Safety and Health Reasons
Items of clothing are designed to accommodate the varied activities of Canadian Forces personnel in all climatic environments in order to prevent injury and disease.
Adequate clothing, properly worn, is essential to welfare and survival in harsh, cold environments. Clothing is designed to be worn as an ensemble for protection of head, torso and extremities. Failure to wear the total ensemble in accordance with the layering principle to conserve body heat, influences cold injuries such as chilblains, trench foot, hypothermia and frostbite.
In hot climates, clothing is designed to help personnel avoid the many problems associated with overheating like cramps, syncope, exhaustion and stroke.
Special items of clothing are designed to protect personnel who are occupationally exposed to environmental hazards like toxic chemicals and radiation. Also, personnel serving onboard ship must have clothing that minimizes injuries in the event of an explosion or fire.
Disciplanary Reasons
High standards of dress, deportment, and grooming are universally recognized as marks of a well trained, disciplined and professional force. Commanders must maintain the standards at all times to reinforce these characteristics for peace and war. Modified or idiosyncratic dress demonstrates inefficient and undisciplined training and a failure of those in command to focus on the purpose of a uniformed armed force.
Morale Reasons
The uniforms of the Canadian Forces identify all personnel as members of a cohesive, armed body in the service of the Canadian people. The uniform is an outward symbol of the Canadian Forces' commitment, identity and ethos. Coupled with overall appearance, the uniform is the most powerful visual expression of pride by the individual service member, and is the primary means by which the public image of the Canadian Forces is fashioned.
Canadian Forces personnel take pride in their uniforms. Ultimately, poor design or manufacture of these uniforms can affect their morale.
*Question No. 113—