Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee members, ladies and gentlemen, it's a pleasure to be here today to discuss the proposal to terminate mandatory retirement and its effect on the Canadian Forces.
As written, the bill would repeal paragraph 15(1)(b) of the Canadian Human Rights Act, which authorizes mandatory retirement once an individual reaches a maximum age provided by law or regulation. Repealing this paragraph would pose a significant challenge to the Canadian Forces operational capability, not to mention to the efficient management of military personnel and cost containment.
The question of mandatory retirement is both important and complex. This is particularly true for the Canadian Forces. The Canadian Forces reflect Canadian society as a whole, and we are thus bound to also follow its social evolution. We must embrace change, and make along the way innovative and strategic decisions. However, the Canadian Forces must also ensure that the ability to fulfill its mandate is not compromised.
As you know, the Canadian Forces are a unique employer. We must deliver on our core mandate, that is, readiness to undertake any mission, either domestic or overseas, in order to protect Canadian interests and the population. People, as always, are the core of this ability. It is our people who ultimately determine our success or failure. The Canadian Forces human resource management is unique in that it rests solely on the hiring of recruits, both officers and non-commissioned members, and then trains and develops them along a career path to become the senior leaders of the organization.
In other words, we do not hire mid-level or senior management from the street. We grow our own from the bottom up. This requires a continuous flow of personnel to ensure appropriate experience and expertise throughout all rank levels. Stagnation at any level negatively affects the entire personnel management structure, particularly if this occurs at the senior ranks. It also affects the operational expertise flow to those specific senior positions. We need leaders who are skilled and experienced but who are also current with the ever-evolving operational and strategic knowledge of the time.
A second aspect is that the Canadian Forces is governed by the principle of universality of service. Each member of the Canadian Forces must, at all times and under any circumstances, carry out any functions that they may be required to perform, above and beyond the duties of their occupational specification. This includes the obligation to carry out military duties, such as combat, under extremely dangerous circumstances. In simpler words, we are all soldiers, sailors or airpersons first, and workers in our specific trades after. In operations, all individuals are called upon to pick up a weapon and participate in the fight; nobody stands back. Other federal government employees or members of the general public are not required to carry out this important duty.
These unique characteristics of the Canadian Forces require a special approach to human resource management. To maintain a homogeneous and effective combat force, the Canadian Forces must apply a mandatory retirement age to ensure a steady supply of personnel with the current knowledge and experience required at each level. As I mentioned earlier, fighter pilots, submariners, and tank commanders cannot just be hired overnight. These people must devote many years to mastering their occupations within the Canadian Forces structure. These are men and women we are counting on to become our future leaders.
Removing mandatory retirement age will result in the Canadian Forces not being able to manage the succession planning efficiently and effectively, creating stagnation and greatly affecting the effectiveness of the entire fighting force, and thus the mandate of the Canadian Forces in protecting Canada, its values, and its interests.
The alternative to a mandatory retirement age would be to develop bona fide occupational requirements particular to each of the ranks and hundreds of occupations and specialties in the Canadian Forces, in order to ensure that individual age does not affect the ability to perform the specific function at the time, and then administering the testing of individuals on a one-by-one approach on a regular basis, as well as prior to any particular assignments. The burden of such administration and the time resources on the force itself would again negatively impact on the operational effectiveness of the entire force.
Moreover, the longer members serve, the more wear and tear they incur from the rigorous physical and psychological demands of military service. And thus, the greater the risk will be of individual performance failures, whether physical or psychological, with their attendant adverse consequences on mission success and the health and safety of others.