Letter to MND: Ombudsman launches a systemic review into military complaint mechanisms

11 August 2023

 

The Honourable Bill Blair, P.C., C.O.M., M.P. 

Minister of National Defence 
Department of National Defence and The Canadian Armed Forces

National Defence Headquarters 
101 Colonel By Drive, 
13th Floor, North Tower 
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K2

 

Dear Minister Blair,

I wish to inform you that my office will be launching a systemic review into military complaint mechanisms available to Canadian Armed Forces members. 

My office has monitored Canadian Armed Forces complaint mechanisms for more than a decade, noting only slow progress. Our reviews and published reports, as well as those of external independent reviews, have highlighted critical shortcomings. As CAF Reconstitution efforts are ongoing, military complaint mechanisms are one of the tools that enable decision-makers to effect systemic change and to modernize personnel policies.

Our review will complement the other ongoing initiatives within the Canadian Armed Forces. It will focus on two areas which we have selected based on constituent case files and inquiries to our office. We will examine how the CAF handles health care complaints to identify instances of potential unfairness and inequity resulting from the lack of a formal health care complaint process for CAF members. We will also examine the scenarios where members have limited or no rights to grieve, such as areas under the sole authority of Treasury Board. We want to pinpoint areas of concern resulting from a lack of recourse mechanisms and we will also assess the impact on affected CAF members.

Alongside these reviews, my office will publish web and social media content to help members make informed decisions when using the CAF complaint mechanisms.

I look forward to working closely with the Canadian Armed Forces responsible authorities during this review. We aim to publish the results of the review in 2024.

Sincerely,

 

Gregory A Lick 
Ombudsman