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The cadet program has been a footnote to the larger problem of sexual assault in the Canadian Armed Forces. Cadets need action and attention on sexual abuse and assault. Despite the Vice Chief of Defence Staff’s recent attempt to downplay the sexual abuse problems in cadets, these issues continue to arise with no real plan to combat the roots of the concerns and keep kids in the cadet program safe.15 We submit that an independent commission should be called as has recently been undertaken within the Australian cadet program, due to similar historical and ongoing issues.16

Repair the Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC) Branch – The cadet officer branch in the Canadian Armed Forces developed historically from a time that cadet corps in schools were attached to militia units, and people from the community (usually teachers), were commissioned as officers. It made logical sense that this branch was comprised of officers. This system of attached militia units transformed later into the Cadet Services of Canada. There has been repeated discussion about splitting out the CIC branch into a separate component of the reserve force entirely, either as civilians, or as a component of the Canadian Armed Forces like the Canadian Rangers that hold a rank that is different from other Canadian Armed Forces members.

There is general resistance and disrespect in the rest of the Canadian Forces for CIC officers, because they do not need to hold any education beyond grade 12, they are not subject to universality of service provisions, they do not have any fitness standards, they are not required to complete an aptitude test to join, and they only need to complete approximately 30 days of training to be promoted up to the rank of Major. Their rank and commission is legally the same as any other Canadian Armed Forces officer, and they technically have the legal right to give orders to any non-commissioned members in the Canadian Armed Forces. It is no wonder that non-commissioned members and non-CIC junior officers resent saluting cadet officers and refer to them as “civilians in combats.” The bizarre refusal to modernize the cadet officer branch is one of the most serious impediments to fixing the problems in the cadet program. Because these (usually) under qualified officers are the pool of people which is drawn upon to fill the full-time cadet officer positions at the Regional and National headquarters offices, this personnel pool helps to develop organizational resistance to changing how CIC officers fit into the rest of the Canadian Armed Forces. There is serious opposition toward any attempt to civilianize the branch, or establish a non-commissioned member component for the CIC. It is a problem of agency, as although the best solution is likely to civilianize the branch or create a non-commissioned member component, the full-time staff who advise associate deputy ministers or deputy ministers on such policy, as well as senior Canadian Armed Forces cadet officer branch members act in their own self-interest, resisting any efforts to restructure the branch, which they believe would eliminate or diminish their status as a “Canadian Armed Forces Officer.”