Chief of defence takes command of military schools
Review uncovers significant problems at Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont.
OTTAWA — A review of the Royal Military College of Canada has uncovered significant problems at the prestigious institution in Kingston, Ont., prompting a promise of immediate action from none other than the country’s top soldier.
Chief of defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance says he is putting the college and two other military schools under his direct command to ensure they get the attention they deserve.
The move is intended to address years of neglect caused by what the review, conducted by eight current and former officers, called “a decade of resource pressures and higher priorities” at National Defence.
That neglect manifested itself in a variety of ways, the review found, including cuts to support staff, a lack of money for repairs, and the appointment of unqualified military personnel to work at the school.
It also meant a steady build-up in rules and requirements facing the school’s 1,000 cadets, to the point where the review team found significant levels of “negative” stress within the student body.
Vance said he is committed to getting the school “back to basics” and wants to “inject some fun” back into the institution.
“I think we understand, as a result of the report, that there are some negative stressors at the college that are not useful or productive in the development of junior leaders in the armed forces,” he said. “And they will be eliminated.” Vance is promising to modernize the 140-year-old college by adding staff, improving medical and food services, and investing more money to fix the library, dormitories and other infrastructure.
He is also ending the age-old practice of requiring cadets to wear their uniforms at all times, a move he expects to spark outrage among some alumni but whose time he says has come.
“What part of wearing a ceremonial uniform downtown on a Friday night to have a drink with your friends would directly relate to your ability to be a good warrior leader or a good infantry officer?” Vance said.
“It’s a rhetorical question because there is none.”
Vance ordered the review last November following the suspected suicides of three cadets and allegations of sexual misconduct at the school, which is responsible for grooming future military officers.
But the team did not investigate the deaths of cadets Harrison Kelertas, Brett Cameron and Matthew Sullivan. Those incidents are instead the subject of a board of inquiry due to wrap up in the coming weeks.