National Defence committee  To my knowledge, there have been several studies on the circumstances leading to a toxic environment, but in several cases they were conducted by researchers who were officers. Of course, when the research is done by an officer, the soldier will make sure not to contradict the of

National Defence committee  For the answers to be more reliable, it would have to be master corporals asking soldiers, corporals and master corporals. So it should be limited to that group, which would be much more able to give reliable answers. As far as sergeants and warrant officers are concerned, the r

National Defence committee  Can I tell you personally?

National Defence committee  Whether I want it or not, that contradiction is ingrained in me. I am terrified of contradicting somebody I would perceive to have a higher rank than mine, and I've been away—

National Defence committee  Yes, after service.

National Defence committee  I can answer that one for CFB Borden. CFB Borden has destroyed a tremendous number of old PMQs within the last 10 to 15 years. That is causing a housing problem for the soldiers. The infrastructure like the water and the sanitary systems are still in place, but the houses are not

National Defence committee  Solutions to improve recruitment were indeed proposed. In terms of retention, it would be important to reinstate the cost of living differential, which was cancelled and has not been reviewed since 2009. This would help the military, whether they are privates or master corporals,

National Defence committee  Dr. Okros talked about it. When I was in the military, there were resources for families. When a member was transferred, their family was taken care of, which is less and less the case these days. Today, it's the soldier who is transferred, not the family. The way things are done

National Defence committee  The first issue is security clearance in the military. The academic researcher's normal security clearance gives them access to classified confidential information. However, a secret or top secret clearance gives them access to much more information. If people want to access docu

National Defence committee  Can I answer this one?

National Defence committee  I am a quantitative researcher. I always look for data that shows me something I'm not expecting. What I would do right now is get the clearance to enter any medical documentation and figure out where the toxic environments are. By knowing the number of soldiers who are medicated

National Defence committee  Okay. In conclusion, retention is successful only when toxic behaviours are under control. It is also important to understand that toxicity induces a radicalization towards violent extremism.

National Defence committee  In 2022...? No, I would not.

National Defence committee  Because of my contact with soldiers right now, I see how the environment is more toxic now compared with when I was serving.

National Defence committee  I would like to thank this panel for allowing me to be the voice for 200-plus active soldiers. While talking with other veterans, I became aware of an increasing number of conversations in regard to the radicalization towards violent extremism within our Canadian military. I th