About the Committee

The Military Grievances External Review Committee, formerly the Canadian Forces Grievance Board, is an administrative tribunal with quasi-judicial powers, independent from the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Forces (CF).

The Committee was created on March 1, 2000, in accordance with legislation enacted in December 1998 that contained amendments to the National Defence Act (NDA).

The purpose behind these amendments, and the fundamental reason for creating the Committee, was to create an organization that would play a distinctive role with regard to the Canadian Forces' grievance review process in support of the government's public policy values of equity, transparency and fairness for all.

Only the Committee has the statutory mandate to submit findings and recommendations to the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS).

The Committee conducts objective and transparent reviews of grievances with due respect to fairness and equity for each individual member of the CF, regardless of rank or position. It plays a unique role within the military grievance review process because it ensures that the rights of CF personnel are considered fairly and impartially in the best interests of both parties concerned, thus balancing the rights of the grievor against the legal and operational requirements of the CF.