Management Response and Action Plan - Evaluation of the Canadian Forces Grievance Board Review of Military Grievances Program July 2010

The purpose of this report is to present the Canadian Forces Grievance Board's (CFGB or Board) management response and action plan to the recommendations stemming from the evaluation of the Review of Military Grievances Program conducted for the Board. The evaluation examined the relevance and performance of the Program, addressing effectiveness, efficiency and economy, during the five year period from January 2005 to December 2009. The research for this evaluation was conducted between February and June 2010.

Description of the Program

In the early nineties, a number of studies and working groups, internal to the Canadian Forces (CF), were initiated to help identify and propose solutions for a number of issues that existed with the military's complaint resolution methods. A series of recommendations ensued which were aimed at modernizing the grievance system as a whole. In 1996, the Armed Forces Council ordered a streamlined grievance system be developed and in 1997 the Minister of National Defence submitted his report to the Prime Minister on the leadership and management of the CF. This report included two recommendations relating to the grievance system: the removal of the Minister as final arbiter and the creation of an independent review board.

As a result of these and other studies and inquiries, the CFGB was created in accordance with amendments made to the National Defence Act in 1998. The Board received its regulatory authority and officially began operations on June 15, 2000.

The CFGB has only one program which is the Review of Military Grievances Program. Its objective is that the Board's findings and recommendations be implemented and lead to improvements in the conditions of service for members of the CF. This is achieved through the review of CF grievances which have been referred by the CDS, in a manner which is expedient, fair, transparent and according to the law, and the communication of case summaries, lessons learned, trends and systemic issues.

CFGB Management Response and Action Plan
Recommendation Management Response Proposed Action Responsibility Priority/Timeline
Relevance

Recommendation #1

The CFGB should examine its activities to ensure they align with its mandate.

Agreed in principle.

The CFGB will review its awareness activities to ensure that they align with the mandate of the Board.
  • Conduct a review of the Board's awareness activities and assess the alignment with mandate.
 Director Operations March 31, 2011
Performance (Effectiveness)

Recommendation #2

The CFGB should evaluate the effectiveness of the various outreach activities.

Agreed.

The CFGB will review the effectiveness of its outreach products and activities.
  • Conduct a review of the Board's outreach products and activities and assess their effectiveness.
  • The Board will develop feedback tools for outreach products.
  • Results will be reviewed and material updated.
 Executive Director Corporate Services / Manager Communications
  • 1st Quarter 2011-12
  • 4th Quarter 2011-12
  • 2nd Quarter 2012-13
Performance (Efficiency & Economy)

Recommendation #3

The CFGB should continue to work with the Canadian Forces Grievance Authority to streamline the process and remove duplication.

Agreed.

The CFGB remains committed to working with Department of National Defence/Canadian Forces (DND/CF) stakeholders to streamline the grievance process and eliminate duplication.
  • The Board has recently completed its participation in a Working Group, established by the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, in which all CFgrievance stakeholders met to examine ways of improving the grievance process.
  • The Board will maintain ongoing communication with all DND/CF conflict resolution stakeholders to streamline the grievance process and avoid duplication of file review.
  • The Board will continue to conduct regular evaluations of its internal processes.
 Chairperson Ongoing

Recommendation #4

The CFGB should examine the allocation of spending and FTEs on internal services versus the review of grievances. This includes ensuring that the CFGB has the best possible information available regarding the cost of operations.

Agreed.

The CFGB will examine expenditures and FTEs to ensure that an appropriate allocation is made between internal services and operations
  • The Board will review information available regarding the cost of operations and internal services to ensure an appropriate allocation of costs and FTEs.
  • The Board has already held awareness sessions with staff on the importance of data collection, strengthened monitoring of data by Team Leaders and built expectations into the performance evaluation regime.
 Executive Director Corporate Services / Manager Financial and Administrative Services 1st Quarter 2011-12