Question Period Note: Diversity and Inclusion

It is clear that a lack of diversity in the Canadian Armed Forces is just one of the issues confronting this Government – what are they doing to increase representation of women, Indigenous Peoples, and visible minorities?

• National Defence is committed to building an inclusive and modern Defence Team that reflects Canada’s diversity, values, and culture.
• To this end, we are working hard to attract, recruit, retain, and promote more women, Indigenous Peoples, and visible minorities to all ranks.
• For example, we are prioritizing female applicants at military colleges and creating mentorship opportunities for female Officer Cadets.
• We have also created specific programs to increase Indigenous representation tailored to provide training and allow individuals to temporarily try a career in the military.
• We are conducting targeted engagement with communities across Canada to increase enrolment of under-represented groups in the Defence team.
• We will continue to work hard to build a Defence team where all members feel safe and protected.

Quick Facts

Recruitment in Regular and Reserve forces (excluding Rangers and Cadets):

• 2020-2021: 4,105 individuals joined, 22.7% of whom were women.
• 2019-2020: 10,040 individuals, 18.6% of whom were women.
  Women Recruitment:
  • 2020-2021: launch of “Women in the Forces” webpage providing experience and background information for women interested in joining the Defence Team.
  • 2019-2020: 40% of local attraction and outreach events were focused on women.
  Advisory Panel on systemic racism and discrimination:
  • The Minister’s Advisory Panel on systemic racism and discrimination will provide recommendations to identify and address this behaviour by December 2021.

*Background *

• Women, Minority, and Indigenous representation in the Canadian Armed Forces as of October 2021:

• Current Programs and Initiatives: National Defence already implements a broad range of proactive and targeted recruitment programs aimed at increasing the representation of women, visible minorities, and Indigenous Peoples in the Canadian Armed Forces. These programs and initiatives include:
  • Operation GENERATION, which was launched in 2018, is an ongoing mission to meet employment equity goals, reduce enrolment times, and modernize recruiting activities;
  • Several programs targeted at increasing recruitment of women, Indigenous peoples, visible minorities such:
    • The Aboriginal Entry Program, a three-week hands-on experience program for Indigenous Peoples who are considering a career in the CAF;
    • The Aboriginal Leadership Opportunity Year, a year-long, paid, academic program for Indigenous recruits at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario;
    • Multiple six-week paid summer training programs, which integrate Indigenous cultural teachings with military training, and provide participants with military qualifications upon completion;
    • Prioritization of applicants from under-represented groups for enrolment in the Canadian Armed Forces;
    • Prioritization of women applicants to Royal Military Colleges; and
    • Women in Force, a program that provides women with the opportunity to experience the military before joining.
• Employment Equity Plan 2021-2026: The Canadian Armed Forces produced its new Canadian Armed Forces Employment Equity Plan 2021-2026 to increase representation of the Designated Groups, which also includes the LGBTQ2+ community.
• Advisory Panel on systemic racism, discrimination with a focus on anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism, LGBTQ2 prejudice, gender bias and white supremacy:
  • On December 17, 2020, the Minister of National Defence created an Advisory Panel as part of National Defence’s efforts to support Indigenous, Black and People of Colour, along with the LGBTQ2+ community and women.
  • The Minister’s Advisory Panel is mandated to identify and address systemic racism and discrimination within the Defence Team and to provide advice and recommendations on how to eliminate systemic racism and discrimination, which impacts the recruitment, retention, and equality of opportunity.
  • The Panel is currently reviewing all existing programs and policies in order to provide recommendations on how the Defence Team can be more inclusive.
  • The Panel anticipates delivering its final report and recommendations to address the policies, processes, and practices that enable discriminatory behaviours within the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces to the Minister by December 31, 2021.
• Other Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives:
  • Dress Instructions Update – this will eliminate binary uniform and appearance choices, allowing Canadian Armed Forces personnel the freedom to choose the uniform that makes them most comfortable.
  • Inclusive Ranks in French – the Canadian Armed Forces is exploring feminized options for ranks in French (all ranks are currently exclusively masculine). Non-binary members would have the option to describe themselves as they wish.
  • Women’s Health Framework – this will aim to enhance women’s health care and increase knowledge of women’s health issues and topics within the military.
  • Post-natal Care – the Canadian Armed Forces has released its first Nursing and Pumping Policy, which requires all Commanding Officers to establish a lactation plan – including providing private, sanitary spaces – to support their members.
  • New Compassionate Leave Policy – this will allow members to request new types of leave to account for pregnancy loss, victims of family violence, and parents of young victims of crime, for example.
  • Training Needs Assessment – the Canadian Armed Forces will develop a holistic approach to address training and education requirements for all members related to professional conduct.

Responsible Principal: Military Personnel Command

Military Personnel Command