Other Funding Requests

• Our North, Strong and Free commits to building a data-driven organization capable of transforming data into actionable information that will allow for rapid decision-making and near real-time responses.
• The 2023-24 Departmental Plan also outlines the Department’s current objectives related to information management, including:
  • Leveraging Defence 365 to deliver a centralized, unified, cloud platform where information can be managed and accessed from anywhere;
  • Working with Government of Canada partners to ensure that information management solutions are secure, resilient, and recoverable from incidents in a timely manner; and,
  • Continuing to progress on the development of the Justice Administration and Information Management System, a real-time centralized military justice management and data-collection system, which will facilitate the administration of military justice.

Funding Request

• In these Main Estimates, National Defence is requesting $130.3 million to enhance and strengthen its digital capabilities.
• This includes funding for two key initiatives: Strengthening the Digital Backbone and Enhancing the Technical Foundation.

How Funding Will Be Spent:

Strengthening the Digital Backbone (SDB):

• $43.3M of funding for the SDB Initiative, which will advance digital culture and capabilities within National Defence. This includes funding to:
  • Hire up to 25 FTEs to establish the DND/CAF Artificial Intelligence Centre, build internal technical expertise in Data-Centric Security, and enable CAF digital workforce enhancements;
  • Develop digital Literacy curriculum development and facilitate courses as well as commercial digital upskilling;
  • Accelerate development and implementation of Pan-Domain Command and Control (C2) capability to maintain C2 interoperability with key allies including investment (in partnership with CSE) in a Level III cloud capability; and
  • Procure and deploy an enterprise catalog solution to enhance our defence data capabilities and strategic operational effectiveness.

Enhancing the Technical Foundation (ETF):

• $87M of funding for FY 24/25 to enhance the technical foundation within National Defence. This includes funding to:
  • Hire up to 74 new FTEs for FY 24/25. These positions are mainly internal services and add personnel to existing programs that have been historically underfunded. This includes IT service and support, which will reduce Help Desk wait times to acceptable levels.
  • Hire personnel and add to the reference levels of the newly created Joint Defence Cloud Program which maintains current and adopts new cloud capabilities across National Defence.
  • Allow the Cyber Security Engineering Program to assess digital security systems and provide departmental cyber security training and guidance to strengthen departmental cyber resilience.

Next Operational Milestone:

• Stand up of the DND/CAF Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre in June 2024, which will act as a hub of AI expertise and an accelerator for experimentation, testing, evaluation, and fielding AI.
• Planned reduction in IT Helpdesk support wait times from 45+ minutes to 15 minutes.
• Support to new Cloud capabilities across National Defence that will support classified and unclassified domains.

• The project aims to revamp the DHTC, home of JTF2, Canada’s lead counter-terrorism unit. The project will deliver the necessary infrastructure that will be specifically designed to support JTF2’s growth in personnel and capabilities, as well as enable specialized training to meet JTF2’s high readiness requirements.
• The scope includes the delivery of over 100,000 m² of new infrastructure, consisting of 22 buildings, renovation of seven existing facilities, and disposal of 80+ obsolete existing facilities.

Funding Request:

• In these Main Estimates, National Defence is requesting $133.4 million to support the construction of new facilities and recapitalize the existing ones at Dwyer Hill Training Centre (DHTC).

How Funding Will Be Spent:

• Construction of unit Headquarters (HQ) and squadron facilities.
• Ongoing design work for buildings slated for construction in later stages of the project.
• Civil site preparation (North and South sites).

Objectives:

• The project aims to revamp the DHTC, home of JTF2, Canada’s lead counter-terrorism unit. The objective is to deliver the necessary infrastructure that will be specifically designed to support JTF2’s growth in personnel and capabilities, as well as enable specialized training to  meet JTF2’s high readiness requirements.
• The scope includes the delivery of over 100,000 m² of new infrastructure, consisting of 22 buildings, renovation of seven existing facilities, and disposal of 80+ obsolete existing facilities.

Upcoming Milestones:

• First five south site buildings to include unit HQ and squadron.

Current State of Upgrades:

• Construction began in May 2023, with the aim of delivering site services including utilities, communications distribution systems, security fencing, access roads and pavements.
• The first two capabilities (ammunition storage and transit building) will be ready for handover by summer of 2025.

Economic Benefits

• Approximately 2,000 jobs will be created throughout the project, with as many as 250 to 300 people working on-site during peak construction periods.
• This project will include more than 150 sub-contracts to provide greater opportunities for local and smaller contractors to bid on work.
• Five percent of the value of all contracts are targeted for award to Indigenous businesses to create economic benefits for Indigenous Peoples.

• The Heyder Beattie settlement agreement makes up to $900 million available to compensate class members who experienced sexual misconduct in connection with their work.
• The agreement provides:
  • Compensation to claimants;
  • Payments for the administration of the claims process;
  • The option for claimants to participate in a restorative engagement program; and,
  • Several other measures aimed at culture change and addressing sexual misconduct in the CAF.

Restorative Engagement:

• The Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre’s (SMSRC) Restorative Engagement program provides supportive and facilitated restorative opportunities for Canadian Armed Forces and National Defence Sexual Misconduct Class Action Members to be heard and acknowledged, as well as for Defence Representatives to learn, understand, plan, act and lead as catalysts for change supporting the Institution to address sexual misconduct.
• Participation in the program is voluntary and engagements are facilitated by trained Restorative Practitioners.

Funding Request:

• In these Estimates, National Defence is requesting $98.2 million, including $80 million for financial compensation, for the Heyder Beattie Settlement.

How Funding Will Be Spent:

• Claim payouts for additional late claims filed ($80M), as well as administration costs for the Court-appointed Administrator and Assessors ($8.2M).
• Personnel costs for the Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre, Restorative Engagement program ($10M).

Objectives:

• The Settlement provides up to $900 million for individual compensation to eligible class members, and the compensation amounts depend on how many class members submit claims.
• The range of individual compensation for eligible class members is between $5,000 and $55,000, and class members who experienced long-lasting serious harm may be eligible for amounts up to $155,000.

Next steps:

• Court-appointed Assessors, in collaboration with the Administrator and Canada, are processing all remaining applications with the goal to complete most, if not all, assessments by the fall of 2024.

Work done to date:

• By the final submission deadline of February 6, 2023, the Court-appointed Administrator – Epiq Class Action Services Canada Inc. – received applications from more than 25,000 claimants.
• As of April 24, 2024, more than 22,000 claims have been approved for initial payment and/or paid.

Key Milestones:

• January 2023: The Federal Court ruled that late claim requests meeting certain criteria could be accepted until 6 February 2023. For those late claims received by the deadline, the Claims Administrator will make a determination on eligibility in accordance with the Court’s order.
• December 2021: The Treasury Board approved access to $66.56 million over five years for National Defence to implement the Restorative Engagement program within the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre (now the Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre).
• On December 13, 2021, the Minister, DM, and CDS issued the DND/CAF Apology to Persons Affected by Sexual Misconduct.
• 2019: The parties involved in these class actions, now known collectively as Heyder-Beattie, negotiated a Final Settlement Agreement that was signed in July 2019, and approved by the Federal Court on November 25, 2019.
• 2016 – 2017: Several former CAF members filed class action lawsuits, claiming damages for gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual assault in connection with their military service and/or employment with the Department of National Defence and/or Staff of the Non-Public Funds and Canadian Armed Forces.