As Canada’s military continues on a path to overhaul its culture, top leaders in the defence establishment have expressed concerns about the tone used in a new strategy paper guiding the change.
The military’s new guiding document, “Defence Team Culture Evolution Strategy,” which is already being rolled out but hasn’t been publicized, blames “colonialism,” “patriarchy,” and “heteronormativity” for cultural problems affecting the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
A summary of the feedback from defence leaders on the new guiding document appears in a September 2023 briefing note for Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) General Wayne Eyre and then-National Defence Deputy Minister Bill Matthews. The briefing note was released via the access-to-information system.
The briefing note says that after receiving input from unidentified top defence leaders who expressed concern about a “negative tone” in the new guiding document, the authors of the document said they modified the language to better involve “historically advantaged” CAF members in the solution instead of “blaming and alienating” them.
The briefing note asks permission from Gen. Eyre and Mr. Matthews to distribute the new guiding document to the organizations reporting directly to them, known as “Defence L1 organizations.” The guiding document has been produced by the Chief Professional Conduct and Culture unit of the military.
A section of the briefing note on feedback received from L1 organizations mentions concerns about “tone and negativity” of the new guiding document.
“A number of L1s were concerned about a negative tone,” it says.
In reaction, the briefing note authors say there is still a need to identify in the strategy what they perceive as historical problems and its victims, while adding those who have “benefited” from injustices should not be alienated.
“Without minimizing the critical aspect of clearly naming the problem aspects of our history and identifying those who have both suffered and benefitted from historical inequities, the introductory section [of the guiding document] was revised to emphasize ‘calling in’ members of historically advantaged groups, engaging them as an important part of the solution rather than blaming and alienating them,” says the briefing note.
Section Content
The Epoch Times has not seen the original section of the new guiding document, but has seen the revised section after feedback from the unnamed military leaders. The revised document was released via the access-to-information request along with the briefing note.“At its roots, Canadian Defence culture cannot avoid being influenced by a legacy of colonialism, inherited as part of Canada’s colonial origins and still at work in many aspects of Canadian society today,” the guiding document says.
“Along with patriarchy, heteronormativity, and other systems, it has informed and influenced our organization’s norms and power structures.”
The guiding document identifies CAF members who benefit from these systems as “typically male, white, heterosexual, and cis-gendered.” It adds that an evolving military culture “means everyone’s perspectives are valued and included - we all have the opportunity to play an important role in our transformation.”
Academic Theories
To reform its culture, the military has adopted a suite of social justice and post-modern critical theories. This includes doctrines such as critical race theory, as the DND previously confirmed to The Epoch Times. Critical race theory is a quasi-Marxist ideology that focuses on social classes based on race.“As part of this work we have been looking at a range of academic theories, such as Critical Race Theory (CRT), to determine how best to effect meaningful systemic and institutional change,” said a DND spokesperson at the time.
The briefing note on culture evolution said Defence L1s are expected to establish their own internal culture plans within six months of receiving the new strategy.
The internal culture plans must implement the “GBA Plus Enterprise Approach to establish intersectional analysis capability,” says the note.
Intersectionality in social justice ideology refers to how the combination of various personal traits such as race, gender, and sexual orientation can make an individual more likely to be oppressed or suffer injustices.
The briefing note also suggests that some defence leaders pushed back on the idea that such social justice frameworks can be applied to an institution whose primary purpose is to fight wars and defeat enemies.
“Operationally-focused L1s have highlighted the tension between a human-focused culture and the risk and realities of military operations,” it says, in a likely reference to commanders of military elements.
“Edits were made to better articulate that psychological safety, respect and inclusion are not contrary to discipline and unlimited liability.” Unlimited liability means CAF members can be lawfully ordered to engage in activities during which they could lose their lives.
