Is it the Beginning of the End for Canada’s Royal Military Colleges?
The future of Canada’s Royal Military Colleges hangs in the balance. Their uncertain future stems from two recommendations that were part of former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour’s year-long review of the Canadian Armed Forces. These two recommendations - Recommendations #28 and #29 - focused on the Royal Military Colleges (RMCs), Canada’s degree-granting military universities. They are among the boldest of the total 48 recommendations she made in that they have the potential to presents for their potential in reconfigure long-standing institutional structures foundational to the CAF’s unique internal culture. The RMCs have been responsible for the education of Canadian military officers for over a century, and have been instrumental in the broader evolution of the profession of military service and the culture of this unique workplace. In her report, Arbour stated that the RMCs resemble “institutions from a different era”, with widespread cultural issues and systemic deficiencies at the colleges. Currently on the table is the prospect that the CAF will end this relationship with this historic institution, and this is hugely significant for both ongoing culture change efforts and the structure of the CAF more broadly.
While the Arbour Report did not explicitly recommend the termination of the RMCs as the standard education route for CAF officers, it did recommend the formation of a review board to consider such. This is due to the numerous systemic problems within the RMCs that mirror, and in some ways found, the culture issues evident in the wider CAF. The widespread sexual violence at RMC is displayed through such events in recent years as a group of cadets shouting rape threats at minors visiting the college. The structure and culture of the RMCs, as the place of initial socialization and training for CAF leaders, is deeply complacent in the widespread issue of systemic sexual violence in the organization. This is reflected in the rates of sexual assault amongst students at RMCs which are significantly higher than that of civilian university equivalents.
In December of this year, DND assembled the Canadian Military Colleges Review Board comprised of both Defence Team members and external experts. They have one year to decide on if CAF officers will continue to be educated at RMCs, or if their undergraduate experience will be moved to civilian universities. Within the scope of their mandate is a formal recommendation on whether to terminate the RMCs degree-granting status, as well as whether to modify or eliminate the colleges’ Cadet Wing command structure – significant changes to the current operation of the RMCs and CAF.
These changes also relate to Arbour’s Recommendation #26, which suggests how an overall increase in civilian and external opportunities for CAF members would aid the culture change effort. In allowing CAF members more career experiences outside the ‘total’ nature of the institution, the organization would benefit from a membership with a greater breadth of perspectives and diverse experiences – thus weakening the historic ‘black box’ nature of the CAF’s internal culture and workings.
It is important to note that scrapping the RMC altogether is not an option currently being considered. However, the scope, specified timeline and resources that have been established for this recommendation make it one area within the Arbour Report that is cause for optimism. Tackling foundational components of the culture issue such as the Military Colleges is a key step in creating lasting, systemic change in the CAF.
