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Canadian Forces failing in gender integration and employment equity: report
By JOHN WARD
Friday March 16 11:33 AM EST
OTTAWA (CP) - The Canadian Forces is flunking in its efforts to integrate women, visible minorities and aboriginals, an advisory board reported Friday. The minister‘s advisory board on gender integration and employment equity gave the Forces a passing grade on its employment equity plan. However, the military flunked on implementation.
Harassment, intolerance and ignorance remain as problems within the system, the report said.
Women in some military occupations are leaving the Forces at rates two and even three times higher than their male counterparts.
Among non-commissioned members of the combat arms - infantry, artillery and armour - the attrition rate for women was 30.4 per cent between 1989 and 1999. For men, the rate was 9.2 per cent.
Recruiting of women, minorities and aboriginals falls well short of targets, the board found.
With a goal of 28 per cent women recruits, the Forces manage to enlist 11.1 per cent. It was worse for visible minorities where the goal was nine per cent and the reality was 2.5 per cent.
"From community leaders, the board heard that the Canadian Forces must establish credibility in visible minority communities that may have little contact with or knowledge of the Canadian Forces and which, in some instances, perceive the Canadian Forces as having racist environments," the report said.
The board recommended more community outreach programs.
The report also found some disturbing attitudes in the Forces, which "demonstrated ignorance at the least and intolerance at the worst, of employment equity principles."
The board found problems at Royal Military College in Kingston, which trains would-be officers.
It conducted focus groups there which showed "that few of the next generation of officers are knowledgeable about employment equity."
"Many felt that standards had been lowered to allow designated group members to be recruited and that double standards permeate the system in order to allow women to succeed on courses and in the workplace."
The report said the college should develop an employment equity curriculum and add more women, minorities and aboriginals to its board of directors.
In a forward to the report, Gen. Maurice Baril, chief of the defence staff, reiterated the Forces commitment to equality.
The military, he said, needs professionals.
"To attract and retain this highly skilled pool of personnel, they must know that they will be treated fairly, and with dignity and respect throughout their careers," he wrote.
He said the military may have to review policies and practices long unquestioned.
The report also slapped the military‘s various awareness and sensitivity programs, saying they are a patchwork of "reactive diversity training."
A benchmark program known as SHARP, for Standard for Harassment and Racism Prevention, has backfired, in several ways, the report said.
"The board was told SHARP training has created both a new awareness and a fear of reprisal among leaders and instructors in the Canadian Forces," the document said. "The board also heard that some members who have been found guilty of harassment have been sent on a harassment adviser course as a punishment."
People are still fearful of reprisals for reporting harassment, the report said.
"The Canadian Forces must make it safe for members to come forward with their allegations.
The board is led by Sandra Perron, a former infantry captain who quit the military after years of ostracism and aloofness from her fellow officers. She now works with General Motors of Canada.
By JOHN WARD
Friday March 16 11:33 AM EST
OTTAWA (CP) - The Canadian Forces is flunking in its efforts to integrate women, visible minorities and aboriginals, an advisory board reported Friday. The minister‘s advisory board on gender integration and employment equity gave the Forces a passing grade on its employment equity plan. However, the military flunked on implementation.
Harassment, intolerance and ignorance remain as problems within the system, the report said.
Women in some military occupations are leaving the Forces at rates two and even three times higher than their male counterparts.
Among non-commissioned members of the combat arms - infantry, artillery and armour - the attrition rate for women was 30.4 per cent between 1989 and 1999. For men, the rate was 9.2 per cent.
Recruiting of women, minorities and aboriginals falls well short of targets, the board found.
With a goal of 28 per cent women recruits, the Forces manage to enlist 11.1 per cent. It was worse for visible minorities where the goal was nine per cent and the reality was 2.5 per cent.
"From community leaders, the board heard that the Canadian Forces must establish credibility in visible minority communities that may have little contact with or knowledge of the Canadian Forces and which, in some instances, perceive the Canadian Forces as having racist environments," the report said.
The board recommended more community outreach programs.
The report also found some disturbing attitudes in the Forces, which "demonstrated ignorance at the least and intolerance at the worst, of employment equity principles."
The board found problems at Royal Military College in Kingston, which trains would-be officers.
It conducted focus groups there which showed "that few of the next generation of officers are knowledgeable about employment equity."
"Many felt that standards had been lowered to allow designated group members to be recruited and that double standards permeate the system in order to allow women to succeed on courses and in the workplace."
The report said the college should develop an employment equity curriculum and add more women, minorities and aboriginals to its board of directors.
In a forward to the report, Gen. Maurice Baril, chief of the defence staff, reiterated the Forces commitment to equality.
The military, he said, needs professionals.
"To attract and retain this highly skilled pool of personnel, they must know that they will be treated fairly, and with dignity and respect throughout their careers," he wrote.
He said the military may have to review policies and practices long unquestioned.
The report also slapped the military‘s various awareness and sensitivity programs, saying they are a patchwork of "reactive diversity training."
A benchmark program known as SHARP, for Standard for Harassment and Racism Prevention, has backfired, in several ways, the report said.
"The board was told SHARP training has created both a new awareness and a fear of reprisal among leaders and instructors in the Canadian Forces," the document said. "The board also heard that some members who have been found guilty of harassment have been sent on a harassment adviser course as a punishment."
People are still fearful of reprisals for reporting harassment, the report said.
"The Canadian Forces must make it safe for members to come forward with their allegations.
The board is led by Sandra Perron, a former infantry captain who quit the military after years of ostracism and aloofness from her fellow officers. She now works with General Motors of Canada.