Review on Canadian Forces Recruiting Process Part 1

Background

In September 2004, the former Minister of National Defence announced that the government intended to increase the size of the Canadian Forces by 5,000 new Regular Force members and 3,000 Reservists over a five-year period.

Given the priority placed on recruiting by the government and the intense competition that existed, and continues to exist today, for the services of skilled Canadians, the Office of the Ombudsman proceeded with an examination of the 573 complaints that had been received by the office on the issue of recruiting. Following this examination, in the fall of 2004, the former Ombudsman determined that a more thorough review of the Canadian Forces recruiting process was warranted.

As part of the review, investigators assessed the ability of the Canadian Forces to meet their recruiting targets; however, this was not an area of major focus. Although there are specific military occupations that remain below their target strength, the overall numbers indicate that the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group is meeting (or coming very close to meeting) the Canadian Forces’ yearly recruiting objectives.

More significantly, the review focused on the way in which applicants were treated from the time of their first contact with the Canadian Forces to the point when they were either enrolled or found to be unsuitable for military service. This review of the recruiting system also included areas where a perceived lack of effectiveness or efficiency on the part of the Canadian Forces had a negative impact on applicants.

For the overwhelming majority of new applicants, the initial recruiting phase is their first experience with the Canadian Forces. If this experience is unsatisfactory for any reason, there is a strong possibility that an applicant will discontinue the process. This could – and does – result in the loss to the Canadian Forces of some of the most skilled and talented Canadians. At the same time, applicants that have had an unsatisfactory experience with the recruiting process are likely to discuss this with their friends, families and colleagues – all potential recruits possibly lost to Canada’s military. And, more broadly, this experience will very likely shape the way in which the discouraged applicant – and many others – views the Canadian Forces and the Government of Canada as a whole.

In other words, meeting the established recruiting targets cannot and must not be the only benchmark for the Canadian Forces. To be effective and successful, and to attract the best and the brightest in Canadian society, the military recruiting process must be viewed and managed as a client-driven service. This review focused on evaluating the recruiting services provided to Canadians.

As part of the overall review, the office selected 301 complaints that were received between 2003 and 2005 for in-depth study. These complaints revealed a number of potential systemic issues within the Canadian Forces recruiting and selection process, including:

* a lack of responsiveness on the part of some recruiters in their dealings with applicants;
* excessive delays in the recruiting process, particularly with the medical assessment and security portions of the process;
* difficulties with the transfer procedure between the Reserve and Regular Force and vice versa; and
* inconsistencies in the application of recruiting incentives or bonuses being offered to potential recruits for specific military occupations.

In addition to these specific issues, a number of other areas of concern emerged during the course of the review and are documented elsewhere in this report.

In recent months, a number of events and activities have taken place that have had a significant impact on this review and, more specifically, on the findings and recommendations made by this office. In some cases, areas of concern identified in earlier stages of this review have been addressed by the Canadian Forces and, therefore, are not included here or are only included in passing.

For example, in January 2006, the Canadian Forces implemented Operation Connection, which assigns specific responsibilities to various organizations within the Canadian Forces to support the current recruiting initiative. Among other things, it recognizes that all Canadian Forces organizations must be part of, and support, a successful recruiting drive. It also makes clear that recruiting is vital to the Canadian Forces and that recruiters must be recognized for their work. In announcing Operation Connection, the military released a Canadian Forces General Message (CANFORGEN) stating that “the Chief of the Defence Staff places tremendous importance on recruiting and strongly supports the emphasis being placed on selecting the best people to be recruiters and to reward them for this valuable service.” I believe that many of the measures announced in Operation Connection, if rigorously implemented, will contribute to addressing some of the major concerns identified by Ombudsman investigators.

On February 23, 2006, the Honourable Gordon O’Connor, Minister of National Defence, announced that “increasing the strength of the Canadian Forces to at least 75,000 Regular Force [from approximately 60,000] is a clear priority.” He added that the government also intends “to increase the Reserve Force by 10,000.” In order to meet this commitment, the Minister stated that the Department and the Canadian Forces would be expanding the existing recruitment and training system.

Finally, on May 16, 2006, the Office of the Auditor General released a report on the issues of recruiting and retention in the Canadian Forces. Among other things, the report highlighted shortfalls in specific (generally technical) military occupations; the growing competition to attract the best candidates; delays related to the medical and security phases of the selection process; issues related to advertising and attraction; challenges related to retention; and broader issues related to strategic human resources planning in the military.

The Office of the Auditor General and the Office of the Ombudsman have identified a number of common concerns related to the military’s recruiting process. However, this review is focused more specifically on the way in which applicants are treated by the military when they attempt to join the Canadian Forces. It is focused on the Canadian face behind the recruiting targets.

Table of Contents


Summary of Findings

Overall, I found that the Canadian Forces recruiting system is working, and that the military is, for the most part, meeting its recruiting targets. I am also encouraged by the emphasis currently being placed on recruiting by Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff. Indeed, I hope that recent initiatives implemented as part of Operation Connection will be adopted as the standard for the Canadian Forces’ approach to recruiting in the future.

However, our review has also found that there is significant room for improvement related to recruiting. I am concerned by the number of individuals that my office has come across as part of this review who have quit the process – or were very close to quitting the process – as a result of an unsatisfactory experience during one of the recruiting phases. Of course, I am also concerned by a number of specific issues raised by more than 300 complainants.

In order to ensure that it does not routinely lose talented Canadians interested in a military career, the Canadian Forces must address a number of problems in the current recruiting system. This becomes even more imperative given the government’s commitment to increase the size of the Regular Force to 75,000 members and to augment the Reserve Force by 10,000 personnel.

The area most in need of improvement is the level and quality of service that is provided by recruiters to applicants. The recruiting system must become more responsive to the people who are seeking information about a career in the military.
Maintaining regular contact with applicants must not only become a priority for recruiting staff, it must become the norm. In short, Recruiting Centres must become ‘client focused’ organizations. To do this, the recruiting system must aggressively develop, implement, communicate and monitor client service standards. If the quality of service provided to applicants is not improved, the Canadian Forces will continue to fail to attract the services of some of the most skilled Canadians.

This review also found significant discrepancies between the level of responsibility that has been assigned to the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group for recruiting and the authority that it actually has over the various aspects of the overall recruiting process. It is difficult to hold the Commander of the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group accountable for ensuring an effective recruiting system when the Commander has little or no control over a number of organizations that are instrumental to the system’s success. Accordingly, I encourage the Canadian Forces to examine the lines of command and control associated with the recruiting process and, wherever possible, assign greater control to the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group – the organization that is ultimately responsible for the overall process. Apart from this, it is critical that the lines of responsibility and authority for the military recruiting process be identified and/or clarified and communicated to all implicated organizations. Moreover, performance measurement procedures must be developed and implemented in order to monitor progress in a variety of areas, including communications between the various organizations involved in the recruiting process.

At the individual level, the review found that some Canadian Forces Recruiting Group personnel did not adequately understand the policies that guide various aspects of the recruiting process. I believe that a misinterpretation of existing policies and a lack of operational direction in certain areas have led to the loss of quality applicants and made it more difficult for the military to meet its annual recruitment objectives. To address this, the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group must develop simpler policies and ensure that their personnel have a thorough understanding of all issues related to the recruiting process, particularly recruit allowances and the security screening process. This would help to ensure that applicants are provided with accurate and timely information.

In terms of the security screening process, I am aware that Treasury Board Secretariat is currently reviewing the Government of Canada Security Policy. The Chief of the Defence Staff, through Op Connection, has asked the Vice Chief of Defence Staff to formalize policy and procedural changes within the organization with the aim of increasing demographic targets by reducing delays in reliability checks for those applicants. This is a welcome change and it has the potential to reduce lengthy delays, as well as the frustration that some applicants face while waiting for their security checks to be completed. That said, it is clear that Recruiting Centre staff must be better informed of existing policies and procedures related to the security screening process so that they can minimize delays and better communicate the reasons for those delays to applicants.

Another area of frustration for applicants has been confusion and clear inequities related to recruit allowances. This program is designed to attract and enrol individuals with specific skills into Canadian Forces trades and occupations that are experiencing a shortfall that cannot be corrected through the normal recruiting process. While laudable and useful, this program has not always been clearly communicated to applicants. Moreover, if an applicant’s process spans two fiscal years (e.g., the applicant starts the process in December 2005 but is not formally enrolled into the Canadian Forces until May 2006), the allowance provided to the applicant may change considerably. In essence, applicants may get a smaller allowance than the one that enticed them to join the Canadian Forces. To correct this, I recommend that the current policy of awarding an allowance based on the date when an applicant is enrolled be changed to reflect the date when the application is initially received by the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group. In addition, all offers of a recruit allowance should be provided to potential recruits in writing, and in very easily understood terms.

A significant number of complainants that contacted the office as part of the review also raised concerns about lengthy delays associated with the medical review process, as well as excessive delays in the transfer process from the Reserves to the Regular Force. Both of these areas of concern were addressed by the Canadian Forces during the course of this review through the implementation of new policies and procedures. I will be monitoring very closely the effectiveness of the actions that have been taken.

Finally, this review identified an urgent need for the development and implementation of a National Reserve Recruiting Policy. Although there are some very good Reserve recruiting practices in place, a number of areas need attention, including significant inconsistencies and variations amongst the three environments and across the country. The ad hoc system currently in place is neither efficient nor is it adequate to meet the needs of the Canadian Forces. Given the current operational demands on Canada’s military, it is absolutely crucial to have a Reserve Force that can shoulder more of the burden. To do that, thousands of Reserves must be recruited. This will require a national policy and a common standard.

In order to meet the government’s commitment to increase dramatically the size of the Canadian Forces, the recruiting system will be tested as it has not been in decades. But even more importantly, in order to successfully compete for the services of skilled and talented Canadians, and to ensure that the best and the brightest are not lost due to unnecessary delays or poor communications, the Canadian Forces recruiting system must be improved. I believe that the recommendations in this report will make a real difference in this regard.

I would like to acknowledge the excellent cooperation of personnel from the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group and from Canadian Forces Recruiting Centres. Their willing and generous participation allowed us to better understand the process and to formulate what I believe are valid recommendations.

Table of Contents


Introduction
Background

In September 2004, the former Minister of National Defence announced that the government intended to increase the size of the Canadian Forces by 5,000 new Regular Force members and 3,000 Reservists over a five-year period. This commitment was formalized with the release of the Defence Policy Statement, A Role of Pride and Influence in the World: Defence, in April 2005.

Given the priority placed on recruiting by the former government and the intense competition that existed, and still exists today, for the services of skilled Canadians, the former Ombudsman directed the Special Ombudsman’s Response Team to examine the 573 complaints that had been received by the office to that point on the issue of recruiting. Following this examination, in the fall of 2004, the Ombudsman determined that a more thorough review of the Canadian Forces recruiting process was warranted.

As part of this review, investigators assessed the ability of the Canadian Forces to meet their recruiting targets; however, this was not an area of major focus.

Over the past three years, more than 25,000 applicants have been processed by the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group annually. Out of this number, approximately 5,000 new Regular Force members and 3,000 Reservists have been enrolled each year. Although there are specific military occupations that remain below their target strength, the overall numbers indicate that the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group is meeting (or coming very close to meeting) the Canadian Forces’ yearly recruiting objectives1. Indeed, the Canadian Forces fully met its recruiting targets in 2005-2006.

The real focus of the review was on determining the way in which applicants were treated from the time of their first contact with the Canadian Forces to the point when they were either enrolled or found to be unsuitable for military service2. This review of the recruiting system also included areas where a perceived lack of effectiveness or efficiency on the part of the Canadian Forces had a negative impact on an applicant.

For the overwhelming majority of new applicants, the initial recruiting phase is their first experience with the Canadian Forces. If this experience is unsatisfactory for any reason, there is a strong possibility that an applicant will discontinue the process. This could – and does – result in the loss to the Canadian Forces of some of the most skilled and talented Canadians. At the same time, applicants that have had an unsatisfactory experience with the recruiting process are likely to discuss this with their friends, families and colleagues – all potential recruits likely lost to the Canadian military. And, more broadly, this experience will likely shape the way in which the discouraged applicant – and many others – view the Canadian Forces and the Government of Canada as a whole.

In other words, meeting the established recruiting targets cannot and must not be the only benchmark for the Canadian Forces. To be effective and successful, and to attract the best and the brightest in Canadian society, the military recruiting process must be viewed and managed as a client-driven service. This review focused on evaluating the recruiting services provided to Canadians.

As part of the overall review, the Special Ombudsman’s Response Team selected 301 complaints that were received between 2003 and 2005 for in-depth study. These complaints revealed a number of potential systemic issues within the Canadian Forces recruiting and selection process, including:

* a lack of responsiveness on the part of some recruiters in their dealings with applicants;
* excessive delays in the recruiting process, particularly with the medical assessment and security portions of the process;
* difficulties with the transfer procedure between the Reserve and Regular Force and vice versa; and
* inconsistencies in the application of recruiting incentives or bonuses being offered to potential recruits for specific military occupations.

In addition to these specific issues, a number of other areas of concern emerged during the course of the review and are documented elsewhere in this report.

In recent months, a number of events and activities have taken place that have had a significant impact on this review and, more specifically, on the findings and recommendations made by the office. In some cases, areas of concern identified in earlier stages of the review have been addressed by the Canadian Forces.

For example, in January 2006, the Canadian Forces implemented Operation Connection, which assigns specific responsibilities to the various organizations within the Canadian Forces to support the current recruiting initiative. Among other things, it recognizes that:

* all Canadian Forces organizations must be part of, and support, a successful recruiting drive;
* recruiting is vital to the Canadian Forces and that recruiters must be recognized for their work; and
* there is a requirement for increased funding for a national advertising campaign.

In announcing Operation Connection, the military released a Canadian Forces General Message (CANFORGEN) stating that “the Chief of the Defence Staff places tremendous importance on recruiting and strongly supports the emphasis being placed on selecting the best people to be recruiters and to reward them for this valuable service.” I believe that many of the measures announced in Operation Connection, if rigorously implemented, will contribute to addressing some of the major concerns identified by Ombudsman investigators.

On February 23, 2006, the Honourable Gordon O’Connor, Minister of National Defence, announced that “increasing the strength of the Canadian Forces to at least 75,000 Regular Force [from approximately 60,000] is a clear priority.” He added that the government also intends “to increase the Reserve Force by 10,000.” In order to meet this commitment, the Minister stated that the Department and the Canadian Forces would be expanding the existing recruitment and training system.

On May 16, 2006, the Office of the Auditor General released a report on the issues of recruiting and retention in the Canadian Forces. Among other things, the report highlighted shortfalls in specific (generally technical) military occupations; the growing competition to attract the best candidates; delays related to the medical and security phases of the selection process; issues related to advertising and attraction; challenges related to retention; and broader issues related to strategic human resources planning in the military.

The Office of the Auditor General and the Office of the Ombudsman have identified a number of common concerns related to the military’s recruiting process. However, the Ombudsman’s review is focused much more specifically on the way in which applicants are treated by the military when they attempt to join the Canadian Forces. It is focused on the fairness of the recruiting process from the perspective of the applicants.

1. In 2004-2005, the Canadian Forces’ Strategic Intake Plan called for a total of 1,368 new officers and 4,306 new non-commissioned members to be recruited. The Canadian Forces managed to recruit 1,294 new officers and 4,155 new non-commissioned members, resulting in a shortfall of only 235 or approximately four percent.

2. Of note, delays or challenges experienced by recruits related to the training system were not the subject of this review. The Minister of National Defence and others have raised publicly concerns regarding the capacity of the military training system to process significant numbers of new recruits.

Table of Contents


Methodology
Scope

The focus of this review was on determining the way in which applicants were treated from the time of their first contact with the Canadian Forces to the point when they were either enrolled, dropped out of their own volition, or found to be unsuitable for military service. It focused on the fairness of the recruiting process itself and on what most would consider to be reasonable expectations from the prospective of the applicant while going through the recruiting process. The review of the process also included areas where a perceived lack of effectiveness or efficiency on the part of the Canadian Forces had a negative impact on an applicant.

The review did not focus on the Canadian Forces’ ability to meet recruiting targets, nor did it include an evaluation of the various standards, such as medical, physical fitness or educational levels, required of applicants to be enrolled in the Canadian Forces.

This review also does not take into account developments or actions that have been taken by the Canadian Forces after March 31, 2006 – the point at which the investigation was concluded.

Table of Contents


Approach

The review of the recruiting process was conducted in five distinct phases:

1. Initial fact finding, including an extensive review of current recruiting policies and processes, a review of complaints, interviews with complainants, as well as interviews with military personnel from Recruiting Centres and Canadian Forces Recruiting Group Headquarters.
2. Detailed analyses of the assembled information and identification of the major issues to be investigated.
3. In-depth information gathering, detailed examination of specific polices and procedures, extensive interviews with complainants, interviews with Canadian Forces recruiting and training staff, and a review of other organizations’ recruiting practices, including foreign militaries and Canadian police and fire services.
4. Analyses of all information gathered.
5. Report writing.

As part of the review, investigators from the Office of the Ombudsman interviewed a total of approximately 250 individuals, including 35 complainants. In so doing, they visited Canadian Forces Recruiting Group Headquarters; 18 Canadian Forces Recruiting Centres; a variety of Regular Force units, including Operational Headquarters; Militia Brigade Headquarters; and Naval Reserve and Militia units.

Investigators also obtained and examined a large number of documents, including Canadian Forces Recruiting Group Directives, all applicable Canadian Forces General Messages (CANFORGENs), Department Administrative Orders and Directives (DAODs), the Recruiters Handbook, and various other instructions.

Throughout the review, the co-operation received from the Canadian Forces was excellent, particularly from those involved in the recruiting process itself.

Table of Contents


The Recruiting Process
Background
General

The Canadian Forces Recruiting Group is responsible for recruiting the allocated number of new personnel identified by the Annual Canadian Forces Strategic Intake Plan. Over the past three years, more than 25,000 applicants have been processed by the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group annually. Out of this number, approximately 5,000 new Regular Force members and 3,000 Reservists have been enrolled each year.
Recruit Process

The Canadian Forces recruiting process can be broken down into six distinct major sub-processes:

1. Attraction.
2. Application.
3. Processing, which consists of an interview, a medical evaluation, an enhanced reliability (security) check, and a physical fitness test.
4. Selection.
5. Employment offer.
6. Enrolment in the Canadian Forces.

These sub-processes are detailed below.

I. Attraction

Attraction is the first step in the recruiting process. Various promotional strategies are developed and implemented by the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group in order to inform potential applicants about employment opportunities that are available in the Canadian Forces. These include advertisements (and advertising campaigns) on the Internet, television, radio and in various print media outlets. They also include outreach programs that are carried out by the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centres throughout the country.

II. Application

The next step involves interested applicants completing an Employment Application Form in person at a Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre or completing an “E-application form” located on the Canadian Forces recruiting website. As part of the application process, applicants are required to provide documentation, including: a birth certificate; proof of citizenship (if applicable); educational transcripts; trade qualifications (if applicable); a social insurance number; letters of reference; and signed consent forms.

III. Processing

All Employment Application Forms for the Regular Force individuals are received, reviewed and assigned a specific competitiveness ranking using a system known as the Priority Processing Procedure. This ranking is arrived at through the use of a standard model that assigns a weight factor to a number of specific areas. These numbers are used to rate an applicant’s competitiveness for the military as well as their chosen military occupation. Once a Priority Processing Procedure score has been assigned, successful applicants are then required to complete a Canadian Forces Aptitude Test.

Interview

An interview is conducted to confirm the information supplied by the applicant in their Employment Application Forms and to explore other suitability criteria. Upon completion of the interview, a Military Career Counsellor briefs (verbally) the applicant and provides the applicant with a realistic understanding of their individual competitiveness standing compared to other candidates. A report is then written, complete with recommendations regarding the applicant’s suitability for the military and their chosen military occupation.

Medical Evaluation

Canadian Forces enrolment physicals are divided into three distinct parts. Parts one and two are conducted at local Recruiting Centres by a Physician’s Assistant, while part three consists of a file review and assessment by Medical Officers at the Directorate of Medical Policy in Ottawa.

Part one consists of a health questionnaire, preliminary tests and a review of an applicant’s medical history for prior medical conditions. Part two consists of a complete physical examination.

Local Recruiting Centres are authorized to enrol applicants if they successfully complete parts one and two of the medical evaluation. Medical files are then forwarded to the Director of Medical Policy for final review and evaluation.

Applicants that are not successful in either parts one and two must wait for their files to be evaluated by the Director Medical Policy at National Defence Headquarters to determine their suitability for enrolment in the Canadian Forces.

Enhanced Reliability (Security) Check

The Government of Canada Security Policy requires that any individual seeking employment in any federal department or agency of the government must undergo a reliability (security) check. Given the sensitive nature of the work performed by the military, the Canadian Forces requires that anyone applying to become a member successfully complete an Enhanced Reliability Check prior to enrolment.

Physical Fitness Test

All Canadian Forces applicants must successfully complete the Canadian Forces Minimum Physical Fitness Standard prior to being enrolled. Applicants are informed early in the recruiting process of this requirement and are provided with a brochure and/or a CD ROM that explains the standard as well as guidance on how to train for the test.

IV. Selection

All applicants are assigned a Military Potential rating (between 1 and 90) upon completion of the recruiting process. This rating is based on all of the information gathered during the recruiting process and is the result of a combination of factors, including the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test score, leadership potential, military potential, education and experience.

V. Employment Offer

Local Recruiting Centres contact successful applicants once the selection process is completed. Applicants are informed of their employment offer, planned enrolment date, course start date, and any other administrative details that might be required by the applicant to assist them in making their decision to accept or reject the employment offer. Unsuccessful candidates receive counselling regarding how they could improve their Military Potential rating and are encouraged to re-apply once they have upgraded their qualifications.

VI. Enrolment

Enrolment in the Canadian Forces can take place up to 21 days prior to the start of a recruit’s Basic Military Training Course.