Military recruitment hampered by poor service: report

The Canadian Armed Forces won't be able to swell its ranks to a target set by Ottawa unless it significantly improves its treatment of potential recruits, says a report from the military ombudsman.

In February, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor announced the government's commitment to increase the size of the regular force by 15,000 members to 75,000 and augment the reserve force by 10,000 personnel.

But the reportreleased Wednesday by ombudsman Yves Côté says the military won't meet those targets withouturgent changes to make its recruitment process moreco-ordinated and comprehensive.

"In order to meet the government's commitment to increase dramatically the size of the Canadian Forces, the recruiting system will be tested as it has not been in decades," Côté says in The Canadian Face Behind the Recruiting Targets: A Review of the Canadian Forces Recruiting System: From Attraction to Enrolment.

"But even more importantly, in order to successfully compete for the services of skilled and talented Canadians, and to ensure that the best and the brightest are not lost due to unnecessary delays or poor communications, the Canadian Forces recruiting system must be improved."

Côtéspoke to CBC News after the report's release about the issues and citedthe example of a current Canadian Forces doctor, who told the ombudsman he was only able to join the service after lengthy delays and frustration during the process.

"We have heard of all types of cases and stories where really what is going on at the Recruitment Centres is not what it should be," said Côté.

Excessive delays, inconsistent bonuses

Côté's report focused on how applicants were treated from the moment of their first contact with the military to when they were either enrolled, found to be unsuitable or quit the process.

As part of the review, the Office of the Ombudsman selected 300 of nearly 600 complaints received between 2003 and 2005 for in-depth study.

The report found a number ofsystemic issues,including:

• Slow or no responses from some recruiters to applicants inquiries.
• Excessive delays, particularly with medical assessments and security checks.
• Inconsistencies in theincentives or bonuses offered to potential recruits.

Potential recruits quitting in frustration

According to Côté's report, one applicant called a recruiting office for seven consecutive days before receiving an update on the file.

'It is clear from our investigation that the Canadian Forces must improve the quality and timeliness of the service providedto applicants or risk routinely losing the services of talented Canadians interested in a military career.' -Military ombudsman Yves Côté

The ombudsman said that while most current recruiting targets were being met, a lot of potential service members were quitting the process after becoming frustrated.

"It is clear from our investigation that the Canadian Forces must improve the quality and timeliness of the service providedto applicants or risk routinely losing the services of talented Canadians interested in a military career," said Côté.

Recommendations include standard response times

Several recommendations were made in the report, including that the military recruitment system:

• Develop comprehensive service standards, including standard response times.
• Give extra training to staff at recruiting centres so they will better understand and deliver the policies that guide various aspects of the recruiting process.
• Make it clear who has responsibility and authority for the overall military recruiting process.
• Provide quicker security screening of applicants.
• Ensure that all offers of a recruitment allowance for those with special skills are put in writing, in easily understood terms.

The report cited some of the same concerns as those detailed by the Office of the Auditor General in May, but differed in that it focused more on the service delivery to applicants.

The auditor's report dealt with several issues in the military, including shortfalls in some technical occupations and challenges related to human resources planning and retention.

The review of the recruitment process was announced in the fall of 2004 by Côté's predecessor, André Marin.

Côté's report acknowledged that the military had improved on several fronts since that time due to specific measures.

They included Operation Connection, which launched earlier in 2006 andassigns specific responsibilities to various organizations within the military to support the recruiting initiative.