COMMENTARY

A PUBLICaTION OF THE ROYaL CaNaDIaN MILITarY INSTITUTE

A Look at an Iconic National OrganizationRoyal Canadian Army Cadets: Whither its Future? by Chris Corrigan

ittle has been written about Royal Canadian Army Cadets in the annals of The Royal Canadian Military Institute. Notwithstanding, I believe we all know or believe we know something about cadets in general and perhaps more about Army Cadets after all it must be successful and sound as it is a program that develops youth into future good citizens and leaders of this country, across this country. There are venerable members of the Institute who themselves were cadets, and I believe there are several members who at one time were part of the instructional cadre of their Regimental cadet corps. I am sure that each of us thinks highly of the cadet program for what we know of it, but it is perhaps something like our Institute or wallpaper we know it is here and take for granted that it will always be. During my regular, force career especially as Commander of Land Forces Central Area, I would have the honour of being the Reviewing Officer at Cadet parades. I have always been intrigued by the issue of the responsibility of citizenship. The Cadet Program serves as vital citizenship training and socialization for future Canadian leaders and adult members of our society. In that regards I thought I should do some research and write something about Army Cadets and their leadership. The History of Cadets The history of cadets and Army Cadet organizations in Canada can be traced to 1861 and Drill Associations

in community schools. Todays oldest active cadet organization is Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps No. 2 (RCACC 2), Bishops College School Cadet Corps located in Lennoxville, Quebec and it maps its history from formation on 6 December 1861 as Bishops College Drill Association. Leadership and Stewardship over the Years The leadership and instruction of cadets by commissioned officers is recognized as having started in 1908 with the creation of the Corps of School Cadet Instructors (Militia), primarily drawn from the ranks of the teachers in schools with cadet corps. Over time, the instructors and commissioned officers leading the cadet program have belonged to a component of the military, being enrolled as members of the Cadet Services of Canada, the Cadet Instructors List or the Cadet Instructors Cadre. It is fair to conclude that, throughout the last 150 years and several iterations of purpose and scope, primarily due to two World Wars and the Depression, the Government of Canada remained committed to the cadet program by establishing and reinforcing the mandate to deliver and lead it as a role of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces. In the late 1960s/early 70s, unification toppled the gyros on more than one historical treasure of the Canadian Armed Forces. The Cadet Program might have been a casualty had not the Government in 1974 demonstrated uncommon wisdom

to recast its commitment to the Sea, Army and Air Cadet Programs in two documents: The National Defence Act (NDA) and Queens Regulations and Orders Cadets (QR Cadets). The NDA and QR Cadets designated the Canadian Forces to create, deliver and supervise the communitybased Cadet Program in conjunction with civilian non-governmental agencies - the three Cadet Leagues (the Navy League, the Army Cadet League and the Air Cadet League). Obviously and as reflected in the ruling documents, the government realized that the success of the cadet program was founded upon, supported and thrived courtesy of three interdependent pillars: the youth in the program; the community from which the youth, their parents, leaders and local support were drawn; and, the Canadian military with its cross-Canada capacity and footprint. While QR Cadets directed that the Canadian Forces would supervise all levels of development and delivery of the Program, it solicited leadership and support from civilians and their The primary objective of the Royal Canadian Military Institute is the Promotion and Fostering of Military Art, Science and Literature in Canada. The Institute is therefore pleased to present the Commentary series, which will feature brief and timely analysis of a range of contemporary military and strategic issues. RCMI 2012

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communities. (Democratically elected governments cannot order citizens out of uniform to do much more than pay taxes.) The Leagues then were identified as being the respective supervisory sponsor and were made responsible (perhaps better phraseology is: asked to be responsible) to arrange for community support and to attract youth to join. The Officers and Instructors delivering the Cadet Program It is reasonable to assume that the Government of Canada in 1974 and earlier expected that the role of the Canadian Forces in support of the Cadet Program would be carried out by the professional military officers and noncommissioned members assigned to work in the cadet program away from their regimental or normal duties, much as they would be employed in recruiting assignments or in non-unit, general staff officer jobs. No matter in what capacity any Canadian military professional serves, his or her professional responsibilities, personal attributes and expectations have always been characterized as of the highest quality consistent with one of the extant cornerstone leadership documents of the Canadian Forces: Duty with Honour The Profession of Arms in Canada. 1 Such was the case in the 1970s and 80s until a personnel reduction in the Forces resulted in the removal of a very high percentage of all professional Officers and NCOs from the delivery of the Cadet Program. The removal was experienced at every level regionally and in the provinces from where guidance and assistance is provided to the town/city/village cadet corps year-round, at each regional and national Cadet Summer camp, and at NDHQ from where program design, delivery and policy emanates. To address this reduction of regular force involvement, the Canadian Forces filled the vacancies in the Cadet Program by providing more opportunity for Cadet cadre officers to fill appointments that until then had been manned by the regular force. Not to cast aspersions but one could conclude that this plan became an employment scheme when the civilian personnel selected had only to meet the lowest of entry level requirements ever used by the Canadian Forces. Their backgrounds were supplemented with less than one month of hands-on training and another month of distributed learning. So widespread was the reduction of regular force involvement, replaced by Cadet Instructor List/Cadre officers and civilian instructors, that in 2010 the Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service (COATS) totals in excess of 7500 and is the largest branch in the Canadian Forces, larger even than the Canadian Infantry branch. COATS officers are members of the Canadian Forces and are given the same Queens Commission as any officer who successfully graduates from RMC and environmental training to serve at the behest of the Canadian Government, often in harms way. COATS officers are accorded the same privileges of rank, pay, allowances and benefits accorded to other professional Canadian Military Officers. Yet, officer rank within cadet corps up to and including the rank of Major, is based on the number of cadets enrolled and parading (the greater the cadet population, the higher the rank and number of officers that the Forces will enroll, clothe and pay in that specific unit). Beyond this grass roots level, commissioned COATS officers from the town/city/village cadet corps are attracted (recruited) or apply and move to higher HQ cadet jobs at Regions (Halifax, Victoria, Montreal, Borden and Winnipeg) and nationally at NDHQ. It is very much an application process as a meritocracy (PER) system as used in the remainder of the Canadian Forces does not exist. Perhaps this embedding of a cadre of officers not subject to a defining tenet of the Profession of Arms, that of an Unlimited Liability has devalued the service and public stature of all professional Canadian Military Officers and denied Canadian youth the opportunity of experiencing leadership provided by professional Military Officers and NCOs, which was the initial original intention of the Government of Canada and the Canadian Forces. There appears to be a definite lack of role model and professionalism exhibited by many officers in uniform wearing CIC insignia. Perhaps this tragedy is truly one of the last vestiges of the oft referred to Decade of Darkness. Perhaps the situation cries out to be reversed before the Cadet Program, truly a Canadian Treasure that has produced astronauts, mayors, generals, captains of industry and all-round good citizens, is beyond recovery. Conclusion: The Future is at Risk The Canadian Cadet Movement is at risk as the population of CIC (COATS) officers grows and the population of audience (youth joining) is plummeting. Currently, the Forces are engaged in Population Growth studies and initiatives to reverse the trend, but it is unclear to the author if the studies also address issues of leadership and the quality of that leadership to capture and motivate youth. It is interesting to note that the studies and initiatives reside with the CIC (COATS) officers, precious few of whom have any staff training or experience outside of cadets. To reverse what could become a national tragedy, perhaps greater regular force attention to the cadet program is warranted. Perhaps the removal of those who do not meet the standards and requirements of Duty with Honour from the Canadian Forces Officer Corps might be warranted. While a wholesale

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housecleaning could do as much damage as good, retention of those found to possess the most desirable personal and professional traits including experience and training would likely unblock a system that suffers from tenure. Perhaps it is the right time for the Forces to (re)inject into the Cadet Program, greater numbers of Professional Military Officers and Non Commissioned officers to design and supervise the delivery of the year-round Cadet Program and the Cadet Summer Camp program. This move would certainly permit our children and grandchildren, who are the cadets across this land, to experience leadership from Professional Military Officers and NCOs, those who live by the ethos described in Duty with Honour. It might also provide cadets with role models to emulate in whatever career path they choose to follow. Food for thoughtand with changes coming (perhaps) in structure and (certainly) in operational rhythm for our troops and the Forces leadership in mid to late 2011, the time might just be right to look at this venerable, trusted institution known as Army Cadets (and Sea and Air Cadets). I would not want to see Army Cadets become scouts or pass into history for want of professional attention.
Notes 1 Duty with Honour The Professional of Arms in Canada, published by the Canadian Forces Academy Canadian Forces Leadership Institute, 2003. ISBN: 0-662-67561-4
Col Chris Corrigan throughout his thirty-five year regular force career has had numerous dealings with the Cadet movement, especially as Chief of Staff and as Commander Land Force Central Area - from supporting summer cadet camps in Petawawa, Trenton and Borden to frequently being a reviewing officer at Cadet parades. As Executive Director RCMI he has been intrigued by the issue of the responsibility of citizenship. In that regard the Cadet Program serves as vital citizenship training for future Canadian leaders and adult members of our society.

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