Senator Loffreda: In a letter to your staff on July 27, you committed to establishing a meaningful culture change where people in uniform feel protected, respected and empowered to serve. Beyond commemorative events and modernizing the application process, I believe recruitment and retention success for the forces depends heavily on this culture change. Can you speak about your efforts in this area and what you have undertaken more precisely to improve the diversity of the Canadian Armed Forces?

Diversity is a priority for me, and we are taking significant steps. I have been working closely with the External Monitor — I met with her this morning for almost an hour — and I have had conversations with Madame Arbour with respect to the implementation of her 48 recommendations. I want to also assure you that in all of my work with the Chief of Defence Staff and his staff, they are resolute and committed to cultural change and to creating an inclusive, respectful and safe work environment for every member of their service. We have much more to report on it.

Senator Loffreda: Minister, does your biggest concern lie in recruitment? How imperative or arduous is the task of fleet renewal given what we are experiencing with the budget cuts?

The priority is all of those things.

You mentioned the fleet. Making sure our people have the right equipment, access to the appropriate kit and in circumstances where there is an aging fleet, for example, either a motor vehicle or air platform —

Hon. Marty Deacon: Hello, minister. Thank you for being here this afternoon. Thank you for your comments on morale and recruitment and culture. My question today stems from a report on Arctic sovereignty and security made earlier this year by the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs. It recommended that, by March 31, 2024, the government establish a permanent Arctic search and rescue round table comprised of representatives of the federal, territorial and Indigenous governments, as well as community-based organizations and government entities involved in search and rescue — including our Canadian Rangers.

My question is this: Is the government undertaking such a project? If not, what steps are you taking to ensure better search and rescue capabilities in the Arctic?

Hon. Percy E. Downe: Thank you, minister. The Canadian Armed Forces are short-staffed by 16,000 members. Retention and recruitment shortfalls are the worst they’ve ever been. Family consideration is an important fact for many members. I’ve been contacted by members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are concerned that, given the current health care accessibility crisis in Canada, medical support for their immediate family members will be next to impossible to obtain if they are posted to new locations in Canada.

As you’re well aware, members of the forces have access to military medical personnel, including doctors and nurses, but their family members don’t. Therefore, when they’re posted to a new location, their quality of medical care will continue, but their family members have to join a waiting list for a family doctor that, in many provinces, can be thousands of names long. For example, the wait-list for a family doctor in Prince Edward Island is over 30,000 names.

In light of this, and the impact it is surely having on recruitment and retention, why is your department not extending the Canadian Armed Forces medical coverage to members’ families, like they do in the United States?