Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Comité permanent des comptes publics

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 08, 2017 -

Although the Canadian Armed Forces’ Regular Force had mechanisms in place to define its recruiting needs, those needs were not reflected in recruitment plans and targets. Instead, recruitment targets were based on National Defence’s capacity to process applications and enrol and train new members, 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.

In the fall of 2016, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) released a performance audit whose objective was to determine whether the Canadian Armed Forces implemented appropriate systems and practices to recruit, train, and retain the Regular Force members needed to achieve its objectives.

Specifically, the OAG found that the total number of Regular Force members had decreased, and that there had been a growing gap between the number of members needed and those who were fully trained. Furthermore, total recruitment targets had been met by enrolling more members than had been set as targets in some occupations, leaving other occupations significantly below the required number of personnel.

In this report, the Committee made eight recommendations that seek to ensure that National Defence properly addresses the gaps identified in the OAG’s audit.