Response from MND: Marking Time report
30 January 2026
Mr. Mario Baril
Ombudsman for the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces
Office of the Ombudsman
100 Metcalfe Street, 12th Floor
Ottawa ON K1P 5M1
Dear Mr. Baril:
I am writing in response to your letter of November 7, 2025, with which you enclosed the systemic review, Marking Time: A Decade of Stalled Progress for the Primary Reserve, submitted pursuant to paragraph 38(1)(b) of the Ministerial Directives respecting the Office of the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Ombudsman.
I appreciate receiving your submission and I am pleased to provide you with the following departmental response to your recommendations:
Recommendation 1: Reserve Force Compensation Governance
By January 2027, the CAF strengthen the governance framework for Reserve Force Compensation by finalizing the delegation of authority. This should include clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities at all levels to ensure that compensation requests are reviewed and approved by the sole decision-making authority.
Departmental Response: Agree
In 2016, the DND and CAF Ombudsman issued the report A Systemic Review of Reserve Force Compensation for Ill and Injured, stating that the functional authority should be delegated. In 2016, the Minister of National Defence responded that authority would be delegated and that the CAF would seek to make its governance more effective.
Authorization to compensate ill/injured members now resides in the https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/policies-standards/compensation-benefits-instructions/chapter-210-misc-entitlements-grants.html and applies to members on Class A, B, or C Reserve Service who suffer an injury, illness, or disease attributable to their service and that continues beyond the period of service during which it occurred. Although it has been established that the Military Personnel Command is the functional authority for matters of compensation and benefits and has appropriately exercised the Minister’s discretionary power at CBI 210.72, the Treasury Board Secretariat has now recommended that a formal delegation of authority be completed.
The CAF is currently developing a proposal to formally delegate this authority for ministerial consideration.
Recommendation 2: Digitization of the Reserve Force Compensation application process and access to tools
By January 2027, the CAF modernizes the Reserve Force Compensation (RFC) application process by:
- Completing the digitization of the RFC form (from electronically submitting requests to adjudication decision);
- Ensuring that adjudication decisions are made within 30 days of the member’s application for compensation; and,
- Ensuring the RFC application process and related tools are accessible to all members, administrators, and leadership.
Departmental Response: Agree
Canada’s new defence policy, Our North Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence, committed the CAF to updating its tools and processes to better suit them to the modern world. To that end the DND/CAF is committed to overhauling outdated and analog processes to improve the ability to share information in a timely way.
The CAF is fully committed to providing a secure, efficient, and user-friendly processing system that supports timely adjudication and transparency of Reserve Force Compensation applications. This project is part of the 2026-2027 plan for digitization.
Recommendation 3: Information about compensation options
By January 2027, the CAF ensures that leadership and ill and injured Primary Reserve members have access to information about compensation options following an injury, illness or disease. This includes:
- Centralizing existing information on compensation options, entitlements and steps for submitting requests into one online product to help members make informed decisions; and,
- Ensuring that any relevant documents, policies, procedures and forms are available on externally accessible platforms, and a cyclical update process is established.
Departmental Response: Agree
The CAF remains committed to ensuring that all members, including the Primary Reserve, have clear and timely access to information through publicly available platforms.
Since 2023, and following the release of the last Ombudsman report, Hidden Battles, Military Personnel Command and the DND/CAF Ombudsman have worked together to update the health and benefit information for Reserve Force members available online at https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/canada-reserve-force/information-reservists/reserve-force-benefits.html; the Military Benefits Browser at https://www3.ombudsman.forces.gc.ca/Benefits/question_e.php; and through the MY CAF mobile app to improve awareness of policies and services available to Reserve Force members.
This will be an evergreen process.
Recommendation 4: Resources
By January 2027, the CAF complete updates of the Primary Reserve members health care entitlement and eligibility policies by allocating additional resources to expand capacity and strengthen expertise in drafting policies and directives, including the Reserve Force perspective.
Departmental response: Agree
DND/CAF has engaged in significant modernization in its approach to deliberately and strategically manage military personnel policy. The Department is transitioning to a whole of enterprise approach to its policy framework. This will ensure the integrity and soundness of a policy suite founded on a hierarchy of legally binding and administrative instruments aligned appropriately with enabling and functional authorities.
In addition, and specific to the Primary Reserve Force, DND/CAF is establishing a Reserve Planning and Policy Integration Team with the aim of allocating dedicated resources to reserve-specific efforts. The plan for this new Reserve Team will be established in January 2026.
Finally, Military Personnel Command has developed a comprehensive project to modify the Queen’s Regulations & Orders 34 and 35, Medical Services and Dental Services. This project aims to update and modernize the entire Health Services policy framework, including measures addressing Recommendation 4. The current regulations, with few minor amendments have been in place since 1965, pre-dating Medicare, the Canada Health Act, the Public Health Agency of Canada Act, the Privacy Act, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Federal Accountability Act.
A key objective of the project is to address choice of instrument, bringing all permissible measures out of regulation and into appropriate administrative policy instruments. This would enable responsive and nimble policy amendment going forward, ensuring that current instruments remain relevant.
The project is advanced and will move toward completion, including the development of related policy instruments, once essential legal direction is finalized.
Recommendation 5: Communication
By January 2027, the CAF include health resources for Reservists in the letter issued to members deemed Non-Effective Strength, to provide information should an operation stress injury manifest after their release.
Departmental response: Agree
The CAF recognizes the importance of ensuring that CAF members have access to the most up-to-date information related to CAF health information and services. As such, the CAF accepts this recommendation and will make the requested revision.
Since 2023, and following the release of the last Ombudsman report, Hidden Battles, the Chief of Military Personnel and the DND/CAF Ombudsman have worked together to update the health and benefits information to Reserve Force members available online at canada.ca, the Military Benefits Browser and through the MY CAF mobile app to improve awareness of health services available in the public domain to Reserve Force members.
I trust that this information is helpful.
Sincerely,
The Honourable David J. McGuinty, P.C., M.P.
Minister of National Defence