Vanguard Magazine

14 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 www.vanguardcanada.com SECURITY equity seeking groups. Culture change is a whole-of-defence endeavour and the feed- back of Defence Team members matters. This feedback, along with external reviews and subject matter expert inputs, is proving instrumental in informing a DND/CAF culture evolution framework and strategy that is currently under development. This dialogue is ongoing. Departures The Canadian military is facing its high- est attrition rate in 15 years while the Canadian economy is struggling to fill jobs. Canada ended 2022 with another blockbuster employment report with over 104,000 new private-sector jobs created in December - representing an important ex- pansion in the supply side of the economy. Last year, Canada's population grew by nearly 500,000, employment rose by close to 400,000, and the labour force expanded by almost 200,000. We face an increasingly competitive la- bour market and we're already starting 2023 knowing that we will need more than a decade to get the numbers of soldiers, sailors, aviators, and operators back up to needed levels. The vacancies are most acute in military health-related jobs, which is not surprising given the nation-wide shortage and challenges in this field. We also have a few trades that have dropped to "critical staffing" levels. The exodus started long before the pan- demic or the sexual misconduct crisis and has since picked up pace due to many factors outside of our control, like baby boomers exiting the workforce. We contin- ue to work on our posture as an employer of choice, such as current work to improve support to families with affordable hous- ing. And our fight for talent will include other supports to members and their fami- lies. We know how important this is. Recruitment A year ago, a poll of more than 3,000 Ca- nadians in preparation for the 100th an- niversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force yielded some sobering numbers: 58 per- cent of respondents said they were not at all likely to join the RCAF and another 21 percent said they were not very likely to join. The same trend carried through for the Army: 57 percent not at all likely to join and 22 percent not very likely. It was even worse of the Royal Canadian Navy: 61 percent not at all likely to join and 22 percent not very likely. It didn't explore our hiring needs to defend Canadian inter- ests in cyber space and near-orbital space. Chief Military Personnel's team is forg- ing a new approach to understanding our attrition, in particular unhealthy attrition, and doing targeted retention as part of its Retention Strategy, not to mention its To- tal Health and Wellness Strategy. Once Canadians become aware of these, and other reforms both planned and un- derway, we are confident that more will consider the CAF as a career option. In the meantime, we need a whole-of-society ef- fort to raise awareness of the benefits that come from service to one's country and help us bring the Defence Team back to where it needs to be to meet current and emerging threats. How the CAF is preparing The CAF is developing a reconstitution plan intended to unfold over the next de- cade to bring in people fit for purpose so occupations vital to the Defence Team's effectiveness are filled at proper levels. We have around 10,000 unfilled positions right now, and it is projected to get worse before it gets better. These shortages are affecting our current ability to respond around the world. Our polling in 2022 showed many potential CAF recruits were deterred by the idea of moving away from family and/ or moving frequently. We heard you and we're working on it. What worked in the past will not be what makes us successful in the future. We are at a time where a shift is required in the "how'' we conduct ourselves, "how'' we exercise leadership, and "how" we under- stand power and authority. Above all else, our Defence Team is a human organiza- tion. This shift is required to leverage the full potential of our people so we remain a force Canadians can rely on to protect their interests at home and abroad. Call to Action The CAF that I joined proved to me that it can adapt and transform. I enlisted three years before all military occupations opened up to women and by the time my education was done, I was commissioned into the Canadian Military Engineers just one year after combat roles like these ad- mitted women. The CAF will continue adapting and transforming because the citizens it serves demand it and our times require it. If we are to succeed in our mission of de- fending Canada's tolerant, inclusive, and participative democracy, we need to recon- stitute our Defence Team into an organiza- tion that draws on all groups of Canadians who fit the purposes we need them to per- form. I experienced a major CAF transfor- mation when I joined, and my team and I intend to design and deliver another trans- formation that will shore up the defences of the core values the bind us all as Canadi- ans. We need you to spread the word that the CAF of today and tomorrow is open to all Canadians who are interested in joining. We need your active support in what is a whole-of-society initiative. Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan, Chief of Professional Conduct and Culture, Canadian Armed Forces Operation REASSURANCE ATF-R at the Mihail Kogalniceanu (MK) Air Base in Romania, November 25, 2022. Photo: DND

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