Government hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[ytz]

Rumint around Ottawa says there are major changes coming to pay and benefits.

Notable amongst what I have heard.

1) Back to 20 yrs to qualify for pension. So they can encourage people are the end of the 12 yr mark of their first engagements to keep going till 20 yrs.

2) More generous pensions for those who stay longer. For example, going from 2% per year to 3% per year after the 20 yr mark. So that a lot more people stay 30 yrs and max out at 70%.

3) More leave after 20 yrs.

This is all aside from usual pay increase rumours. But first time I've heard real thought given to asymmetric pensions.

 

[ytz]

Where else do you get to fire automatic rifles every year?

That sounds cool until you realize that accessing that cool could mean giving up real career opportunities. And people don't generally trade hobbies for career opportunities. Especially not in today's cost of living environment.

Your proposed appeal is basically only good for college students and white collar 9-5 ers. Doesn't work for an actual chef who earns their living on weekends when everybody else is having fun.

 

[dapaterson]

Rumint around Ottawa says there are major changes coming to pay and benefits.

Notable amongst what I have heard.

1) Back to 20 yrs to qualify for pension. So they can encourage people are the end of the 12 yr mark of their first engagements to keep going till 20 yrs.

2) More generous pensions for those who stay longer. For example, going from 2% per year to 3% per year after the 20 yr mark. So that a lot more people stay 30 yrs and max out at 70%.

3) More leave after 20 yrs.

This is all aside from usual pay increase rumours. But first time I've heard real thought given to asymmetric pensions.

The first would require statutory and regulatory amendments to the CFSA.

The CAF leave provisions are already extremely generous and unlikely to be further increased.

 

[ytz]

New recruitment/retention proposal. Slightly higher individual skill standards to be met, along with absolute attendance and fitness-for-deployment (at own expense). Meeting these requirements entitles any member under age 30 to cast one additional vote (probably by mail) in federal elections in a riding of choice.

Aside from the insanely unconstitutional (and morally questionable) idea, an organization that is struggling to attract people is not going to have more success by the raising the standard. Especially not when the reward isn't money.... It's an extra vote. In a country where voter turnout is actually low for the G7.

I'm starting to wonder if some of you have actually talked to young people in real life in the last decade or just interact with those who reinforce your biases on forums like these. Cause I can't think of a single OCDT or 2LT I know who wouldn't laugh this idea out of the room. In fact, one of my RMC Summer OJEs has even taken a part time job in addition to the atypical (higher) workload I demand of my OJEs.

 

[lenaitch]

All trainable through the Community College System with a short Mil specific conversion course

Jeez. I hope they would train truck drivers better than what's going on in Ontario right now.

 

[Cloud Cover]

Jeez. I hope they would train truck drivers better than what's going on in Ontario right now.

There an outfit in BC that can get you any type of vehicle operator license that you want, for a respectable fee and a lifelong tax on your earnings. For any province in Canada, apparently.

 

[PrairieFella]

Too many combat arms in the Army Reserve. Need a lot more support - truckers and MMTs and cooks.

There's no need to cut the combat arms- let's just grow the service battalions. It's an easy fix where BRGs are ordered to expand CSS recruiting. We do face a problem though of leading horses to water, a lot of people want to join the Army to do Army stuff. We can't force people to join as cooks or truckers when the only thing they're interested in doing is infantry or armour. It's a common problem when recruiting for the reserves.

 

[PrairieFella]

Aside from the insanely unconstitutional (and morally questionable) idea, an organization that is struggling to attract people is not going to have more success by the raising the standard. Especially not when the reward isn't money.... It's an extra vote. In a country where voter turnout is actually low for the G7.

I'm starting to wonder if some of you have actually talked to young people in real life in the last decade or just interact with those who reinforce your biases on forums like these. Cause I can't think of a single OCDT or 2LT I know who wouldn't laugh this idea out of the room. In fact, one of my RMC Summer OJEs has even taken a part time job in addition to the atypical (higher) workload I demand of my OJEs.

For real though. You want more reservists, give them a bag of money every year they're OFP, DAG Green, attend an annual or bi-annual reserve concentration and in compliance with the SRP-R. Giving them a big, fat bonus for being a useful soldier at their rank level could certainly incentivize people to stick around.

 

[PuckChaser]

For real though. You want more reservists, give them a bag of money every year they're OFP, DAG Green, attend an annual or bi-annual reserve concentration and in compliance with the SRP-R. Giving them a big, fat bonus for being a useful soldier at their rank level could certainly incentivize people to stick around.

They get one, it's called their pay.

 

[dapaterson]

There's no need to cut the combat arms- let's just grow the service battalions. It's an easy fix where BRGs are ordered to expand CSS recruiting. We do face a problem though of leading horses to water, a lot of people want to join the Army to do Army stuff. We can't force people to join as cooks or truckers when the only thing they're interested in doing is infantry or armour. It's a common problem when recruiting for the reserves.

If there is to be Res F growth, then we can privilege CSS.

The Army writ large needs to fix its schools by properly modelling steady state and surge demands, providing the schools with the personnel necessary to deliver their baseline without resorting to CFTPO, and look at past experience with attempts to leverage civilian training infrastructure and determine what did and did not work. Particularly at DP1, there's a military inculcation that is important that community colleges do not provide.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Aside from the insanely unconstitutional (and morally questionable) idea, an organization that is struggling to attract people is not going to have more success by the raising the standard. Especially not when the reward isn't money.... It's an extra vote. In a country where voter turnout is actually low for the G7.

I was being facetious.

Nevertheless, money isn't at the forefront of what we should want to be reasons for joining the Res F.

 

[Remius]

For real though. You want more reservists, give them a bag of money every year they're OFP, DAG Green, attend an annual or bi-annual reserve concentration and in compliance with the SRP-R. Giving them a big, fat bonus for being a useful soldier at their rank level could certainly incentivize people to stick around.

The Brits do that with their territorial guys apparently

 

[mariomike]

I am of a weekend a month and two weeks in the summer focusing on active military skills.

Helps if the full-time employer provides Leave With Pay.

Military Service

Policy Statement The City of Toronto supports employees who want to participate in the military reserve force and allows them to take a leave of absence to fulfill their reserve duties. Application All employees listed below are eligible for Military Service leave. Non-union employees CUPE local...

www.toronto.ca

Salary & Benefits
Employees are paid their regular pay provided they submit any compensation received for military service to the city treasurer, unless this compensation is paid for days they are not scheduled to work.

Compensation received for travelling expenses and meal allowance does not have to be returned to the city.

All benefits continue during the leave.

An employee’s service is not affected by the leave. An employee’s vacation entitlement, and pension credit do not change.

 

[Remius]

Rumint around Ottawa says there are major changes coming to pay and benefits.

Notable amongst what I have heard.

1) Back to 20 yrs to qualify for pension. So they can encourage people are the end of the 12 yr mark of their first engagements to keep going till 20 yrs.

That would be a good incentive.

2) More generous pensions for those who stay longer. For example, going from 2% per year to 3% per year after the 20 yr mark. So that a lot more people stay 30 yrs and max out at 70%.

That might get complicated. But something should be offered at that point. Maybe choice of posting preference.

3) More leave after 20 yrs.

That could be decent.

This is all aside from usual pay increase rumours. But first time I've heard real thought given to asymmetric pensions.

From a retention point these are good. From an attractions point most 17 to 25 year olds don’t really think about pensions much.

That being said we really need to fix the “retention” part of recruit and retention.

 

[PrairieFella]

They get one, it's called their pay.

"We've tried nothing and we're out of ideas"

 

[PrairieFella]

If there is to be Res F growth, then we can privilege CSS.

The Army writ large needs to fix its schools by properly modelling steady state and surge demands, providing the schools with the personnel necessary to deliver their baseline without resorting to CFTPO, and look at past experience with attempts to leverage civilian training infrastructure and determine what did and did not work. Particularly at DP1, there's a military inculcation that is important that community colleges do not provide.

At the end of the day, how do we address people might not want to do these jobs? There's a reason most people that join the reserves want to go combat arms, if it's your part time gig, they want something cool and memorable. Not to slag the CSS dudes here, but doing a level three live attack is a lot more sexy than running a coy CP ex. Nevermind the fact that a ton of CSS courses take several years worth of summers to get to QL3/4.

 

[PuckChaser]

"We've tried nothing and we're out of ideas"

92% of RegF salary with none of the drawbacks or initial training requirements isn't good enough for you? Keep in mind it was only a decade or so ago that it went up from 85%, and the problem isn't fixed.

Salary isn't the problem, we're missing solid job protection legislation to cover all employment including a weekend exercise a month and 2-4 weeks in the summer of protection.

Units were busy with lots of folks fighting for deployments in the 90s and 2000s. The PRed has no mission statement, throwing money into a dumpster fire isn't going to work.

 

[dapaterson]

What is the attrition problem?

Proportionately, the most attrition is pre-OFP, so for maximum effect you should look at selection criteria. Instead the CAF shitcanned CFAT, hobbling selection.

The training system has been progressively stripped of personnel, and now relies excessively on CFTPO augmentation. Fixing that is simple: disband some operational units and redirect the PYs to the training system.

Most CAF problems are self inflicted by low quality leadership making poor decisions uninformed by fact or evidence.

 

[dapaterson]

At the end of the day, how do we address people might not want to do these jobs? There's a reason most people that join the reserves want to go combat arms, if it's your part time gig, they want something cool and memorable. Not to slag the CSS dudes here, but doing a level three live attack is a lot more sexy than running a coy CP ex. Nevermind the fact that a ton of CSS courses take several years worth of summers to get to QL3/4.

There are ten Army Reserve Svc Bns. There are 100+ Army Reserve CBT Arms units. That alone creates imbalance in any efforts at attraction.

 

[Remius]

"We've tried nothing and we're out of ideas"

British Army Reserves “Bounty”

https://jobs.army.mod.uk/army-reserve/life-in-the-army-reserve/pay-benefits/

“Tax-free Bounty​

If you meet your minimum training commitment (usually 19 or 27 days), and also pass your Military Training Tests (once a year), you'll get a tax free bonus payment on top of your pay.

This is based on your level of commitment, and varies from £558 in year 1 to £2,209 in year 5.”