CANADIAN ARMED FORCES: Living in Squalor

00:05:09
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtZjrUTYOhI

Summary

TLDROver recent months, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members have been sharing photos online exposing substandard living conditions in military barracks across Canada. These images, collected by Esprit de Corps magazine, reveal a crisis in military housing that threatens the morale of personnel already grappling with a recruitment and retention crisis. Senior leadership is aware of the issue, highlighted in internal reports, but have not prioritized addressing it. Many CAF members face severe housing challenges, including living in tents or couch surfing, particularly in expensive cities like Halifax. The Canadian Forces Housing Agency offers some subsidized options, but there’s a perpetual shortage, leading to long waitlists. Despite a recent defense policy update promising new housing funds, no immediate builds are planned. The situation underscores a leadership crisis within the CAF. Addressing housing issues could significantly boost morale and help attract recruits. Solving these problems has widespread support, with no political or civilian objections anticipated.

Takeaways

  • 📸 CAF members sharing poor living conditions photos online.
  • 📰 Esprit de Corps publishes a compilation to highlight housing issues.
  • 📉 Poor housing negatively impacts CAF morale and motivation.
  • 📊 Recruitment crisis underscores the urgency of the situation.
  • 🏕️ Some members resort to living in tents or couch surfing.
  • 🏠 Limited availability of subsidized housing from CFHA.
  • 📅 Delayed housing construction despite defense policy update.
  • 🛑 Leadership crisis affects prioritization of housing issues.
  • 🎯 Fixing housing could improve morale and recruitment.
  • 📢 Public and political support exists for better military housing.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:09

    Over recent months, social media has seen a trend where Canadian Armed Forces members share photos of their poor living conditions on bases. These images, compiled by Esprit de Corps magazine, highlight substandard military housing. Despite awareness from senior military leadership, including a briefing to the Chief of the Defense Staff that cites poor conditions negatively impacting morale and welfare, the issue persists. This is compounded by a recruiting crisis and reports of personnel leaving due to unaffordable housing near bases. Additionally, veterans and military families face housing difficulties amid a broader cost-of-living crisis, with some members living in tents or vehicles. Subsidized housing is limited, and current government plans offer little immediate relief. The situation suggests a leadership, not just a housing, crisis, demanding urgent action to improve conditions and, by extension, morale and recruitment efforts.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What trend is highlighted regarding CAF members?

    CAF members have been sharing photos of poor living conditions in their barracks on social media.

  • Where were these photos published?

    The photos were published by Esprit de Corps magazine.

  • How do poor housing conditions affect CAF members?

    They negatively impact morale, well-being, and motivation among personnel.

  • What existing crisis is the CAF facing?

    The CAF faces a recruiting and retention crisis with a severe personnel shortfall.

  • What has hindered addressing the housing crisis?

    Despite awareness, senior leadership has prioritized other matters, and there's a delay in new housing construction.

  • What is the role of the Canadian Forces Housing Agency?

    They provide limited subsidized housing units, but availability is low and demand is high.

  • What did a recent defense policy update include regarding housing?

    It allocated funds for new housing, but actual construction is not scheduled for the next two years.

  • What is suggested as a solution to the military housing crisis?

    Building better and affordable housing to improve morale and attract recruits.

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  • 00:00:00
    [Music]
  • 00:00:06
    over the past few months there's been a
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    trend on social media for serving
  • 00:00:09
    members of the Canadian Armed Forces or
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    the calf to upload their personal
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    photographs which reveal some pretty
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    horrific living conditions in the
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    barracks on calf bases across Canada a
  • 00:00:19
    compilation of these photos was
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    subsequently published by a spree decor
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    magazine in an effort to publicize the
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    often substandard living conditions in
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    these government-owned and managed
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    facilities it is time to Target just how
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    bad the military housing crisis is and
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    what steps if any are being taken to
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    improve living conditions and by
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    extension improve
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    morale it is not a case of the senior
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    leadership simply being unaware of this
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    situation in fact the calf chaplain
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    service submitted an October 29 2024
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    briefing to the chief of the defense
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    staff General Jenny
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    Kagel The Briefing outlines a summary of
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    Assessments by military chaplain about
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    the current welfare of the canyan Armed
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    Forces
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    it contains this paragraph the poor
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    conditions of many singles Quarters sqes
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    at bases and wings have led to
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    significant discomfort and
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    dissatisfaction among Personnel this
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    situation negatively impacts morale as
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    inadequate living conditions can
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    diminish overall well-being and
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    motivation given the fact that the calf
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    currently face an existential threat due
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    to a recruiting and retention crisis
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    which is resulted in a crippling
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    Personnel shortfall one would think that
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    such issues impacting morale would be
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    priority number one for the military
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    brass think again this has been an
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    ongoing problem for years and it is not
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    limited to the shoddy state of the
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    singles
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    quarters surely the Brain Trust of
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    National Defense headquarters would be
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    aware of an internal military report
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    from June 20123 wherein it was
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    acknowledged that Canadian Forces
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    Personnel were increasingly leaving the
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    ranks rather than moving to a new
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    military base where they couldn't afford
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    housing briger General Virginia
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    tattersol commented in a briefing note
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    that in some locations the average cost
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    to purchase or rent housing now exceeds
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    incomes of several calf working rank
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    levels just before Christmas 2023 The
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    Chronicle Herald ran a series of stories
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    about calf members in Halifax either
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    living in tents or couch surfing due to
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    the lack of available affordable housing
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    in that City uh today we'll hear from
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    presenters regarding the impact on
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    Veterans and military families amidst to
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    cost of living crisis the matter was
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    addressed to members of Nova scotia's
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    legislative assembly by Erica a Fleck
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    director of of Emergency Management for
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    the municipality of Halifax Fleck
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    herself a veteran of the calf told MLA
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    that she has identified an increase in
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    the number of active duty members who
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    are unhoused or who have only precarious
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    housing we have active serving regular
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    Force members who are still coach
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    surfing that were posted here in the
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    summer they cannot find a place to
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    live um they are regularly now uh going
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    to food banks her comments were echoed
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    by Craig Hood executive director of the
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    Royal Canadian Legion Nova Scotia nunit
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    command I did a deep dive on this topic
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    and what I came across was some
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    startling information of serving members
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    of K armed forces being posted here uh
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    living rough in tents uh living out of
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    their vehicles couch surfing uh engaging
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    in interpersonal relationships for the
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    purposes of securing housing uh which
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    often at times puts them uh as victims
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    to domestic violence Hood went so far as
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    to call the military housing crisis in
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    Halifax an epidemic
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    there is a limited amount of subsidized
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    housing available through the Canadian
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    Forces housing agency the cfha the rents
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    for these National Defense Housing units
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    are generally below local market value
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    however there is a Perpetual shortage of
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    these units and it is usually those who
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    can least afford to pay the higher
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    civilian rents that find themselves on a
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    lengthy weight list for a military
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    housing
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    unit while the liberal government's most
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    recent defense policy update sets aside
  • 00:03:56
    some money for new housing down the road
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    there is no no builds scheduled for the
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    next 2 years that means that it is
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    actually a leadership crisis rather than
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    a housing crisis for the
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    calf those serving in uniform in a G7
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    country's military should expect no less
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    than affordable clean livable
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    accommodations this is a no-brainer
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    investing in our people to continue our
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    growth while outgoing CDs General Wayne
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    a had ample time to address these
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    shortcomings yet failed to do so newly
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    minted CDs General Karin young can cut
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    her teeth on this issue
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    Shore up the housing situation and you
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    will boost morale boost morale and
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    you'll attract more
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    recruits more importantly no politician
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    or Canadian citizen would raise an
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    objection to constructing better living
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    quarters for our military personnel this
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    has been on Target and I'm Scott Taylor
  • 00:04:49
    [Music]
Tags
  • Canadian Armed Forces
  • military housing
  • morale
  • recruitment crisis
  • Esprit de Corps
  • leadership crisis
  • affordable housing
  • substandard living conditions
  • CAF bases
  • Halifax