Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Comité permanent des comptes publics

For immediate release

Ottawa, October 03, 2016 -

The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (National Defence) need to better organize, train and equip army reserve soldiers and units for deployment as part of an integrated Canadian Army, according to a report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts tabled today in the House of Commons by the Hon. Kevin Sorenson, Chair of the Committee.

According to the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG), as part of the Army’s chain of command, Reserve members are required, like all members of Canadian Armed Forces, to carry out their missions without reservation, regardless of personal discomfort, fear, or danger.

According to Report 5—Canadian Army Reserve—National Defence, the OAG concluded that Army Reserve units lacked clear guidance on preparing for international missions, had lower levels of training as cohesive teams, and had not fully integrated this training with that of the Regular Army. The OAG also concluded that although Army Reserve units received clear guidance for domestic missions, the Canadian Army did not require Army Reserve groups to formally confirm that they were prepared to deploy on domestic missions, and that Army Reserve units and groups did not always have access to key equipment. Finally, the OAG concluded that the Army Reserve did not have the number of soldiers it needed and lacked information on whether soldiers were prepared to deploy when required, and that Army Reserve soldiers received lower levels of physical fitness training and were not trained in the same number of skills as Regular Army soldiers.

The Committee was very disappointed with the overall impression resulting from this audit that Army Reserve soldiers are currently treated as “second-class” soldiers compared to Regular Army soldiers. Given that soldiers from both the Regular Army and the Army Reserve could be deployed on a major international mission to defend Canada’s security, interests, and values, the Committee strongly encourages National Defence to ensure that Army Reserve soldiers get the training, equipment, and support they need as well as the respect they deserve.

In this report, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts made 13 recommendations to ensure that National Defence properly addresses the issues identified in the OAG’s audit.