces Recruiting System From Attraction to Enrolment.
The report focused on the way in which applicants were treated by the Canadian
Forces from the time of their first contact with the military to the point when
they were either enrolled or found to be unsuitable for military service. This
review of the recruiting system also included areas where a perceived lack of
effectiveness or efficiency on the part of the Canadian Forces had a negative
impact on Canadian applicants.
"For the overwhelming majority of new applicants, the initial recruiting phase
is their first experience with the Canadian Forces," explained Mr. Côté. "If
this experience is unsatisfactory for any reason, there is a strong possibility
that an applicant will quit the process. This could and does result in the
loss to the Canadian Forces of some of the most skilled and talented Canadians."
As part of the review, the Office of the Ombudsman selected 301 complaints
received between 2003 and 2005 for in-depth study. These complaints revealed a
number of potential systemic issues within the Canadian Forces recruiting and
selection process, including: a lack of responsiveness on the part of some
recruiters in their dealings with applicants; excessive delays in the recruiting
process, particularly with the medical assessment and security portions of the
process; and inconsistencies in the application of recruiting incentives or
bonuses being offered to potential recruits.
The investigation found that, since 2002, the Canadian Forces has met or has
come close to meeting its overall recruiting targets, thus confirming the May
2006 findings of the Auditor General of Canada. However, the investigation also
concluded that there is significant room for improvement related to recruiting.
In particular, the Ombudsman emphasized his concern regarding the number of
applicants that quit the process as a result of a problem or delay experienced
during one of the recruiting phases.
"Meeting the established recruiting targets cannot and must not be the only
benchmark of success for the Canadian Forces," stated Mr. Côté. He added, "It is
clear from our investigation that the Canadian Forces must improve the quality
and timeliness of the service provided to applicants or risk routinely losing
the services of talented Canadians interested in a military career."
In addition to identifying a number of problem areas in the current military
recruiting system, the special report contains 18 recommendations aimed
primarily at improving the level of service that is provided to Canadian
applicants. Focused on re-positioning the recruiting process as a 'client
focused' service, the recommendations call for, among other things, the creation
of comprehensive service standards (e.g., a standard timeframe in which
applicants can expect to receive replies to their questions) that would be used
by all recruiting centres across the country; additional training for recruiting
centre staff; the clear assignment of responsibility and authority for the
overall military recruiting process; and a reduction of delays in the security
screening process.
The report also provides a number of recommendations meant to improve the
recruiting incentive program and highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive
National Reserve Recruiting Policy.
"In order to meet the government's commitment to increase dramatically the size
of the Canadian Forces, the military recruiting system will be tested as it has
not been in decades," stated Mr. Côté. He added, "This includes having to
compete in an extraordinarily competitive labour market for the services of
skilled and talented Canadians. I believe that the recommendations in this
report will make a real difference in this regard."
In releasing his report, the Ombudsman acknowledged the progress that has been
made by the Canadian Forces in the area of recruiting in the past few months. He
highlighted, in particular, the implementation of Operation Connection in
January 2006, which assigns specific responsibilities to various organizations
within the military to support the current recruiting initiative.
The Ombudsman also recognized the excellent cooperation that the office received
throughout the investigation from staff at the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group
and from Canadian Forces Recruiting Centres across Canada. "Their generous
participation in our investigation allowed us to better understand the
recruiting process and to formulate what I believe are practical and useful
recommendations," stated Mr. Côté.
Additional information on the Ombudsman's special report can be found in the
attached backgrounder or online at the following address:
www.ombudsman.forces.gc.ca.
The special report, The Canadian Face Behind the Recruiting Targets, is also
available online at the following address:
www.ombudsman.forces.gc.ca.
For additional information, please contact:
Darren Gibb
Director of Communications
Office of the Ombudsman
Tel.: (613) 992-6962
Michelle Laliberté
Communications Advisor
Office of the Ombudsman
Tel.: (613) 995-8643
A Summary of Findings from
The Canadian Face Behind the Recruiting Targets
A Review of the Canadian Forces Recruiting System: From Attraction to
Enrolment
July 19, 2006
Given the priority placed on recruiting by the former government1 and the
intense competition that existed, and continues to exist today, for the services
of skilled Canadians, the Office of the Ombudsman proceeded with an examination
of the 573 complaints that had been received by the office on the issue of
recruiting. Following this examination, in the fall of 2004, the former
Ombudsman determined that a more thorough review of the Canadian Forces
recruiting process was warranted.
As part of the review, investigators assessed the ability of the Canadian
Forces to meet their recruiting targets; however, this was not an area of major
focus. Although there are specific military occupations that remain below their
target strength, the overall numbers indicate that the Canadian Forces
Recruiting Group is meeting (or coming very close to meeting) the Canadian
Forces' yearly recruiting objectives.
More significantly, the review focused on the way in which applicants were
treated from the time of their first contact with the Canadian Forces to the
point when they were enrolled, found to be unsuitable for military service, or
quit the process. This review of the recruiting system also included areas where
a perceived lack of effectiveness or efficiency on the part of the Canadian
Forces had a negative impact on applicants.
For the overwhelming majority of new applicants, the initial recruiting phase
is their first experience with the Canadian Forces. If this experience is
unsatisfactory for any reason, there is a strong possibility that an applicant
will discontinue the process. This could and does result in the loss to the
Canadian Forces of some of the most skilled and talented Canadians. At the same
time, applicants that have had an unsatisfactory experience with the recruiting
process are likely to discuss this with their friends, families and colleagues,
all potential recruits possibly lost to Canada's military. And, more broadly,
this experience will very likely shape the way in which the discouraged
applicant and many others views the Canadian Forces and the Government of
Canada as a whole.
In other words, meeting the established recruiting targets cannot and must
not be the only benchmark for the Canadian Forces. To be effective and
successful, and to attract the best and the brightest in Canadian society, the
military recruiting process must be viewed and managed as a client-driven
service. This review focused on evaluating the recruiting services provided to
Canadians.
As part of the overall review, the office selected 301 complaints that were
received between 2003 and 2005 for in-depth study. These complaints revealed a
number of potential systemic issues within the Canadian Forces recruiting and
selection process, including:
a lack of responsiveness on the part of some recruiters in their
dealings with applicants;
excessive delays in the recruiting process, particularly with the
medical assessment and security portions of the process;
difficulties with the transfer procedure between the Reserve and Regular
Force and vice versa; and
inconsistencies in the application of recruiting incentives or bonuses
being offered to potential recruits for specific military occupations.
In addition to these specific issues, a number of other areas of concern
emerged during the course of the review and are documented elsewhere in this
report.
In recent months, a number of events and activities have taken place that
have had a significant impact on this review and, more specifically, on the
findings and recommendations made by this office. In some cases, areas of
concern identified in earlier stages of this review have been addressed by the
Canadian Forces and, therefore, are not included here or are only included in
passing.
For example, in January 2006, the Canadian Forces implemented Operation
Connection, which assigns specific responsibilities to various organizations
within the Canadian Forces to support the current recruiting initiative. Among
other things, it recognizes that all Canadian Forces organizations must be part
of, and support, a successful recruiting drive. It also makes clear that
recruiting is vital to the Canadian Forces and that recruiters must be
recognized for their work.
On February 23, 2006, the Honourable Gordon O'Connor, Minister of National
Defence, announced that "increasing the strength of the Canadian Forces to at
least 75,000 Regular Force [from approximately 60,000] is a clear priority." He
added that the government also intends "to increase the Reserve Force by
10,000." In order to meet this commitment, the Minister stated that the
Department and the Canadian Forces would be expanding the existing recruitment
and training system.
Finally, on May 16, 2006, the Office of the Auditor General released a report
on the issues of recruiting and retention in the Canadian Forces. Among other
things, the report highlighted shortfalls in specific (generally technical)
military occupations; the growing competition to attract the best candidates;
delays related to the medical and security phases of the selection process;
issues related to advertising and attraction; challenges related to retention;
and broader issues related to strategic human resources planning in the
military.
The Office of the Auditor General and the Office of the Ombudsman have
identified a number of common concerns related to the military's recruiting
process. However, this review is focused more specifically on the way in which
applicants are treated by the military when they attempt to join the Canadian
Forces. It is focused on the Canadian face behind the recruiting targets.
Summary of Findings
Overall, I found that the Canadian Forces recruiting system is, for the most
part, meeting its recruiting targets. I am also encouraged by the emphasis
currently being placed on recruiting by Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff.
Indeed, I hope that recent initiatives implemented as part of Operation
Connection will be adopted as the standard for the Canadian Forces' approach to
recruiting in the future.
However, our review has also found that there is significant room for
improvement related to recruiting. I am concerned by the number of individuals
that my office has come across as part of this review who have quit the process
or were very close to quitting the process as a result of an unsatisfactory
experience during one of the recruiting phases. Of course, I am also concerned
by a number of specific issues raised by more than 300 complainants.
In order to ensure that it does not routinely lose talented Canadians
interested in a military career, the Canadian Forces must address a number of
problems in the current recruiting system. This becomes even more imperative
given the government's commitment to increase the size of the Regular Force to
75,000 members and to augment the Reserve Force by 10,000 personnel.
The area most in need of improvement is the level and quality of service that
is provided by recruiters to applicants. The recruiting system must become more
responsive to the people who are seeking information about a career in the
military. Maintaining regular contact with applicants must not only become a
priority for recruiting staff, it must become the norm. One applicant told
investigators: "I had to call the Recruiting Centre seven days in a row before
anyone called me back to give me an update on my file and every time I did call
I spoke to a different person. Eventually I just gave up. I now have a very good
job and no longer have any interest in joining the Canadian Forces."
In short, Recruiting Centres must become 'client focused' organizations. To
do this, the recruiting system must aggressively develop, implement, communicate
and monitor client service standards. If the quality of service provided to
applicants is not improved, the Canadian Forces will continue to fail to attract
the services of some of the most skilled Canadians.
This review also found significant discrepancies between the level of
responsibility that has been assigned to the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group
for recruiting and the authority that it actually has over the various aspects
of the overall recruiting process. It is difficult to hold the Commander of the
Canadian Forces Recruiting Group accountable for ensuring an effective
recruiting system when the Commander has little or no control over a number of
organizations that are instrumental to the system's success. Accordingly, I
encourage the Canadian Forces to examine the lines of command and control
associated with the recruiting process and, wherever possible, assign greater
control to the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group the organization that is
ultimately responsible for the overall process.
At the individual level, the review found that some Canadian Forces
Recruiting Group personnel did not adequately understand the policies that guide
various aspects of the recruiting process. I believe that a misinterpretation of
existing policies and a lack of operational direction in certain areas have led
to the loss of quality applicants and made it more difficult for the military to
meet its annual recruitment objectives. To address this, the Canadian Forces
Recruiting Group must develop simpler policies and ensure that their personnel
have a thorough understanding of all issues related to the recruiting process,
particularly recruit allowances and the security screening process. This would
help to ensure that applicants are provided with accurate and timely
information.
In terms of the security screening process, I am aware that Treasury Board
Secretariat is currently reviewing the Government of Canada Security Policy. The
Chief of the Defence Staff, through Operation Connection has asked the Vice
Chief of Defence Staff to formalize policy and procedural changes within the
organization with the aim of increasing demographic targets by reducing delays
in reliability checks for those applicants. This is a welcome change and it has
the potential to reduce lengthy delays, as well as the frustration that some
applicants face while waiting for their security checks to be completed. That
said, it is clear that Recruiting Centre staff must be better informed of
existing policies and procedures related to the security screening process so
that they can minimize delays and better communicate the reasons for those
delays to applicants.
The Canadian face behind the recruiting targets...
An individual who had immigrated to Canada (from Africa) in 1998 attempted to
join the Canadian Forces. He applied as a landed immigrant at his local
Recruiting Centre in the early months of 2001, completing a physical fitness
test and a security clearance form.
In 2002, the applicant moved from his original location to another region of the
country, and, as a result, had his file transferred to the Recruiting Centre
closest to his new home. Approximately seven months later, the applicant was
informed that the processing of his file would have to stop, as he had not
resided in Canada for the required five years. Although the applicant was
disappointed that he had not been advised of this policy when he had initiated
his application, his intent was to re-apply after he reached the five-year
threshold.
In December 2003, the applicant reached this threshold and he again applied to
join the Canadian Forces. As the process unfolded, he was informed by the local
Recruiting Centre that he would have re-do the security clearance process and
that it could take a year or more to complete.
Having become disillusioned with the process and frustrated with the amount of
time that he had already invested and would have to continue to invest, the
applicant lost interest in pursuing a career in the Canadian Forces.
Another area of frustration for applicants has been confusion and clear
inequities related to recruit allowances. This program is designed to attract
and enrol individuals with specific skills into Canadian Forces trades and
occupations that are experiencing a shortfall that cannot be corrected through
the normal recruiting process. While laudable and useful, this program has not
always been clearly communicated to applicants. Moreover, if an applicant's
process spans two fiscal years (e.g., the applicant starts the process in
December 2005 but is not formally enrolled into the Canadian Forces until May
2006), the allowance provided to the applicant may change considerably. In
essence, applicants may get a smaller allowance than the one that enticed them
to join the Canadian Forces. To correct this, I recommend that the current
policy of awarding an allowance based on the date when an applicant is enrolled
be changed to reflect the date when the application is initially received by the
Canadian Forces Recruiting Group. In addition, all offers of a recruit allowance
should be provided to potential recruits in writing, and in very easily
understood terms.
A significant number of complainants that contacted the office as part of the
review also raised concerns about lengthy delays associated with the medical
review process, as well as excessive delays in the transfer process from the
Reserves to the Regular Force. Both of these areas of concern were addressed by
the Canadian Forces during the course of this review through the implementation
of new policies and procedures. I will be monitoring very closely the
effectiveness of the actions that have been taken.
Finally, this review identified an urgent need for the development and
implementation of a National Reserve Recruiting Policy. Although there are some
very good Reserve recruiting practices in place, a number of areas need
attention, including significant inconsistencies and variations amongst the
three environments and across the country. The ad hoc system currently in
place is neither efficient nor is it adequate to meet the needs of the Canadian
Forces. Given the current operational demands on Canada's military, it is
absolutely crucial to have a Reserve Force that can shoulder more of the burden.
To do that, thousands of Reserves must be recruited. This will require a
national policy and a common standard.
In order to meet the government's commitment to increase dramatically the
size of the Canadian Forces, the recruiting system will be tested as it has not
been in decades. But even more importantly, in order to successfully compete for
the services of skilled and talented Canadians, and to ensure that the best and
the brightest are not lost due to unnecessary delays or poor communications, the
Canadian Forces recruiting system must be improved. I believe that the
recommendations in this report will make a real difference in this regard.
1. In September 2004, the former Minister of National Defence announced that the government intended to increase the size of the Canadian Forces by 5,000 new Regular Force members and 3,000 Reservists over a five-year period.
