Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman Gregory Lick criticizes the military’s treatment of sick or injured Canadian reservists and rangers, saying it fails to address longstanding shortcomings to part-time Canadian soldiers.
These shortcomings were first identified by the Ombudsman’s office in four separate inquiries conducted between 2015 and 2017; the military then promised to act by implementing nine follow-up recommendations.
But in a new report released Monday evening, the Ombudsman’s Office found that none of the nine recommendations had been fully implemented in the past five years.
“I am certainly disappointed that they have not been able to take action or make progress on all the recommendations,” Gregory Lick said in an interview. “There are nine recommendations out of the four reports and none have been fully implemented. “
The Ombudsman’s report comes as the military grapples with a staffing crisis, with around 10,000 vacancies, representing roughly one in 10 positions. The shortage is particularly acute in the middle ranks.
The situation became so dire that Chief of Defense General Wayne Eyre issued an order in early October that made recruiting and retaining personnel the Army’s top priority.
Addressing the issues identified by his office would aid these efforts, Ombudsman Lick said, in particular by detaining experienced reservists and rangers who might otherwise hang their uniforms due to untreated illness and injury.
“If they want to make a move and make the big moves – they need – on Force Replenishment, the reserve force is a big part of that, they have to have the right foundation. Making progress on our recommendations will provide a firmer and better foundation for moving forward with refueling, ”she said.
Previous Ombudsman studies have identified gaps in the reporting, treatment and compensation of illnesses and injuries suffered by reservists and rangers, who mainly operate in the North on a part-time basis, due to their military duties.
Shortcomings include a lack of follow-up after reservists deployed for military duties, excessive bureaucracy in requesting help and compensation, and problems with the military not communicating on available help.
The update comes when many reservists are asked to step up their missions both in Canada and abroad. This includes the recent deployment of approximately 700 part-time military personnel to Atlantic Canada following post-tropical storm Fiona.
Last week, senior commanders spoke with members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defense about the impact of the current shortage of full-time and part-time members of the Canadian military on the military.
“We are making tough choices about what we can do for operations,” said Lieutenant General, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Eric Kenny.
