Recruitment and Retention

Key Facts

Details

Current Programs and Initiatives

• National Defence 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, an ongoing mission to meet employment equity goals, reduce enrolment times, and modernize recruiting activities;
  • The Canadian Armed Forces Indigenous Entry Program, a three-week hands-on experience program for Indigenous Peoples who are considering a career in the CAF;
  • The Indigenous Leadership Opportunity Year (ILOY) provides Indigenous participants with exposure to the CAF military and academic disciplines. Enrolled and paid as Officer Cadets, participants experience university-level educational and leadership opportunities at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario;
    • It is the only Indigenous program focused on developing potential officers. Participants are enrolled into the Regular Force as Officer Cadets;
  • Multiple six-week paid Primary Reserve Indigenous Summer Programs, which integrate cultural teachings with military training.
    • Participants who successfully complete a program are granted the CAF Army Reserve Basic Military Qualification.
• Work is also underway to improve the CAF’s employment model and provide flexible career options, such as:
  • component transfers (Regular Force to Primary Reserve and Primary Reserve to Regular Force);
  • flexible or interim work policies; and
  • modernizing the nature of full-time and part-time employment within the CAF.
• Seamless Canada Initiative: Aims to enable cooperation between National Defence and provinces and territories to help military families relocate more seamlessly between the provinces and territories.
• Permanent Residents: The Canadian Forces Recruiting Group accepts trained applicants from foreign militaries. These applicants include pilots, logistics officers, infantry officers and other skilled professionals, who may become enrolled in the CAF if they have permanent resident status in Canada.
• The intent is to broaden the pool to enable other permanent residents, who meet the same criteria as Canadian citizens to enroll in the CAF as new recruits or officer cadets.
• The Chief of the Defence Staff signed a document on October 18, 2022, that reinforces existing policy and designates authority to the Commander Military Personnel Command and the Commander Canadian Forces Recruiting Group for the enrolment of a citizen of another country who has permanent resident status under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
• Naval Experience Program: The Naval Experience Program (NEP) is a recruiting program offered by the Royal Canadian Navy, open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents between the age of 16-57.
• NEP offers Canadians the opportunity to experience Navy as a sailor on a one-year contract and provide them with exposure to a variety of naval trades before deciding if a career in the Navy is the right fit for them.
• Participants receive the same pay and benefits as any other CAF recruits.
• After the one-year contract, participants can choose to continue to serve with the RCN, either full-time or part-time, transfer to another element, or leave the RCN.

Other Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

• Other diversity and inclusion initiatives include, but are not limited to:
  • Dress Instructions Update – this has eliminated binary uniform and appearance choices, allowing CAF personnel the freedom to choose the uniform that makes them most comfortable.
  • Inclusive Ranks in French – French versions of all designations of ranks now have official Gender Inclusive equivalents.
  • Women’s Health Framework – this aims to enhance women’s health care and increase knowledge of women’s health issues and topics within the military.
  • Post-natal Care – the CAF has released its first Nursing and Pumping Policy, which requires all Commanding Officers to establish a lactation plan to support their members.
  • Compassionate Leave Policy – this allows members to request new types of leave to account for pregnancy loss, family violence, and parents of young victims of crime, for example.
  • Training Needs Assessment – the most recent Training Needs Assessment addressing professional conduct was conducted in 2020. Results are being reviewed to develop an implementation plan.

Canadian Armed Forces Retention Strategy

• On October 6, 2022, National Defence released the Canadian Armed Forces Retention Strategy, which is composed of three elements:
  • Better understanding the drivers that impact/hinder retention rates;
  • Outlining key considerations from leadership responsibilities, to flexible policies to effective communication; and
  • Identifying concrete levels of effort to guide a deliberate approach to this problem-set, including strengthening governance.

Canadian Forces Housing Differential

• The CFHD will replace the Post Living Differential and will take effect on July 1, 2023.
• The CFHD is TBS-mandated, and the result of significant deliberation by the DND, CAF and TBS to establish a policy that respects the allotted annual budget for this differential, while focusing on assisting those CAF members who require housing assistance most.
• The CFHD is focused on lower-salaried members in exceptionally expensive locations, such as Victoria and Toronto.
• It is estimated that about 28,000 Canadian Armed Forces members will qualify for the new housing benefit.