Patriotism will drive Canadians into mobilization force, military report says

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The DND staff noted that a specialized campaign to attract recruits was needed early on as well as a comprehensive plan to communicate the initiative to Canadians. “Develop a national narrative that inspires belief and trust,” they recommended.

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But the public rollout of the mobilization plan has been controversial. During a defence conference in Ottawa in March, former Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Tom Lawson credited Carignan for issuing the mobilization concept.

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But the plan was never actually formally released. Instead, defence sources leaked the mobilization scheme to the Ottawa Citizen, pointing out that Carignan was keeping it under wraps and that the concept was poorly planned.

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Former senior military public affairs officers have also questioned how the Canadian Forces was caught off-guard by not having a proper communication plan for the public about such a major initiative.

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Retired colonel Brett Boudreau, a former top military public affairs officer, said a robust mobilization framework was a long-standing need for defence of the country, but the leadership dropped the ball on explaining that to Canadians.

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“It’s another classic study of a failure by defence leaders to anticipate public interest in their activities and planning, even if just at the gestation stage, and to build in communications as an integral part of their work,” said Boudreau, a Canadian Global Affairs Institute Fellow.

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Carignan, speaking to CTV on Nov. 11, originally claimed that the details quoted in Ottawa Citizen articles about the mobilization plan “are not quite correct.” She later backtracked after the newspaper published actual portions of the document.

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Carignan’s response did not surprise Boudreau. “The gut instinct, still, of most senior CAF leaders is to blame everyone but themselves, usually to scapegoat the media, for military-related coverage they do not like, for whatever reason, even if embarrassment is well and truly deserved,” he said. “It’s a curious feature of, and sad commentary about, a seriously dated institutional mindset toward the public communications function.”

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Those working on the defence mobilization plan reported to military leaders that, in addition to needing more public servants and Canadian Forces personnel to process the massive influx of new recruits, there would also be a requirement for new infrastructure to support health care for the volunteers.

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David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe

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