ATC061112: Report on Study Tour to Canada

Defence and Military Veterans

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Defence on the study tour to Canada 

The Portfolio Committee on Defence, having undertaken a study tour to Canada during the period 4 till the 12 November 2006, reports as follows:

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Interaction between the South African Delegates and their counter parts in the Canadian parliament.

3. Interaction between the South African Delegation [Representatives of the Portfolio Committee on Defence] and the Department of Foreign Affairs [Canada] and National Defence Head Quarters.

4. Interaction between the South African Delegation [Representatives of the Portfolio Committee on Defence] and the Canadian Ombudsman as well as Integration of females in the military.

5. Integration of females in the military. 

6. Integration between the South African Delegation [Representatives of the Portfolio Committee on Defence] and the Royal MilitaryCollege and Peace Keeping Centre.

7. Appendix 1 (Committee Delegation)

8. Appendix 2 (Presentation by Foreign Affairs and International Trade: Canada)

9. Appendix 3 (Presentation by Director of Peacekeeping Policy)

10. Appendix 4 (Presentation by Canadian Military Ombudsman)

11. Appendix 5 (Presentation on Integration of Woman into the Canadian Forces)

12. Appendix 6 (Presentation on the Canadian Defence Academy)

13. Appendix 7 (Presentation on the Royal Military College)

1. Introduction

South Africa occupies a unique position within the African continent in its efforts to eradicate poverty, promote sustainable growth and development, and bring peace to our war-ravaged continent. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development gives impulse to such initiatives, as do peace support operations undertaken by the African Union in partnership with the United Nations. South Africa plays a leading role in these efforts, having committed major political, economic and military resources to African renewal. 

Peacekeeping is a relatively new phenomena facing the modern world and South Africa is at the forefront. It is therefore important forSouth Africa to learn from other models with respect to peacekeeping vs primary role of the armed forces. The Canadians are involved in peacekeeping in the DRC, Sudan and in Seirra Loene. 

South Africa has committed itself to transformation and clear targets have been set regarding gender representivity, not just in the public sector. Their is a good balance in the Canadian forces with regard to the balance between Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, the processes that was followed would assist the South Africa in achieving its targets.

In 2005 the Portfolio Committee on Defence had began the process of drafting policy around the question of the Military Ombudsperson. At present there is no dedicated appointed Ombudsperson in the South African Defence Force. It would be of great value to the South African Defence Force if such a person exist.

The Constitution of the Republic establishes the ‘Defence civil Secretariat,’ which must entrance civil oversight over the Military. This therefore means that it is imperative for the rank and file of the military to be aware of international conventions governing the behaviour of armed forces. Given the extensive involvement of RSA in peacekeeping initiatives in Africa it is crucial for SANDF members to be able to strike a balance between military activity and interaction with civilians. Paradigm shift from pre-94 to post-94 i.e., Batho-Pele pr.

2.Interaction between the South African Delegates and their counter parts in the Canadian parliament.

The South African delegation, comprising of: Hon. T V Tobias, MP (Chairperson); Hon. V B Ndlovu, MP; Hon. B Ntuli, MP and Hon. OMonareng, MP met with the Canadian Standing Committee on National Defence to learn from the Canadian experiences in peacekeeping. Moreover, the South African delegation was much interested in learning and understanding the relationship between the Standing Committee on National Defence and the National Department of Defence.  

The meeting was held at the Canadian Parliament, 180 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario.

Hon. R Casson MP, the Chairman of the host Committee, officially opened the meeting at 15:45 and welcomed the South African delegation. It was reiterated that the host Committee had the power and authority to question the Minister of National Defence and his line department on matters of policy and expenditure. The Chairman made it clear that the Committee’s mandate was to continuously hold the Minister accountable and thus provide clarity on matters of defence to the electorate.

Due to the historical background between the two nations certain similarities stand out. For instance:
 

·      House of Commons & Senate comprises of elected representatives;

 

·      Westminster parliamentary system;

 

·      The backbone of their system is constituencies;

 

However, there are differences of note regarding the power of recommendation, force employment and oversight. For instance in the Canadian situation it was highlighted that:
 

·      The Standing Committee on National Defence is at liberty to interrogate the strategic business plan of the Department of National Defence but however the budget allocation was within the domain of the National Government.
 

·      The Minister of Defence presents the estimates.
 

·      The Minister of Defence was responsible for the deployment of the armed forces.

 

·      Regarding deployment of troops in peace support operations, it was the view of the Standing Committee on National Defence that combat ready troops were critical in such deployment.

 

·      The Minister of National Defence was directly accountable to the Standing Committee on National Defence.

 

·      There is a secondment of high ranking government official to caucuses of various political parties, which have representation in the House of Commons.

 

·      Ombudsperson does not have the authority of Command and Control over the uniformed personnel.

 

·      In South Africa there is a Political system of Majority Rule. There is the Secretary for Defence who is the accounting officer and reports to Parliament.

 

3. Interaction between the South African Delegation [Representatives of the Portfolio Committee on Defence] and the Department of Foreign Affairs [Canada] and National Defence Head Quarters.

Meeting with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade:

The South African delegation, comprising of: Hon. T V Tobias, MP (Chairperson); Hon. V B Ndlovu, MP; Hon. B Ntuli, MP and Hon. OMonareng, MP accompanied by Dr A Nkomo, South African High Commissioner to Canada, met and received a briefing from the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs. 

The Chairperson to the Portfolio Committee on Defence Hon. TV Tobias, MP stated in her opening remarks that the South African Delegation wanted to learn the Canadian processes in terms of Peace Keeping Missions from conception to implementation. 

The first presentation received was by a representative from the Policy and Planning division. It was titled Canada in the world [Appendix 2]. This presentation focussed mainly on the strategic economic objectives which therefore is a factor in determining Canada’s involvement in Peace Keeping. The main challenge highlighted in this presentation was the effort needed to resuscitate the DOHA talks.

Canada is currently spending approximately 100 million C$ for its involvement in Afghanistan. This is the largest Canadian operation internationally. Canada’s Peace Keeping strategy emanated from the resolution of the G8 summit held in 2002.  

Regarding the volatile situation in Darfur, Canada highlighted the need for greater involvement of the African leadership. There is a need for continuous evaluation of deployments in theatres of Peace Keeping, this refers to UN Charter chapter 7 vis-à-vis chapter 8. 

Meeting with the Department of National Defence at Defence Headquarters:

The objective of the meeting was to ascertain Canada’s level of involvement in Peace Keeping Operations and the degree of Civil Military Relations within the Armed Forces.

The challenge with regard to Peace Keeping is the different interpretations of the notion. For instance Canada conducts its Peace Keeping as a secondary role. Canada’s priorities are such that first and foremost there’s adequate protection for its people and territorial integrity, secondly, that there’s adequate regional security i.e., for North America. Once these factors have been satisfied will Canadacommit to the security of the world. There is also the challenge of defining terrorism.

It was highlighted that the maintenance capability of the Canadian Forces is outsourced when equipment requires being overhauled. Furthermore the military health capability is also outsourced, however, essential medical services required in theatres of operation are retained. 

Canada dictates to the UN what tasks its Forces can perform e.g the guarding of facilities vs use of deadly force. 

The Canadian module of involvement in Peace Keeping Operations is as follows:

UN → Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade → Assistant Minister of Defence: Policy → Department of National Defence.

Procedure in terms of receiving donations is that donor funding is paid into the State coffers managed by Treasury.

In terms of budgeting the Department of National Defence / Canadian Forces plans for its primary function. Should there be unforeseen deployments the Department of National Defence can request for additional funding from Treasury.

At present the budget of the Department of National Defence / Canadian Forces is at 14 billion C$ (2%). The total strength of the Canadian Forces is at an estimated 61 944 regular force members and 24 000 reserve force members. It was highlighted that the Department of National Defence has been underspending in terms of its budget allocation. The Reserve Forces is at 24 000. 

South Africa is part of the Canadian Military Training Assistance Programme (MTAP).  

4.Interaction between the South African Delegation [Representatives of the Portfolio Committee on Defence] and the Canadian Ombudsman.

Introduction:

The meeting was held at the Canadian National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, Ontario.

Mr Y Cote, Canadian Ombudsman, highlighted that the office of the ombudsman is free from Command and Control of the Canadian Forces. 

The Ombudsman has total staff of approximately 50 staff with a budget of 6 million C$. The Staff compliment is a considerable number of retired military personnel; people with academic qualifications in conflict resolutions and former police officers.

The Ombudsman has three distinct levels of operation:
 

·      Intake / Recruitment office i.e., This relates to the analyses information and education to the Public on the exciting mechanisms.

 

·      The Ombudsman has authority to conduct general investigations pertaining to individual complaints i.e., verify facts.

 

·      Ombudsman has authority to conduct systematic investigations i.e., (Self initiate investigations) should there be evidence of systematic complaints.

 

Not all complaints and or enquiries warrant an investigation. Most cases are tabled due to a lack of information and understanding sotherefore, most cases are resolved at the intake / recruitment level.

The Ombudsman is appointed by Cabinet and reports to the Minister of Defence. 

The Ombudsman is authorized to have access to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces employees.

The mandate of the Canadian Ombudsman is not catered for by the Act of Parliament. 

The Ombudsman does not particularly focus on rank related complaints; rather the office focuses on the relationship between the two conflicting parties. That is to say the main objective of the office is the focus on procedural matters. 

The Ombudsman does not get involved in matters of the military justice system.

Despite the Ombudsman having to report to the Minister of National Defence, the Minister has minimal influence over the recommendations contained in the report of the Ombudsman. Once a decision was reached on a particular matter the Ombudsman has the responsibility to publish the report within 28 days after provision to the Minister of National Defence.

According to the Ombudsman the only time the Minister can interfere with the investigation is by submitting a formal request to the Ombudsman outlining reasons for the abandonment of the investigation, this letter will then be made available to the public.



5.Integration of females in the military. 

It was reported that all musterings was open to women as of 1989, submarine duty was opened in 2001. 

There has been a significant increase of women representation in the Canadian Forces, for instance, in 1989 the figures stood at 2% and in 2006 the figures are at 19.8%.

Due to the Canadian system which is a Social system, which is family orientated women in the armed forces can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave; men can take up to 55 weeks of paternity leave. 

When women go on maternity leave they receive almost 90% of total packages.

The retirement age of both men and women in the Canadian Forces is 55 years of age with the option of extending to 60 years.

Women dominate the Air Defence and Land Defence. They are still in fewer numbers in the Navy.

6. Integration between the South African Delegation [Representatives of the Portfolio Committee on Defence] and the RoyalMilitary College and Peace Keeping Centre.

Introduction:

The meeting was held at the Canadian Military Academy, Kingston.

The Canadian Armed Forces has three environments (Arms of Service):
 

·      Land Defence

·      Air Defence

·      Sea Defence

 

The Academy does not recruit directly into the armed services, rather the recruitment agency within the Department of National Defence seconds personnel to the college.

The college focuses on professional development i.e., training, which is preparation for a known activity. Secondly, the college focuses on education i.e., an unknown activity. For instance, the Canadians have a concept known as “Strategic Corporal.” This notion advocates for an informed military personnel in the Canadian forces. Thirdly the college focuses on self development and lastly experience.

The desired end state of the professional development of the Canadian Forces is to have agile and flexible personnel which is able to find solutions to immediate challenges in the theatre of operation without waiting for instruction from headquarters in terms of how to proceed.

There are five professional development faces, which overlap. [refer to Appendix 6 Page 10].

Royal Military College of Canada

There is a recruitment strategy that allows cadets to participate, free of obligation, for a full academic year. However, should they go beyond the first day of the second year (Academic) then they are bound to remain at the institution for the full range of the degree. Once the degree is completed (junior degree is 4 years) they are committed to stay in the military for a period of no less than 5 years.

Since Canada is a bilingual country it is a directive that all essential causes at the college are offered in both official languages. At times the ratio of teacher student is 1:1 in some of the cases. 

With regards to the military vis-à-vis academic training at the college it was stressed that the relationship between the two disciplines is interlinked to such an extent that no one discipline is given preferential treatment over the other.