Canadian Armed Forces ombudsman Gregory Lick is criticizing the military’s treatment of ill and injured reservists and Canadian Rangers, saying the organization is failing to address long-standing gaps for Canada’s part-time soldiers.
The ombudsman’s office originally discovered the deficiencies during four different investigations between 2015 and 2017, at which point the military pledged to act by putting nine watchdog recommendations into action.
However, the ombudsman’s office discovered that during the previous five or more years, none of the nine suggestions have been properly followed in a fresh report that was released late on Monday.
In an interview, Lick stated, “I’m sorry that they haven’t been able to implement or advance on all the proposals.
“There are nine recommendations out of the four reports, and none have been fully implemented.
The news comes as the military is experiencing a personnel crisis, with 10,000 open positions across the Armed Forces, or around one post for every ten. The intermediate levels have an especially severe shortage.
The situation has gotten so bad that Gen. Wayne Eyre, the head of the defence staff, issued a broad reconfiguration order earlier this month designating the military’s main priority as recruiting and retaining soldiers.
The retention of seasoned reservists and rangers who might otherwise put up their uniforms due to untreated illnesses and injuries, according to Lick, would be aided by addressing the issues outlined by his agency.
“If they wish to make movement and make great progress _ which they need to _ on reconstituting the Forces, the reserve force being a large elements of that, they have to get the foundation correct,” Lick said.
Making headway on our ideas will lay a stronger, more solid platform for reconstitution to proceed.
The ombudsman’s previous studies identified gaps in reporting, treating and compensating illnesses and injuries suffered by reservists and rangers, who operate primarily in the North on a part-time basis, as a result of their military duties.
These challenges include a lack of follow-up after reservists are sent out on military missions, a lot of red tape when requesting help or reimbursement, and problems with the military failing to communicate what assistance is available.
The information is released at a time when many reservists are being requested to step up for missions both domestically and abroad. That includes the recent deployment of about 700 part-time military personnel to Atlantic Canada after Hurricane Fiona.
Last week, senior commanders discussed the effects the current lack of full-time and part-time members of the Armed Forces is having on the military as a whole in a presentation to the House of Commons defence committee.
Lt. Gen. Eric Kenny, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, stated that “we are making difficult decisions about what we can do for operations.”
In order to prevent overstretching our people, “We are carefully looking at what capabilities we’re privileging over others. “
The military is not treating part-time soldiers better, according to the ombudsman.
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