RMC Kingston – File Photo
The Canadian Military Colleges Review Board (CMCRB) online consultation portal is open and ready to receive input from Canadians regarding Canada’s two military colleges, as related to the mandate of the CMCRB. The Consulting with Canadians platform will be available until September 15, 2024 for submissions.
The CMCRB will review the benefits, costs and advantages to both the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the nation, of continuing to educate Regular Officer Training Plan (ROTP) naval/officer cadets at the Canadian Military Colleges (CMCs) – the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in Kingston and Royal Military College Saint-Jean (RMC Saint-Jean) in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. It is focused on assessing the comparative quality of education, socialization and military leadership training at the CMCs.
“There are current and former CAF members, as well as Canadians in general, who wish to share with us their knowledge of and experience with the military colleges,” said Dr. Kathy Hogarth, CMCRB Chairperson. “The information we gather via Consulting with Canadians will augment the broad consultations we have conducted thus far with subject matter experts across a range of domains, both in Canada and abroad, and will inform our recommendations on the future of Canada’s military colleges.”
The CMCRB, which started work on a year-long mandate in January 2024, is employing a documented, evidence-based approach and consulting widely, both in Canada and abroad, including with current and former CAF members with lived experiences. They will make their recommendations pertaining to Recommendation 28 and Recommendation 29 of former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour’s Independent External Comprehensive Review (IECR) in 2025.
Their recommendations will position whether the military colleges should continue in their current form or in a different form as undergraduate degree-granting institutions, or whether officer candidates should attend civilian university instead. The Board is comprised of five external education and culture experts and two internal Department of National Defence (DND)/CAF members.
“Consultation is an important part of our mandate,” said Dr. Hogarth. “Canadians have expressed an interest in sharing their perspectives about Canada’s military colleges. That is why, in addition to in-person and virtual consultations, we invite Canadians with a perspective related to our mandate to provide written submissions through the online consultation platform. We are committed to considering all the input we receive.”
DND/CAF reports and studies have been conducted in the past on the learning environment and culture of Canadian military colleges. The most recent was the Chief of the Defence Staff directed Special Staff Assistance Visit (SSAV) – Report on the Climate, Training Environment, Culture and ROTP Programme at the Royal Military College of Canada – Kingston, 10 March 2017.