Visible minorities, women, persons with disabilities and Aboriginal peoples are still poorly represented in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as well as in the Department of National Defense due to recruitment and retention problems.

This was stated by Canada's military ombudsman, Gregory Lick, in an investigation report released Monday.

“We have found that despite the efforts of the past 24 years, there are deep-rooted barriers within the [Department of National Defence] (DND) and the CAF that impede the achievement of employment equity goals and representation, recruitment, career advancement and retention, and organizational culture, all of which are interrelated," he said.

The ombudsman's office had received 931 complaints about recruitment, 879 complaints about career advancement opportunities and 189 workplace discrimination complaints between 2020 and 2021.

“While not all of these complaints were filed by employment equity groups and not all of them would have been found to be unfair, these numbers show that the DND and the CAF are facing challenges when it comes to providing fair and equitable employment to employees and military members,” explained Mr. Lick.

While some progress has been noted for underrepresented groups, rates remain below both parties' targets.

Informed of this report, the Minister of National Defense, Anita Anand, has not yet given her reactions to the conclusions of the ombudsman.