17 janvier 2019 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre

Canadian military falling well short of its target for recruiting women

Murray Brewster · CBC News

New statistics also show efforts to bring in more Indigenous, visible minority recruits failing

The Canadian military has barely moved the needle on its ambitious plan to recruit more women, just over a year after the Liberal government introduced its gender-focused defence policy, new figures reveal.

The stated intention of Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance was to have women make up 25 per cent of the Armed Forces by 2025-26.

Statistics released by the Office of the Chief of Military Personnel show that while the number of female recruits coming through the door has increased slightly, it has not been enough to boost overall representation.

As of the end of April, women made up only 15.4 per cent of both the combined regular and reserve forces.

The story is the same for Indigenous Canadians and visible minorities — those recruitment numbers remain just as anemic as they have been for several years. Indigenous Canadians make up about 2.8 per cent of the Armed Forces; DND has set a goal of getting that share up to 3.5 per cent. Visible minorities make up 8.2 per cent; the target percentage is 11.8.

But the military and the Liberal government have more political capital invested in the effort to get more women into uniform. It's central to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's mantra of gender equality, and to Canada's desire to put women at the heart of a reformed international peacekeeping system.

The drive to recruit more women comes as the military attempts to overhaul its culture in the wake of a damning report in 2015 by retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps, who said a "sexualized culture" within the military was behind an endemic problem with sexual harassment and misconduct.

Female recruitment picking up — but slowly

There were 860 women enrolled in the military in the last fiscal year, which ended on March 31 — an increase of eight per cent over the previous year.

It's not enough, said the chief of military personnel.

"Those are still not meeting the number we need to have in order to meet the 25 per cent target and we're conscious of that," Lt.-Gen. Chuck Lamarre told CBC News in an interview.

The slow pace of female recruitment has forced senior brass to take more direct control, he said.

"We recognize it's going to take a much more disciplined approach, a much more targeted approach to go get more women, more visible minority and more Aboriginal folks to come join the Canadian Armed Forces," said Lamarre, who insisted the Armed Forces can still hit the target, which was first established in early 2016.

The direction from Vance back then had been to increase the representation of women in the forces by one per cent per year over a decade. The new statistics show the military has seen healthy increases in the number of women applying to be officers, or to join the navy or air force.

But National Defence is having a harder time convincing women to join the army, and to become non-commissioned members of the rank and file.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said it will take time, but there signs of change, notably the desire of women to become officers and leaders, a cultural shift that the DesChamps report said is necessary.

"As time goes on, I am confident we will be successful," Sajjan said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday morning from Vietnam. "We are very happy that we are recruiting women into leadership roles."

Lamarre said he believes the military is fighting against perceptions about the kind of career being offered.

"People have a tendency to self-select out before they give it a shot, and I think that's a mistake," he said, pointing to the military's struggle to get women to consider signing up for trades such as aircraft, vehicle and maritime mechanics.

"We are attracting more women into the officer corps, but I think we need to broaden that even more. Part of it is demystifying some of those occupations. Some of them look to be hard and exclusively centred towards men. That's not the case at all. We have some great examples of women who are operating in every occupation."

Military's image problem persists

Others — DesChamps among them — argue that the perception of the military as a tough place to be a woman hasn't gone away.

Despite the military's high-profile campaign to stamp out misconduct — known as Operation Honour — and the increasing number of sexual assault cases being tried in the military justice system, many say that little has changed when it comes to the macho nature of military culture.

"In the last three years, in my opinion, more could have been done" to stop harassment and make the military a more welcoming career choice for women, Deschamps told the Senate defence committee last week.

"What I have seen is, not a lot of progress has been made."

The federal government has faced two class-action lawsuits launched by survivors of sexual assault and misconduct in the military.

The cases entered settlement discussions last winter after it was revealed government lawyers filed a statement of defence that said National Defence "does not owe members of the Canadian Armed Forces any duty to protect them from sexual harassment and assault."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-military-falling-well-short-of-its-target-for-recruiting-women-1.4691356

Sur le même sujet

  • Les Forces armées canadiennes font don de 6,5 millions de dollars en équipement aux Forces armées libanaises

    16 mai 2023 | Local, Autre défense

    Les Forces armées canadiennes font don de 6,5 millions de dollars en équipement aux Forces armées libanaises

    Le 16 mai 2023 – Ottawa – Défense nationale / Forces armées canadiennes Le 26 avril 2023, les Forces armées canadiennes (FAC) et les Forces armées libanaises (FAL) ont tenu une cérémonie à Beyrouth, au Liban, au cours de laquelle 6,5 millions de dollars en équipement non létal ont été donnés aux FAL. L'équipement donné comprenait des raquettes, des bâtons de randonnée, des motoneiges, des trousses de premiers soins, des véhicules utilitaires, du matériel de neutralisation des explosifs et des panneaux solaires. Cet équipement soutiendra les FAL et s'ajoute à la formation que les FAC ont dispensée tout au long de l'année, y compris de la formation en secourisme au combat, à la coopération civilo-militaire et aux techniques de guerre hivernale. Depuis 2016, l'Équipe canadienne d’aide à l’instruction (ECAI-L) a fourni des dons d'équipement spécialisé aux FAL et a formé plus de 2 000 membres du personnel des FAL dans le cadre de sa mission durable de contribuer à la sécurité et à la stabilité dans la région, sous le mandat de l’opération (Op) IMPACT. L'ambassadrice du Canada auprès de la République du Liban, Stefanie McCollum; le commandant adjoint de l'Op IMPACT, le colonel Jay Lachine; le vice-chef d’état-major des opérations des FAL, le brigadier-général Hassan Jounieh; ainsi que plusieurs autres officiers supérieurs et sous-officiers des FAC et des FAL, ont assisté à la cérémonie de remise des dons. https://www.canada.ca/fr/ministere-defense-nationale/nouvelles/2023/05/les-forces-armees-canadiennes-font-don-de-65-millions-de-dollars-en-equipement-aux-forces-armees-libanaises.html

  • Defence Minister Bill Blair to visit the United Kingdom and Germany

    13 septembre 2023 | Local, Sécurité

    Defence Minister Bill Blair to visit the United Kingdom and Germany

    The Honourable Bill Blair will travel to the United Kingdom and Germany on his first international trip as Canada’s Minister of National Defence, from September 17-19, 2023.

  • Frigate design decision challenged in Federal Court, putting $60B program in limbo

    23 novembre 2018 | Local, Naval

    Frigate design decision challenged in Federal Court, putting $60B program in limbo

    Murray Brewster · CBC News Winning bid 'incapable of meeting three critical mandatory requirements,' says Alion Canada One of the losing bidders in the competition to design the navy's next generation of warships has asked the Federal Court to overturn the recent decision to award the contract to a group of companies led by Lockheed Martin Canada. Alion Science and Technology Corp. and its subsidiary, Alion Canada, asked for a judicial review on Friday — a challenge that could mean more delays to the $60 billion program. The company had pitched the Dutch-designed De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command (LCF) frigate as their solution for the Canadian navy. It's asking the court to set aside an Oct. 19 decision to select Lockheed Martin Canada the preferred bidder and to prevent the federal government from entering into negotiations with the company, which has offered up the BAE Systems-designed Type 26 frigate. In their court filing, Alion officials argue that the winning bid was "incapable of meeting three critical mandatory requirements" of the design tender. Notably, they say the Type 26 cannot meet the mandatory speed requirements set out by the navy and that both Public Services and Procurement Canada and Irving Shipbuilding, the yard overseeing the construction, should have rejected the bid outright. Alion said it "submitted a fully-compliant and conforming bid at enormous expense" and argued it "has been denied the fair treatment (it was) owed." The court application also points out that the design tender was amended 88 times during the 22 months it was under consideration and that the changes "effectively diluted the [warship] requirements" and allowed the government and Irving to select "an unproven design platform." Rising cost estimates Over two years ago, the Liberal government said it wanted to select a "mature design" for the new frigates, rather than designing a warship from scratch. Former public works minister Judy Foote said it would be a faster, cheaper solution. Unlike its two competitors, the Type 26 has yet to enter service with the Royal Navy and competitors have privately knocked it as "paper ship." Navantia, a Spanish-based company, was the other failed bidder. It headed a team that included Saab and CEA Technologies and proposed the F-105 frigate design, a ship in service with the Spanish navy. The Liberal government plans to build 15 new warships and hoped to get construction underway in the early 2020s. The program, which has been beset with delays and rising cost estimates, is intended to replace the navy's aging Halifax-class frigates, the backbone of the nation's maritime fighting force. Federal procurement officials had hoped to nail down a complete design contract with Lockheed Martin by the winter. The court challenge now puts that timeline in doubt. It also has enormous implications for Irving, which has been concerned about a slowdown in warship production between the current Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship program and the frigate replacements, which are formally titled 'Canadian Surface Combatants'. No one at Public Works or Lockheed Martin was immediately available for comment on Wednesday. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/frigate-design-decision-challenged-in-federal-court-putting-60b-program-in-limbo-1.4915501

Toutes les nouvelles