Canada moves to 2% GDP end of FY25/26 - PMMC

[dapaterson]

Although, strictly speaking, NDA 130 does explicitly include NDA Part VII, so failure to attend parade could be the basis for a court martial (with maximum fines as laid out in the NDA).

 

[boredtoon]

Thats all very interesting. But I still don't see how it works in relation to how I have always been told Class A service works. How can you be charged for not attending parade when you only serve when you consent to serve? Maybe @FJAG has the answer.

 

[GR66]

Thats all very interesting. But I still don't see how it works in relation to how I have always been told Class A service works. How can you be charged for not attending parade when you only serve when you consent to serve? Maybe @FJAG has the answer.

I think the point of this thought exercise is that it would be a Mobilization drill i.e. the Class A Reservists would be called up to active duty.

Under Section 31 of the NDA:

Placing forces on active service

• 31 (1) The Governor in Council may place the Canadian Forces or any component, unit or other element thereof or any officer or non-commissioned member thereof on active service anywhere in or beyond Canada at any time when it appears advisable to do so
  
  • (a) by reason of an emergency, for the defence of Canada;
  • (b) in consequence of any action undertaken by Canada under the United Nations Charter; or
  • (c) in consequence of any action undertaken by Canada under the North Atlantic Treaty, the North American Aerospace Defence Command Agreement or any other similar instrument to which Canada is a party.

While it makes for an interesting discussion I can't imagine the Government actually implementing Section 31 just for the sake of a "test". I'm sure that 30,000 Reservists, their families and their employers would not look too kindly on such an exercise in absence of a real emergency.

 

[dapaterson]

Thats all very interesting. But I still don't see how it works in relation to how I have always been told Class A service works. How can you be charged for not attending parade when you only serve when you consent to serve? Maybe @FJAG has the answer.

The popular belief that "consent to serve" is universal for Res F members unless placed on active service has no basis in law, regulation or policy.

QR&O volume 1 chapter 9, article 9.04 (2) explicitly grants authority to order members of the Primary Reserve to train a maximum of 60 days Class A per year, and a maximum of 15 days Class B per year.

Failure to obey that order would be sufficient to invoke 294.

 

[FJAG]

I was hoping you were going to jump in on this. How does 294 work with the nature of Class A service? How do you charge a Class A soldier for not attending as ordered when the whole concept of being class A is that you consent to when you serve? Also, would 294 have to go through a civilian court? It says a summary conviction, which to me says the laying of a service infraction charge and conviction at a summary hearing.

The "voluntariness" of reserve service is greatly misunderstood by many people including senior military leadership. I used to give lectures on this to COs of both the reg and res components and for the vast majority what the full impact of the law is was an eye opener for them. It's no surprise that the folks on the parade square don't have the full picture.

Effectively, a reservist, like a regular force member, volunteers only once - when they enlist, are enrolled and take the oath. From that point on they are subject to the Code of Service Discipline in accordance with the terms set out in the NDA and all the provisions of the NDA. That obligation continues until they are released.

There are dozens and dozens of liabilities that come with service. NDA 33(2)(a) is the one on being liable to be ordered to train and QR&O 9.04, as mentioned above, states how much training a CO may order.

IMHO s. 294 is one without teeth if it is not being used, and quite frankly, I encouraged COs to use it as an object lesson pour les autres. IMHO, the "come play when you feel like it" attitude that pervades the reserves is one of the key reasons why, as an organization, it is so ineffective. It's close to impossible to create a unit that has cohesion at the collective level if only a third of the folks show up for training.

The problem, again IMHO, is that no one at the senior command level is prepared to make an issue of it to change the system as long as they get the thousands of Class B's they have become addicted to. For them, Class Bs are a feature. To anyone who realistically looks at the mobilization capability of the Class As, Class Bs are a bug.

 

[CadNav]

The "voluntariness" of reserve service is greatly misunderstood by many people including senior military leadership. I used to give lectures on this to COs of both the reg and res components and for the vast majority what the full impact of the law is was an eye opener for them. It's no surprise that the folks on the parade square don't have the full picture.

Effectively, a reservist, like a regular force member, volunteers only once - when they enlist, are enrolled and take the oath. From that point on they are subject to the Code of Service Discipline in accordance with the terms set out in the NDA and all the provisions of the NDA. That obligation continues until they are released.

There are dozens and dozens of liabilities that come with service. NDA 33(2)(a) is the one on being liable to be ordered to train and QR&O 9.04, as mentioned above, states how much training a CO may order.

IMHO s. 294 is one without teeth if it is not being used, and quite frankly, I encouraged COs to use it as an object lesson pour les autres. IMHO, the "come play when you feel like it" attitude that pervades the reserves is one of the key reasons why, as an organization, it is so ineffective. It's close to impossible to create a unit that has cohesion at the collective level if only a third of the folks show up for training.

The problem, again IMHO, is that no one at the senior command level is prepared to make an issue of it to change the system as long as they get the thousands of Class B's they have become addicted to. For them, Class Bs are a feature. To anyone who realistically looks at the mobilization capability of the Class As, Class Bs are a bug.

Someone should tell this to the recruiting center