Minister's message

It is my pleasure to present the Departmental Plan for fiscal year 2019-20. This plan contains information for Canadians and parliamentarians about how the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) serve Canada and the results we aim to achieve during the upcoming fiscal year.

At its core, Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada's Defence Policy^{Footnote i} is about caring for and supporting our people – our women and men in uniform, their families, and Defence civilians – all of whom help achieve Canada’s defence objectives. In the past two years, we have made real progress in doing that. This includes strengthening the Reserve Force through the Full-Time Summer Employment program, procuring cutting-edge communication equipment so our troops are better connected during operations, and working with Canadian innovators to develop solutions to some of our most pressing defence challenges.

In the year ahead, we will build on these and other achievements as we provide the care, support, capabilities, infrastructure, and funding that CAF members need to carry out their difficult missions. We will continue to improve services for CAF members from recruitment through transition to post-military life. We will also focus, for example, on making progress on the Total Health and Wellness Strategy. The strategy aims to promote the physical and mental well-being of the Defence Team. At the same time, we are committed to an inclusive military and civilian Defence Team that grows in diversity and represents Canadian values at their best.

Supporting our people means investing in the CAF to have the force size, capabilities, and infrastructure to succeed across the full spectrum of military operations in a complex security environment. This is vital to ensuring Canada is strong at home, secure in North America, and engaged in the world. The CAF must be ready to conduct eight core missions, as well as meet the government’s expectations for concurrent operations. To meet Canada’s defence needs, now and into the future, we will maintain long-term investments in infrastructure and capabilities, reinforce our efforts to recruit the right people for the right jobs, foster innovation through the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program, and work to improve defence procurement.

We are providing our people with the care and resources they need to do their jobs. The Defence Team has made steady progress on the commitments in Strong, Secure, Engaged since the policy was published in June 2017. Within this report, you will find our plan to invest in and advance those commitments over the coming year.