The Canadian Military at the crossroads

The Canadian Military at the crossroads
by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East

As a former serving member in the Canadian Forces, a veteran from the war in Afghanistan and a serving member for the entire 41st parliamentary session in the National Defence Committee in the House of Commons, I cannot stay silent on what is happening in the leadership of the Canadian Forces today.
Promotions often based on who you know rather than merit have become  routine in the forces, and this has generated most of the problems arising in the military today. A deterioration of the military ethos and ethical principles has created the monsters of today.
A fundamentally ignorant and complacent political establishment that is completely lacking in military experience, has significantly contributed to the creation, at the highest level, of a military leadership that has become a cast unto itself in knowingly promoting their own self interests.

During my own military career when I was deployed in Afghanistan as a military engineer, I noticed gross mishandling of taxpayers' money and faulty management both by the military and the public service. I mentioned this to my superiors' in daily meetings but what was a captain's word in view of a general's?
Then as a conservative member of the National Defence Committee I warned the then Minister of Defence, the Hon. Jason Kenney, with all risks assumed, to beware; blindly believing information the superior military leadership was relaying to him without the necessary confirmatory questions would be a mistake.

These inadequacies in leadership, both political and military, have lead to the current reality, and the men and women in uniform who serve the country with pride do not deserve this.
More than five years ago, an external review into sexual misconduct in the military was conducted and yet sexual misconduct remains a very serious and widespread problem among other issues, reaching the ranks of the head of the military.
Neither Conservatives nor Liberals are looking good in this story. General Vance was appointed under the Conservative government, while Admiral McDonald was appointed by the Liberal government.

But we really shouldn't focus only on party politics. To support the women and men in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), we should instead be focused on the long-standing and deep-seated problem of the contemporary military's deteriorating culture. This problem has gone unnoticed and unchecked for a long time.
These issues were left to deteriorate by a political leadership ignorant of military affairs. In 2013 I brought to the attention of the then chair of the defence committee and current conservative opposition critic on defence matters, an issue related to a female soldier in my riding who had been the victim of multiple abuses, including sexual misconduct. The issue was shelved and forgotten and I was not able to follow up. It was considered a minor problem.
The question remains: how a Defence Minister with a military background and in charge for years now, could have been ignorant about what goes on in the higher echelons of the Canadian Forces.

The question is also addressed to the leader of the conservative opposition who seems to tout his military experience for the purposes of self promotion, without ever really touching on the very serious problems in the military which need to be fixed urgently.
I have personally stated several times, both publicly and privately that the problems in the military start at the recruiting stage and this should be seriously addressed.

As the House of Commons National Defence Committee has recently begun its own study into "addressing sexual misconduct issues in the Canadian Armed Forces", the obvious question arises: how many members of the committee have any military service or experience to really understand where the current military culture stands and have access to classified documents.

The Canadian military gives priority to operational readiness, demanding from its members unlimited liability, universality of service, total dedication to work, uniformity, hierarchy, obedience, as well as loyalty to the group and mission before self.

The Canadian military then needs a comprehensive strategy that acknowledges its institutional role and responsibility in preventing sexual misconduct along with all other forms of discrimination and violence in exercising their mandate.

There are many political interests in play now, working to weaken our military. That is the wrong approach. It is important to re-establish the positive role that the armed forces have played in the history of our country. They are an important institution of our country and should remain that despite the serious problems that have arisen; which should be efficiently dealt with.

I strongly believe that the vast majority of serving members are dedicated to Canadian values and strongly advise against the temptation to generalize negative facts.

It is indeed unacceptable for superior officers to lack leadership and be morally weak. The fact that they exist raises the obvious question of why they were not better vetted when they were considered for promotion.

I sincerely believe that it is important to continue to trust our military and respect and support the men and women who serve our country with dedication and dignity.