The Royal Military College Alumni Association represents all persons who have attended a program at the CMCs – including thousands of alumni with lived experience of the ROTP. We serve both the alumni – including active-duty CAF members and veterans – as well as the current officer and naval cadets of the Colleges to provide peer support, guidance, mentorship, financial resources, and promotion of the history of the Colleges. Thus, the Alumni Association has a unique perspective to contribute to the work of the CMCRB.
The Alumni Association is a strong supporter of the CMCs. We know their value first-hand. They have served as a vector for professionalism and culture of the Canadian Armed Forces and have contributed many leaders who fought in Canada’s wars. Alumni have had (and have) remarkable careers in public service, military, business, academia, law, medicine, and engineering. The CMCs are also a centre of excellence for research on national security topics, such as veterans’ health, nuclear power, environmental sciences, and cybersecurity. They offer specialized professional development programs for CAF members and senior NCOs.
However, our intent is not to defend the status quo. We acknowledge that systemic failings at the CMCs enabled abuse to occur and persist. This should not have happened. We are inspired by the courage of the survivors who have come out and shared their stories. We share an unwavering commitment to advance cultural and systemic change, so such abuses never happen again. We believe in the evolution of the CMCs to better support the CAF and broader Canadian society. We want the CMCs to be safer and more effective for everyone who attends them today and in the future.
Our intent is to help. We wish to share our unique perspective to assist the Canadian Military Colleges Review Board as they form their recommendations.
The Alumni Association’s perspective is rooted in evidence-based research. This submission was developed with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the Alumni Association’s research and advisory partner, selected through a competitive RFP process. The submission incorporates the guidance of an independent expert Steering Committee, external to the Alumni Association, which was tasked with guiding, directing and challenging the development of recommendations.
Multiple streams of evidence were brought together to inform the study including alumni views garnered through survey responses and class, branch or individual submissions; interviews with experts; and benchmarking against allied Service Academies as well as civilian institutions.
This fact and evidence-based review resulted in seven actionable propositions to drive the Renewal of the Colleges. Each proposition is described in detail in the submission.
The Alumni Association has aimed to represent a wide range of alumni experiences and opinions accurately and fairly. However, we recognize that not every member of the alumni community will agree with our findings and the propositions for renewal in their entirety.
The submission document provides a definitive public record of the comprehensive study completed to develop the Alumni Association’s proposed Renewal framework for the CMCs, in response to IECR recommendations 28 and 29. It also provides a record of our engagement with the CMCRB.
Provided on behalf of CMC Renewal Team – [email protected]
Link for English Version of Presentation
Link to full submission to CMCRB
Watch the submission on Spotify
Or watch on YouTube below