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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ombudsman finds military decisions too often overlook soldiers’ needs

OTTAWA (June 18, 2002) – The Ombudsman for National Defence and the Canadian Forces, André Marin, released his 2001-2002 annual report today. According to the report, the Canadian Forces must improve the quality of life of its members in order to successfully recruit new personnel and maintain those who are currently serving.

The most common complaints received by the Office of the Ombudsman involve quality of life issues, such as the allocation of benefits, harassment, and the posting of members. “With the increase in deployment and the uncertainty of troubled times comes immense stress on resources, but more importantly, on individuals and their families,” Marin writes in his opening message.

“Time and again, my Office steps in to make sure the ‘little guy’ doesn’t get lost in the shuffle,” Marin said. In some cases, CF members had become so disheartened by their struggles with the organization that they wanted to leave the Forces – until Ombudsman staff intervened to resolve the problem. Case summaries included as part of the Ombudsman’s report tell the story of Canadian Forces (CF) members struggling to balance military commitments with the care of sick family members, trying to get adequate treatment for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and fighting to ensure fair treatment in administrative matters.

A significant change to the Ombudsman’s mandate now allows his Office to investigate complaints from people applying to become members of the CF. “We got a significant number of complaints about recruiting last year, which bears out our efforts to make sure applicants had a place to turn if they ran into problems at the recruiting stage,” Marin said.

“Recruitment and retention are burning issues for the CF,” Marin added. “My Office’s success in resolving problems that threaten the morale and quality of life of our members is vital to keeping the Forces strong and proud.”

The Ombudsman is a neutral sounding board, mediator, investigator and reporter on matters related to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces (DND/CF). His role is to contribute to substantial and long-lasting improvements in the welfare of employees and members of the DND/CF community. The Ombudsman reports directly to the Minister of National Defence and is independent of the chain of command.

The report is available in its entirety on-line at .

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