Commander of Military Personnel Command responds to Ombudsman's request for an update on recommendations in military families report

 25 September 2015

Mr. Gary Walbourne
Ombudsman
Office of the Ombudsman
Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces
Urbandale Building
100 Metcalfe St, 12th Floor
Ottawa, ON K1P 5M1
 

Dear Mr. Walbourne,

Thank you for your letter requesting an update to the recommendations in On the Homefront: Assessing the Well-being of Canada’s Military Families in the New Millenium. As always, caring for our members and their families remains one of the rop priorities for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). While the entire Canadian Defence Team works to address the challenges in health and resilience of the military family community, the bulk of the effort is borne by commanders in the field and by the Military Family Services team here in the capital and across the country. As Commander of Military Personnel Command, I can assure you that the Military Family Services Program is focused on the CAF Ombudsman Report as well as other credible sources of insight and recommendations, and has been working to synchronize our efforts to respond to your recommendations that touch on military family life. I am pleased to provide you with a comprehensive update enclosed with this letter.

In order to accomplish our goal of addressing the issues surrounding military families, four major priorities of institutional support have been identified that will shape all Military Family Services’ effort and activity in the coming years:

  • Enhancing awareness, access, and use of physical and mental health services;
  • Optimizing the Military Family Services Program (MFSP);
  • Communicating more effectively with families; and
  • Strengthening existing partnerships, fostering new ones, and more fully leveraging  these relationships.

These key priorities represent themes derived in part from your recommendations and from the basis and focus of the MFS Operating Plan as we seek to renew family programming. 

Your personal commitment to fostering partnership in supporting military families is very much appreciated and I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and your staff to follow up on Military Family Services

Yours sincerely,
 

C.T. Whitecross
Lieutenant-General

Enclosure:
DND Response to Ombudsman’s Military Families Report Recommendations

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