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The Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Defence Administrative Order and Directive (DAOD) 5019-1, Personal Relationships policy has been revised and updated as a formal response to one of the recommendations made in the Report of the Independent External Comprehensive Review (Arbour Report, 2022). This DAOD applies to Regular and Reserve Force, as well as DND employees who act as managers/supervisors of CAF members. Practically speaking, it requires that, in specific circumstances, any existing or new personal relationships be disclosed to the chain of command.
The policy update implements Recommendation #4 of the Report, which counsels better articulating, clarifying, and regulating personal relationships within the CAF. It accomplishes this by addressing power imbalance, privacy, and oversight.
CAF policies and instructions must balance personal freedoms with professional conduct. While the updated DAOD clarifies that CAF members have the right to form personal relationships with other CAF members or DND employees without fear of reprisal or discrimination, it requires fostering a professional, respectful, and supportive work environment.
To that end, the updated policy provides amplification and clarity on how personal relationships are managed within the CAF context, and places integrity and fairness as core values of the approach. It clarifies that, in undisclosed personal relationships which involve a power imbalance, a rebuttable presumption will apply that the relationship was not consensual.
This means that the onus is on individuals with the higher rank, authority, or influence to report such relationships to their chain of command. They also must demonstrate that the relationship was consensual, and that it did not result in any real or perceived disadvantage to the party with lesser power or authority.
This approach recognizes the inherent difficulty of ensuring genuine consent when one party holds authority over the other. The intent is to protect DND and CAF members from exploitation and uphold trust, professionalism, and fairness within the chain of command.
In addition, references to “fraternization” were removed from the DAOD. The term is replaced in DAOD 5019-1 with clear, respectful language focused on professionalism and integrity, which are principal aspects of the Arbour Report direction.
The updated DAOD 5019-1, Personal Relationships is tangible evidence of the CAF’s constant evolution and its ongoing efforts to improve the quality of the professional and personal lives of CAF members.