Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
I want to once again thank you for inviting representatives from this office to appear before your committee to discuss issues that are pertinent to current and former members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families.
Joining me today are Robyn Hynes, Director General of Operations, and Amanda Hansen-Reeder, Acting Director, Systemic Investigations. Both Ms. Hynes and Ms. Hansen-Reeder were actively involved in the development of the report, and if I can't answer your questions, they can.
Your study on the needs and issues specific to indigenous veterans will serve to inform both public discourse and government decision-making moving forward. I believe that the recommendations contained in my recent report on the Canadian rangers regarding the factors that impact health care entitlements and related benefits will serve as a valuable guidepost for this important discussion surrounding the health and wellness of our eyes and ears of the north. I am also pleased to say that our office has published this report in five indigenous languages. It's the first time for our office.
Our office launched this systemic investigation in 2016 after preliminary research of the Canadian rangers organization found several areas of concern in the determination of an appropriate type of reserve service, concerns with the absence of the requirement for medical examinations for rangers prior to enrolment, and a lack of awareness on the part of the Canadian rangers with regard to their entitlement to the Canadian Armed Forces health care treatment and employment benefits.
Our dedicated team of systemic investigators travelled extensively to conduct in-person interviews with rangers, rangers instructors, chaplains, commanding officers, members of the Canadian Ranger National Authority, the Canadian Forces health services, Canadian Joint Operations Command, various branches of chief miliary personnel, Health Canada, Veterans Affairs Canada, and others. Over 150 interviews were conducted, often in remote locations, to ensure that the voices of these constituents were heard and understood.
Before proceeding to the findings and recommendations of my report, I want to take a couple of minutes to speak to the uniqueness of the Canadian rangers as members of the Canadian Armed Forces. This uniqueness is rooted in cultural, geographical and socio-economic circumstances.
First, there is no doubt that the Canadian rangers organization and the junior Canadian rangers program have a positive impact on northern and remote communities. The transfer of traditional knowledge from elders to youth is embedded, valued and relied upon for mission success. The structure from enrolment to promotions and beyond is decided upon by that community. The model binds the Canadian rangers organization and the junior Canadian rangers program in core principles of honesty, integrity, learning and purpose.
As testimony to the importance of the traditional knowledge and skills that Canadian rangers bring to the Canadian Armed Forces, they are not subject to a compulsory retirement age. Many Canadian rangers, in every sense of the word, end up being rangers for life. Whether it is a critical search and rescue mission, a patrol or a large-scale Arctic sovereignty mission, knowledge of the land, coastline and climate can literally mean life or death for young members who have not become intimately familiar with their surroundings. Simply put, elder knowledge is a heck of a value proposition.
In order to satisfy operational requirements and to maintain the importance of traditional knowledge within the force structure, Canadian rangers are not subject to some physical and age requirements. For example, there is no mandatory retirement age, and this allows elders to continue playing an important role within the organization past their 60th birthday. Additionally, they are not subject to meeting the universality of service principle related to the physical fitness of regular force or primary reservists during their careers. While the Canadian rangers medical requirement on enrolment is to be physically and psychologically fit to perform foreseeable duties, a medical examination is not required. These unique conditions are essential to making this organization work, and after a thorough examination of the organization, I personally believe that it wouldn't work any other way.
What we have seen in our review of the Canadian rangers is that policies that serve us well in downtown Ottawa may not serve us well in the northern and remote locations that are served by these members. Try issuing a cheque to a Canadian ranger in a community where there is no bank, or ask someone to fill out a form online when the nearest Wi-Fi hot spot is 1,000 kilometres away. That ranger, by the way, may not speak, read, or write English or French.
This uniqueness was factored into the findings and recommendations contained in our report, and by virtue of this committee studying the needs and issues pertaining to this community, you, as members, will no doubt frame your recommendations accordingly.
Of the findings contained in our report, there are a few stand outs that I believe are especially relevant to your study. First, Canadian rangers' illness and injuries are not being consistently reported or adequately tracked. Second, the Canadian rangers' access to health care, particularly specialized medical services, is affected by the fact that most live in remote and isolated communities. Finally, most Canadian rangers are not aware of their Canadian Armed Forces health care benefit entitlements. Further to that, 89% of those interviewed did not know they were eligible for benefits administered by Veterans Affairs Canada.
These findings led my office to make four evidence-based recommendations carefully aimed at the need to better inform the Canadian ranger community, not only of their health care entitlements, but also to emphasize the importance for rangers to report their injuries, thus identifying barriers to access to these entitlements and developing and implementing a service delivery model that is responsive to the unique needs of these constituents. Our office also provided recommended timelines for the implementation of these recommendations.
In the coming months, I hope our office will issue a report card on the progress of the Canadian Armed Forces’ implementation of these recommendations. The report card will be published on our website, as we have done for all other systemic reviews. This will show Canadians that they can also track the progress on these important issues.
Some of the findings contained in this report, as well as the ability for the Canadian Armed Forces to implement the recommendations contained therein, are firmly tied to the under-resourcing of the Canadian ranger instructor cadre. The current ratio of Canadian ranger instructors to rangers and junior Canadian rangers is simply untenable. If we compare the ratios contained in our 2017 report to statistics recently provided to us by the Canadian Armed Forces, an apples-to-apples comparison, if you will, the current average ratio for full-time staff to Canadian rangers and junior Canadian rangers is 1:41 compared to 1:36 in 2017.
If we isolate these ratios specific to the Canadian ranger instructors, the ratio has jumped from an average of 1:176 in March of this year to 1:183 in September of this year. The ratio at the First Canadian Ranger Patrol Group in Yellowknife is currently 1:239.
The large administrative burdens placed on this group of individuals heavily impacts their ability to educate and support Canadian rangers in their patrols. The department has clearly indicated to our office that it recognizes this burden and is working to alleviate the overall workload. Our office will continue to track their progress in this regard.
What is clear is that a surge of effort is required to better educate and inform Canadian rangers on how they can and should be supported during their daily operations and when they become ill or injured as a result of those activities. Knowing that they are well supported by both their chain of command as well as health care providers will improve efficiency of operations and morale moving forward.
It is my hope that these recommendations contained in the report are implemented swiftly. The responses from both the Minister of National Defence and the Canadian Army have been encouraging to our office.
Ladies and gentlemen of the committee, before my team and I take some questions, I want to once again thank you for your efforts to provide evidence-based recommendations to government relating to the defence community. Your efforts do not go unnoticed.
On your trip up north, speak not only with those who are paraded in front of you but to those who work behind the scenes. In the ombudsman’s office, we are often privy to what I call the ground truth. We hear many buzzwords and fancy initiatives. Sometimes there's action on the ground, but more times there isn't. We know, because we still get calls, emails and in-person communications from these individuals. As I've always said, evidence doesn’t lie.
We are now free to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
