Ombudsman Update: “On the Homefront: Assessing the Well-being of Canada’s Military Families in the New Millennium”

Ombudsman Message | 16 December 2019

In 2013, this office released On the Homefront: Assessing the Well-being of Canada’s Military Families in the New Millennium, an investigation into the well-being of military families in increasingly complex and challenging environments. The report made 18 recommendations aimed at improving the quality of life of Canadian military families.

Since that time, the Department of National Defence has undertaken several initiatives to provide better support to military families. These initiatives include Seamless Canada, aimed at ensuring a smoother transition for members and their families posted between provinces, and the Military Spouse Employment Initiative, which promotes spousal employment opportunities across Canada. Military Family Services has implemented a number of initiatives to empower and better support military families including an array of online resources on the CAF Connection website, 24/7 virtual counselling through the Family Information Line, and social media community groups intended to connect families with one another.

In 2018, Military Family Services developed a Comprehensive Military Family Plan aimed at stabilizing family life for CAF members and their families who face the unique day-to-day challenges associated with the military lifestyle. If implemented, this plan will improve the care and support services available to military families through modernized research, issue identification, and performance measurement.

We have continued to follow-up on the recommendations contained in the On the Homefront report. In our most recent follow-up, we were pleased to note that 16 of the report’s 18 recommendations were considered fully implemented. The final two outstanding recommendations are tied to specific action items that are set to be implemented by December 2020 as a result of recommendations outlined by the Office of the Auditor General. The Department will provide regular updates to the House Standing Committee on Public Accounts on the implementation of these two recommendations.

The well-being of families – both military and civilian within the wider defence community – remains important to me. Our office will continue to monitor the Department’s progress made on initiatives to improve the quality of life for military families, and we will continue to engage with senior leadership to further support family-related initiatives. Within the next year, we will also launch a new systemic investigation on current challenges affecting families of the defence community. We want to hear from you.

As always, if you are experiencing an issue affecting your well-being, we encourage you to contact our office through our website or at 1-888-828-3626.

Gregory A. Lick

Ombudsman