Issue 9/03 – 24 September 2003
Dual role of Reservists benefits DND
By PO 2 Sebastian Thorp
Deputy Minister of National Defence Margaret Bloodworth
signed a statement July 16 reiterating Defence's commitment
to giving time off from military duty to Reservists who are also
public servants.
Ms. JoAnn Cunningham, a member of the Public Service and a Chief
Petty Officer in the Naval Reserve, instructs Leading Seaman Marty
Koharski during a physics tutorial at the CF Naval Engineering School
in Halifax.
By DND
“There is a significant number of employees
among the 20 000 civilian workers at National Defence who are also
Primary Reservists,” Deputy Minister Bloodworth said. “National
Defence recognizes that Reservists bring back to their civilian
workplaces unique and useful skills, and actively supports these
employees in their efforts to get time off for Reserve Force training
and operations.”
Reservist Chief Petty Officer, 2nd Class JoAnn Cunningham
is a civilian employee who has reaped the benefits of the strong
National Defence leave policy. For 20 years she has worked as a
civilian instructor at the CF Naval Engineering School in Halifax.
She has regularly taken advantage of the Treasury Board leave policy
for her military trades training and career progression at HMCS
SCOTIAN, where she joined in 1975.
“My military and civilian careers have operated
in tandem with each other,” says Ms. Cunningham. “By
taking leave from my job at National Defence, I have been able to
attend military leadership and logistics courses that have proven
valuable for my civilian work.”
She points out that human resource skills including
personnel evaluation, military writing procedures, and professional
development resulted in skills that were immediately transferable
to her career in the public service of Canada.
Chief Cunningham was one of 30 Res Force representatives
at the May 9 Federal Reserve Force Day ceremony in Ottawa. She witnessed
the signing ceremony wherein the Government of Canada showed renewed
commitment to public servants who are also Reservists.
“Both the Government of Canada and National
Defence signing events are very important for members of the Public
Service who are part of the Reserve Force,” she says. “Although
the support has been there for many years, it was my experience
that few people were aware of the regulations and even fewer took
advantage of them. This renewed support—and especially the
promotion of the Federal Government's commitment to granting
military leave for the Reserve Force—is a watershed event
that will strengthen the relationship between the department and
the civilian employees who are Reservists working within it.”
Visit www.cflc.forces.gc.ca
for more information about the Statement of Support and Federal
Reserve Force Day.
PO 2 Thorp is a PA Specialist with the CF Liaison
Council.
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