Letter to CDS: 2nd Follow-up on recommendations in military families report

 30 June 2015

General Thomas J. Lawson, CMM, CD
Chief of the Defence Staff
National Defence Headquarters
101 Colonel By Drive, 13ST
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K2
 

Dear Tom,

I am writing to follow-up on my request for a comprehensive update on the Canadian Armed Forces’ response to the recommendations made in the report On the Homefront:  Assessing the Well-being of Canada’s Military Families in the New Millennium, which was publicly released by my predecessor in November 2013.

Since the report’s release, this correspondence exchanged highlighted the continuous interest and discernable research and efforts made by the Canadian Armed Forces to address the welfare of military families.  In a letter dated 23 September 2014, the Chief Military Personnel informed me on your behalf that a comprehensive update on the Canadian Armed Forces’ response to the report’s recommendations would be submitted to my office in November 2014.  Instead, your subsequent correspondence dated 24 April 2015 outlined Military Family Services’ priorities over the next two years, which were informed by some of the recommendations made in the report.

Despite Military Family Services managing the majority of the programs and services that impact the quality of life of military families, other aspects such as relocation and post living differential directives and housing have a considerable impact on families.  Therefore, an update detailing actions undertaken to address each of the eighteen recommendations made in the report is necessary to benchmark progress made, as we are approaching the two year mark of the release of the report.  

I see this follow-up as a great opportunity to highlight the positive long-lasting changes the Defence Team will commit to make for the CAF families and even endeavor having this information available for the upcoming Training for Military Family Service Providers in Cornwall in September.

I am looking forward to your response.   
 

Sincerely,
 

Gary Walbourne
Ombudsman

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