Government hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[KevinB]

I would say implement a housing allowance at each base and make everyone live on the economy, be it rent or own. Monthly rate based on local prices adjusted yearly.
Everyone gets the same, from Pte to LCol. Here is a $1000/month tax free allowance to live in Bloggins Lake, Alberta, stay xx kms within the base.

Which would just see skyrocketing rental rates in those areas, as well as market jumps for buying homes.

Shut down CFHA completely and sell off all permanent base housing.

Not everyone is financially independent enough to buy a home, and with deployments etc having housing available ensures that you don’t see young families out in the streets.

ESQ’s and PMQ’s also provide options for divorced members who may or may not have dependents.

How many base locations couldn’t support everyone living on the economy….eventually?

Support or offer available affordable options?

 

[KevinB]

The CAF Cpl gets 15% employer contributions to retirement, plus paid training and ongoing paid professional development.

And the leave policy. Few folks realize that aspect until they hit the civilian street.

 

[AmmoTech90]

No, as a Plan Member, you do not make contributions to the Fund. Your Employer is required to make contributions to the Fund on your behalf according to contribution rates as specified in the Collective Agreement. All contributions made to the Fund by your Employer are deemed to be employer contributions.

His pension plan pays around $200 per year of employment per month if you retire at 65. You can retire early and take a penalty. Also, in 2023 the Union contributed an extra 7.5% to current employee pension funds, and 7.5 to pensioners payments.

Decent holidays too, a few weeks per year.

The union shop is a lot better than the non-union shop.

 

[Quirky]

Which would just see skyrocketing rental rates in those areas, as well as market jumps for buying homes.

Don’t move everyone out at once, do it gradually over the APS.

Not everyone is financially independent enough to buy a home, and with deployments etc having housing available ensures that you don’t see young families out in the streets.

ESQ’s and PMQ’s also provide options for divorced members who may or may not have dependents.

How do people in the real world survive with these problems.

Support or offer available affordable options?

Available infrastructure for the local base to close down over a period of a decade. A proper housing allowance would make it affordable.

 

[FJAG]

A huge part of why HQs and Staffs have grown is the proliferation of decision-making and the large areas the forces they lead cover. What was the frontage of Division in WWII vs today? What do commanders have to consider that that they did not back then? There was a Modern War Institute podcast on this topic from a few months ago. Good listen.

I said that I would reduce nothing from the "field force." I'm talking the administrative headquarters above brigade/wing/fleet level. Their proliferation is not based on tactical issues.

Unpopular opinion: Cpl should not be upper middle class pay rates.

It was an outgrowth of Hellyer's unification/integration program. The move was primarily a back-door way of providing more pay. Some say as an attempt to stave off massive voluntary releases. (Which is a bit humorous as the subsequent Trudeau government downsized the CAF dramatically.

The ridiculousness of the program was the oversight of the leadership roles corporals had prior to that and which was poorly corrected by the 5A/5B distinction whereby a 5B (leadership) corporal got a crown to sew on top off his stripes and an extra $5.00 per month in pay. That all evolved into the master corporal appointment which was not (and still isn't to this day) a rank.

We need to rejig the structure.

Neither should Captains.

I see things a bit different with captains (and not only because I was one many, many years ago). In most armies captains have significant leadership roles whereby they command companies. The commonwealth system gives that role to majors. In Canada we have made captain a mostly automatic rank and created the curious establishment position of Capt/Lt (Last time I looked the CAF RegF had some 250 Lt positions; 2,500 Capt/Lt posns and just over 5,000 Capt posns) Effectively our captains command primarily platoons and do low level staff work.

Personally, I see Lts and WOs command platoons and captains companies - but that's just me obviously.

 

[MilEME09]

Perhaps we need a new spec pay category? A technical specialist pay that is added to qualified technicians of certain trades to make the equal to their civilian counter parts at the Cpl - Sgt level

 

[Quirky]

I would like to know how many people left the CAF (without a pension) to do the exact same technical trade civy side.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Unpopular opinion: Cpl should not be upper middle class pay rates.

Why do you feel that way ?

Compare CAF Techs at Cpl to their civilian equivalents.

Then let's talk about CAF pay.

You cant compare civ to mil. We both offer the different services. The mil factor is all the difference, IMHO.

*I will admit my bias, as my career has been firmly centered at the first line and deployed so I will admit my view could be considered as an outlier.

It was an outgrowth of Hellyer's unification/integration program. The move was primarily a back-door way of providing more pay. Some say as an attempt to stave off massive voluntary releases. (Which is a bit humorous as the subsequent Trudeau government downsized the CAF dramatically.

The ridiculousness of the program was the oversight of the leadership roles corporals had prior to that and which was poorly corrected by the 5A/5B distinction whereby a 5B (leadership) corporal got a crown to sew on top off his stripes and an extra $5.00 per month in pay. That all evolved into the master corporal appointment which was not (and still isn't to this day) a rank.

We need to rejig the structure.

I actually agree with you here. The problem now is we have such a structure built around this with families subsiding off it, how do you do the drastic change at this point ?

I will tell you a good Cpl who knows how to get things done is worth their weight in gold. Probably the most important person in a section is that Cpl that becomes the focal point of the section and makes everything happen.

I see things a bit different with captains (and not only because I was one many, many years ago). In most armies captains have significant leadership roles whereby they command companies. The commonwealth system gives that role to majors. In Canada we have made captain a mostly automatic rank and created the curious establishment position of Capt/Lt (Last time I looked the CAF RegF had some 250 Lt positions; 2,500 Capt/Lt posns and just over 5,000 Capt posns) Effectively our captains command primarily platoons and do low level staff work.

Personally, I see Lts and WOs command platoons and captains companies - but that's just me obviously.

Captains are just the Cpls of the officer world. With 10 pay incentives.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Not being paid enough (extrinsic motivator) and not accomplishing anything meaningful (intrinsic motivator) ...

Looks like the CAF has all the bases covered

lol astute.

My whole point is the people are speaking. Ignore them at your own peril.

 

[McG]

Your reminder that no Canadian political party os serious about defence even now.

Globe editorial: The Conservatives and Liberals refuse to stand on guard

Both parties have no plan to raise defence spending to meet NATO’s (increasing) requirements

www.theglobeandmail.com

 

[Remius]

lol astute.

My whole point is the people are speaking. Ignore them at your own peril.

On a discussion board full of already disgruntled soldiers called “cplsnetwork”. Using what I would say is a very unscientific poll that doesn’t even have a sample size published.

But even then it would seem that only 23% see pay as the issue and the remaining 76% identified systemic issues on how we treat our people.

The people have spoken all right. lol.

 

[ueo]

I would say implement a housing allowance at each base and make everyone live on the economy, be it rent or own. Monthly rate based on local prices adjusted yearly.
Everyone gets the same, from Pte to LCol. Here is a $1000/month tax free allowance to live in Bloggins Lake, Alberta, stay xx kms within the base.

Shut down CFHA completely and sell off all permanent base housing.

How many base locations couldn’t support everyone living on the economy….eventually?

Like in about half a millium?