Seamless Canada: Getting more done with New Brunswick’s help

My opinion piece first appeared in the New Brunswick Telegraph Journal on 16 March 2023.

Members of the Canadian Armed (CAF) and their families experience unique challenges resulting from frequent relocations, which are part of the military lifestyle.

As Ombudsman for the Department of National Defence (DND) and the CAF, this is an issue of great interest for me and my staff. We addressed relocation issues in our 2013 report On the Homefront as well as our 2022 report Service versus Self.

The Seamless Canada initiative works to resolve some of these issues.

Seamless Canada was born in 2018 when the federal, provincial, and territorial governments came together in partnership with the CAF and the DND. The goal is to better coordinate services at all levels of government to ease the challenges that military families face when relocating.

While Seamless Canada has achieved much over the past five years, much work remains.

We continue to hear from our constituents about the unnecessary and stressful hurdles they face when they relocate. These problems include gaining access to government services, primary care providers and specialists, spousal or partner employment, childcare, specialized health care, and the list goes on.

I expect to hear more about these issues next week when I meet with members of the Defence community at CFB Gagetown.

As I told the Minister of National Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff, Seamless Canada will never reach its full potential until the Minister of National Defence, the Cabinet and caucus colleagues are directly involved. Subsequently, the federal Intergovernmental Affairs minister, Dominic Leblanc could ensure the First Ministers discuss the Seamless Canada initiative at their next conference. The Prime Minister and the First Ministers need to put words into action to improve the lives of military personnel and their families.

On the eve of my visit to Gagetown, I must acknowledge the progress New Brunswick has made with Seamless Canada. Mary Wilson, Minister of Service New Brunswick and Minister responsible for Military Affairs, co-chairs Seamless Canada. She continues to champion this initiative by exercising direct and sustained political engagement within.

The Seamless Canada Steering Committee, consisting of representatives from different levels of government, will meet in Gagetown and Fredericton in May 2023. I use my seat at the table to raise issues I hear about from members and their families on outreach visits, such as the one I am about to do in Gagetown. I hope that this meeting will advance tangible results to provide a better quality of life for military families.

By achieving the goals of Seamless Canada, we can address some of the deficiencies hampering recruitment and retention in the CAF. Implementing the Total Health and Wellness Strategy and pursuing Seamless Canada will alleviate the mobility challenges faced by military members and their families. After all, “military families are the strength behind the uniform.”

 

Gregory A. Lick

Ombudsman