Canadian Forces considering bonuses to keep soldiers from leaving: document

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The Canadian military needs extra money for retention bonuses to keep certain staff from leaving, according to a briefing for the chief of military personnel.

The plan to reconstitute the Canadian Forces requires a series of changes ranging from reducing the time for security checks for new recruits to improving military housing, health care and compensation, according to the October 2024 briefing for Lt.-Gen. Lise Bourgon.

Under the heading, “additional resources sought,” is the requirement to bring in “Retention Bonus (specific occupations).”

The briefing, which was provided to the Ottawa Citizen by military staff, does not specify a timeline for such bonuses or identify the specific jobs that should be considered for any funding for bonuses if that is approved for the military.

The Department of National Defence did not comment on the issue of the retention bonuses.

Although the Canadian Forces doesn’t have retention bonuses, the military does offer various extra pay or allowances for those in particular jobs or handing specific duties. In addition, it does provide extra payment to recruit individuals with particular skills.

But various western militaries, facing personnel shortages, have been using retention bonuses to entice individuals to continue to stay in the ranks.

On Nov. 22, 2024 the British government announced bonuses equivalent to $54,000 for aircraft engineers who sign up for an additional three years of military service. Privates and lance corporals who have already served four years would be eligible for a new retention bonus which is the equivalent of $14,000.

An internal U.S. Air Force memo, recently leaked online, noted that 89 key occupations would be eligible for retention bonuses in 2025. Those bonuses range from the equivalent of $260,000 to $520,000. The retention money is aimed at a variety of jobs, including specialized maintenance crews to Chinese language analysts.

The briefing for Bourgon, however, noted the challenges the Canadian military faces including obtaining support from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat for any proposed initiatives. The document asked “How to get funding for people initiatives?” But it did not provide any answers.

The document also noted that efforts to manage and retain military personnel should include ensuring career flexibility across various occupations in the Canadian Forces and supporting military personnel and their families. Also important, it added, is “Merit-based promotions and assessments that are impartial, transparent and perceived as such.”

The briefing pointed out that the Liberal government’s defence policy includes a review of compensation and benefits for Canadian Forces personnel but added that is “unfunded/not resourced.”

The Liberal government and military leadership has talked about rebuilding the Canadian Forces in what has been called a reconstitution effort. The goal is to at least rebuild the ranks to 71,500 in the regular?force and?30,000 in the primary?reserves, according to a Department of National Defence results report released Dec. 17.

The current authorized strength of the Canadian Forces regular ranks is 71,500, said Department of National Defence spokesman Kened Sadiku. But as of November 15, 2024, the total strength of its regular force was actually at 63,940, he confirmed.

In April 2024, a top advisor to the chief of the defence staff warned that Canada’s soldiers were leaving the ranks?because of toxic military leadership.

Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer Bob McCann flagged his concerns during an April 23 meeting in which he appealed for changes in how leaders dealt with lower ranks.

Job dissatisfaction and repeated moves to new locations across the country have been cited in past military reports as the top reasons that Canadian Forces personnel leave.

But McCann, who advises the chief of the defence staff on issues relating to non-commissioned members, said personnel weren’t just quitting because they were being moved to locations they did not want to be.

“A lot of our members leave this organization not necessarily because they are not going where they want to be,” he explained to the audience of officers during a virtual town hall. “They leave because of toxic leadership or bad leadership. This is one aspect that we need to address if we are going to support our members better as they serve.”

Defence Minister Bill Blair, in his message included in the Dec. 17 DND results report, heralded the reconstitution initiative. “The Defence Team is making progress accelerating the recruiting process, and we are continuing to do more to rapidly address the gap between the CAF’s current and authorized force size,” he said.

But the same departmental results report contradicts Blair’s claims about the various measures and how they have contributed to the initiative. “Despite these measures, reconstitution efforts were not as successful as anticipated,” the report added.

No explanation was provided about the disconnect between Blair’s message and the report’s findings.

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here:?ottawacitizen.com/subscribe