CAF’s binary view of gender and how it impacts attraction, recruitment and retention

INTRODUCTION & METHODS

Context

Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) total force numbers have been declining for years, but since the start of the global pandemic, those figures have further dropped by thousands (Berthiaume, 2021). The CAF is currently comprised of roughly 71% white males, despite that demographic only accounting for 39% of the labour force (Government of Canada, 2022). Given the dwindling numbers, it is imperative that the CAF becomes more inclusive and address any perceived barriers to entry for non-white males. Since the inception of the Constitution Act of 1982 the CAF has made sincere efforts towards inclusivity, albeit it has been a slow uptake. The last remaining [unconstitutional] hiring ban was lifted for submariners in the year 2000, which formerly saw the arbitrary prohibition of women within that occupation (Greco & von Hlatky, 2020). Bonafide occupational requirements are the only way that an employer can discriminate in its hiring practices, while remaining constitutionally compliant. Prior to the initiation of the single standard FORCE fitness test in 2013, the CAF had two separate fitness standards for men and women entering the same occupations (Gagnon et al., 2015). In 2020, the CAF released CANFORGEN (CAF wide general publication/policy update) 045/20, which not only forbid the use of gender pronouns in all subsequent personnel evaluation reports (PERs), but explicitly acknowledged how pronoun usage was contrary to protected grounds, stating:

“…where sex, gender identity and gender expression are prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act. Forthwith the use of gender pronouns such as “he/his and she/her” are not to be used when drafting PERs. Members will be referred to by rank and name or by using gender-neutral pronouns such as they/their.”

These acknowledgements from the CAF communicate a willingness to adapt to evolving societal values, of which the CAF is supposed to represent (Canadian Defence Academy, 2005). However, even with the elimination of gender differences between uniforms, the CAF still falls short of abolishing outdated gender policies.

Research Question and Methodology

This paper’s research question was: what factors affect Attractions, Recruiting and Retention, and how can we modify those factors to improve both inclusivity and the CAF’s total force numbers. This research question was deliberately left broad in order to identify many domains, which were distilled for further investigation based on ease of implementation, factoring in: time, cost, and complexity—domains were identified and elaborated using the Mind Map technique (Annex B; Mind Map explanation Annex C). Policy changes are both efficiently implemented and cost effective, and issues surrounding inclusivity emerged as the most immediately actionable problems. These issues were investigated using a qualitative research approach, which included three structured interviews (Annexes: D, E, and F) with members affected by the CAFs binary view of gender. A literature review was also performed, examining: news articles, government documents and published academic articles. This paper will include select quotations from those interviews as well as a recommendation that improves CAF inclusivity.

ORGANIZATIONAL MAPPING

Dynamics at Play

There are many issues that affect A2R, however some of those issues require outside approval to implement (i.e., increases in pay must be approved by the Treasury Board), or would take years to adequately address (i.e., shortage of available Residential Housing Units). Areas that the CAF can more quickly modify surround career management and issues of inclusivity. Career management is a more complicated area to navigate because of: operational demands placed on the institution, locations of bases, significantly under-staffed occupations, and competitive civilian salaries. Issues surrounding inclusivity are neither complicated nor expensive, and arguably should have been eradicated with the inception of the Constitution Act of 1982.

Tension Point

There is no conceivable bonafide occupational requirement in any CAF occupation for someone to identify as either a man or a woman. Gender is a psychological construct that someone chooses to identify with (or not), and is not tied to physical attributes or their name. Failure to meet traditionally assumed stereotypes of men or women do not disqualify someone from that group, should they choose to identify as either a man or woman. The practice of referring to senior Officers as either Sir or Ma’am is contradictory to how gender is formed within the individual, as such ‘payments of respect’ rely solely on the subordinates outside observations and assumptions of what they believe that Officer might prefer to hear. These assumptions are based on physical examinations, or in the case of emails, by the presumption that they posses a traditionally masculine or feminine name—ignoring gender neutrality in names. This reliance on the subordinates availability heuristic to scan their memory for similar schemas (Tversky & Kahneman, 1973) that fit the Officer’s description, only creates the opportunity that they will mis-gender that Officer.

ANALYSIS

Conceptual Foundations refers to issues of ‘member well-being and commitment’ as “serious or chronic dissatisfaction with conditions of military service may not only have an adverse effect on performance (tasks involving discretionary participation or effort in particular), but is known to erode morale and commitment to serve” (Canadian Defence Academy, 2005, p. 20). Concerning an article published by the Ottawa Citizen that reported the results of a survey of 3,075 Canadians, which ultimately concluded that roughly 60% of Canadians are not at all interested in joining the CAF, with a further 20% still unlikely to (Pugliese, 2022), it is easy to recognize that the CAF’s current appeal to prospective members is relatively narrow. This is emphasized in the wildly disproportionate amount of white men serving, whose proportionality only increases at subsequent rank levels (Government of Canada, 2022).

Values-based leadership recognizes the importance of aligning a leader’s personal qualities with the CAF’s institutional values, which ultimately are also a reflection of Canadian societal values (Gabriel, 2007, pp. 83-96). This alignment underscores the importance of having an inclusive CAF that is free from arbitrary barriers to entry that dissuade Canadian citizens from applying.

Being cisgender simply means that your sex at birth aligns with your personal conception of gender. When Master Sailor “A” was asked about barriers to entry for non-cisgender individuals they replied “…there is hesitance about the recruiting process and needing to identify [sex] medically… …It’s concerns of; what will be the showers, what will be the change rooms, and those higher stress situations.”

When Master Corporal “B” was asked whether non-cisgender people would feel as comfortable commissioning as they would about joining as a non-commissioned member (NCM), they pointed to the fact that we all have our own feelings about the matter and it’s improper to make such judgements about other peoples’ comfort levels: “I can’t forecast other experiences or expectations… …I cannot expect everyone to feel the same way I do”.

The ‘Human Relations’ movement suggests that “high morale and motivation lead to high productivity” (Browne & Walker, 2008). Each interviewee felt that referring to officer’s by their assigned rank would improve the likelihood that non-cisgender individuals would consider commissioning. There currently is no unoffensive way of referring to a non-binary Officer, and with the exceptional effort that many put into transitioning their gender, it is easy to empathize with how awful it would feel to be consistently mis-gendered in the workplace. Even for cisgender Officers, being mis-gendered can easily affect mood, leading to poor morale and a general lack of motivation to go to work—impacting both productivity and retention.

Private “C” received the same question about how non-cisgender people may feel about joining as an Officer or NCM, and they felt that “…they would feel more comfortable as an NCM… …Just because it avoids a lot of correcting peers and subordinates based on just pronouns”. Unfortunately for Private “C”, when they shared with a colleague that they are non-binary, that colleague “…decided to call me ‘it’ ever since”.

RECOMMENDATION

Policy changes are inexpensive and are often the right thing to do with regards to ensuring that everyone feels welcomed in the workplace. One way to eliminate barriers to commissioning as an Officer would be to create a third (gender-neutral) term to address Officers’ by. This term would become the default pronoun until that Officer’s preferred pronouns are known to each subordinate. Alternatively, preferred pronouns could become mandatory (they are currently only optional) within all signature blocks and also be incorporated into the uniforms—but this would be an expensive solution and one that forces individuals to make public their gender identity, when they may still be figuring it out for themselves.

The immediate solution that comes with no uniform modifications, no new terms to learn, and does not force someone to publicly disclose their gender, is simply referring to officers by their already assigned rank, which is found on their uniform and already contained within their signature blocks. Doing so would eliminate the possibility of mis-gendering someone and would communicate to the world that the CAF is fighting for the rights and freedoms of everyone, and will graciously accept service from any Canadian citizen willing to serve their country.

CONCLUSION

Considering the constitutionally protected area that is gender, the CANFORGEN that acknowledges previous discriminatory practices that violate gender protections by using gender specific pronouns, as well as the impacts expressed by in-service members affected by the CAF’s binary assumption of gender, it should be nearly impossible to suggest that the status quo for how the CAF addresses senior Officers is ‘the right thing to do’. The elimination of gender differences between uniforms is a step in the right direction, but it will likely increase the occurrence of subordinates mis-gendering unfamiliar senior Officers. Conceptionally, gender has nothing to do with physically observable attributes, as it is a psychological construct of the individual’s choosing. Referring to Officers by a subordinate’s assumption of their gender is incongruent with what gender is, and expresses to the public that the CAF believes gender is observable and binary. Mirroring the existing practice of addressing NCMs by their rank would mean that an Officers’ hard work to attain their current rank would be better recognized, and eliminate the bizarre practice of mandatory gender assumptions in the workplace.

Annexe A

Reference List

Berthiaume, L. (2021, February 15). Canada’s military lacking thousands of troops as COVID-19 hits recruitment, training. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/7641131/caf-military-short-troops-coronavirus/

Browne, P.P., & Walker, R.W. (2008). Motivation. In B. Horn & R.W. Walker (Eds.), The Military Leadership Handbook (pp. 414-428). Canadian Defence Academy Press. https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.888920/publication.html

Canadian Defence Academy. (2005). Leadership in the Canadian Forces: Conceptual Foundations. Publications.gc.ca. Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/dn-nd/D2-313-2-2005-eng.pdf

Gabriel, R.A. (2007). The Warrior’s Way: A Treatise on Military Ethics. Canadian Defence Academy Press. From https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/dn-nd/D2-206-2-2007-eng.pdf

Gagnon, P., Spivock, M., Reilly, T., Mattie, P., & Stockbrugger, B. (2015). The FORCE Fitness Profile—Adding a Measure of Health-Related Fitness to the Canadian Armed Forces Operational Fitness Evaluation. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29 Suppl 11, S192-S198. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001163

Government of Canada (2022, April 25). Minister of National Defence Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism and Discrimination – Final Report – January 2022: Part 1 – Canadian Demographics Today. Canada.ca. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/reports-publications/mnd-advisory-panel-systemic-racism-discrimination-final-report-jan-2022/part-i-systemic-racism.html

Greco, S., & von Hlatky, S. (2020). Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Revising the Concept of Military Professionalism in the Canadian Armed Forces. In K. Hachey, T. Libel, & W. Dean (Eds.), Rethinking Military Professionalism for the Changing Armed Forces (pp. 189-200). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45570-5_12

Pugliese, D. (2022, April 28). Majority of Canadians have no interest in joining the military, DND poll shows. Ottawa Citizen. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/majority-of-canadians-have-no-interest-in-joining-the-military-dnd-poll-shows

Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D., (1973). Availability: A heuristic for judging frequency and probability. Cognitive Psychology, 5(2), 207-232. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(73)90033-9

Annex B – WO Morse CW - A2R Mind Map - 20 April 2022

Annex C

The Attractions, Recruiting and Retention (A2R) Mind Map does not represent a conclusive list of all issues affecting A2R, however it does highlight some considerations that are likely affecting Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) total force numbers.

Inclusivity

Many aspects of inclusivity are also protections outlined in the Constitution Act of 1982. Considering the adoption of the FORCE test as a universal fitness standard, the elimination of gender differences in uniforms, and the removal of gender pronouns in written communication (i.e., evaluations), the CAF has made sincere efforts towards becoming more inclusive. However, the CAF still displays a prevailing binary view of gender, with the requirement to refer to officers as either Sir or Ma’am, both in-person and by email, rather than their rank. As gender is not a physical quality, these assumptions are frequently incorrect. Also prevalent are the differences in shower facilities, where male showers are commonly open concept, compared to female facilities that may have privacy. This practice assumes a difference in CAF members’ willingness to expose their bodies to their colleagues.

The CAF has made improvements in cultural accommodation, especially with regards to indigenous awareness and entry programmes. However, when processing recently naturalized Canadian Citizens, their pre-enrolment security clearance pre-assessment questionnaire (form 2977) triggers a review from the Director Personnel Security and Identity Management office and the applicant may be flagged as requiring secret clearance prior to enrolment, despite recent vetting to obtain citizenship—adding 1-2 years of processing time.

In 2015, the initiation of Operation HONOUR marked a turning point for the CAFs attitude towards sexual misconduct. Unfortunately, how to deal with both parties involved in a complaint has been less fruitful. The media has correctly kept pressure on the CAF to do better, but this has also damaged its public image.

Finances

The CAF has not been keeping pace with previous standards of purchasing power for its members. Cost of living and income tax rates vary significantly by province, and post living differential only captures some of those differences. Minimum wage increases are changing at different rates within each province, but there is a trend that junior members’ incomes are getting closer to minimum wages. Of central concern is the rapidly inflating cost of civilian housing and the shortage of available Residential Housing Units. Due to insufficient pay increases, the CAF is losing its reputation as an employer of choice, while many other institutions have significantly increased their starting salaries to combat the world labour shortage (Cross, 2021).

Personal Life and Career Progression

The current practice of promoting with a posting implies a member’s spouse must also be flexible in their employment. With cost of living increases, spousal employment is increasingly necessary. There are also psychological consequences of uprooting children, as they lose friends and educational continuity (Simsek et al., 2021). Easier transfers between the Reserves and the Regular Forces could alleviate this issue and bolster the hollow middle ranks, however, the Regular Forces do not appear to appreciate Reserve experience.

Mandatory membership to a private bar is a bizarre requirement of an employee and is insensitive to the 8.0% of Canadians (including CAF members) suffering from Alcohol Use Disorder (World Health Organization, 2018). CAF mess culture has been the source of many stories of inappropriate behaviour, and membership should be optional.

Reference List

Cross, P. (2021, December 9). Philip Cross: Labour shortages force employers to pay more for less. Financial Post. https://financialpost.com/opinion/philip-cross-labour-shortages-force-employers-to-pay-more-for-less

Simsek, M., Costa, R., & Helga, A.G. de Valk. (2021). Childhood residential mobility and health outcomes: A meta-analysis. Health and Place, 71(102650). 10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102650

World Health Organization. (2018). Global status report on alcohol and health 2018. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/274603/9789241565639-eng.pdf

Annex D

1. How long have you been a member of the CAF, and what is your rank and MOSID?

11 years, Master Sailor, Naval Communicator.

2. Since you enrolled, have you felt that there has been a culture change, and if so, was it positive or negative, and do you have any examples?

Yes I do think there has been a culture change and yes it has been positive. An example: when I started my process of transitioning, my CoC was accepting, but I heard about others at different units that were less supportive. Over the years I have heard that others have had less bad experiences.

Initially I was instructed to use the bathroom which corresponded to my sex at birth, and recently I haven’t heard of those circumstances happening to other people—recently.

When I had joined I had never heard of LGBTQ people or Trans people in our workplace, but now I actually provide a brief to members on BMQ!

They are investigating changes with the dress regs.

I definitely know bad stuff still happens, but that’s what I can think of.

3. What gender (or lack there of) would you most closely identify with?

Male

Ask if not cisgender:

Have you taken any steps to transition, and do you mind describing those steps?

4. Have you ever been miss-gendered at work?

Yes. Early during the transition, after coming out, but before people got fully comfortable with the changes, people would make mistakes with the pronouns. I’ve also had people make mistakes if I’m not wearing clothes a certain way, I may be miss-gendered until I speak (hear voice).

If yes, how does that make you feel?

Uncomfortable. Like I was doing something wrong. And like I wasn’t doing good enough to be who I saw myself as. And I felt like an inconvenience.

5. Can you identify any barriers to entry for non-cisgender individuals joining the Canadian Armed Forces?

CAF Policies:

I don’t know if there is a policy that says you can’t join.

Personal considerations:

But there is hesitance about the recruiting process and needing to identify medically. People are unsure if they will be allowed in.

When someone is joining and they started their transition, they don’t know what that will look like throughout Basic Training. It’s concerns of; what will be the showers, what will be the change rooms, and those higher stress situations.

6. Roughly, how many people do you know of in the CAF that are not cisgender?

8 people.

If others are known:

Have they described any feelings of discrimination at work, and what are those concerns?

I know one person was expected to write a memo to justify themselves. So they didn’t do that because that was unnecessary.

There were two that received a lot of questioning on ship, as to the validity of their gender and their shipmates expecting them to justify switching mess decks and heads and washrooms.

Then just general comments of is someone man or woman enough to be in the space that they are going to.

One person I know was continuously miss-gendered after coming out. When they brought it up with people it was just waved off and they would continue to be miss-gendered or called the wrong name.

There was one person who was in a conversation with people and then someone decided to ask them ‘hey is this word a slur’, and before receiving an answer they proceeded to use it in a sentence.

7. Could you see yourself commissioning someday, whether it be to ‘pension pad’ or because that is your goal?

I go back and forth on this. Yes, but I don’t know what trade and I feel like I’m doing well with what I’m doing and I have a better chance at having a bigger impact by staying an NCM.

If yes, what would you prefer subordinates to refer to you as?

Sir.

If no, is there any reason why not?

8. Do you believe that non-cisgender people would feel as comfortable commissioning, as they may feel joining as a non-commissioned member?

No.

Why do you feel that way?

I just feel like you see more comradery and acceptance with NCMs. Whereas Officers can be more competitive and fending for themselves. And more people are paying attention to you all the time as an officer.

9. Would referring to officers by their assigned rank, rather than a subordinates assumption of their gender, improve the likelihood that you or any non-cisgender person would consider commissioning?

Slightly, I think that it’s not something that people outside of the military think about. But if you’re considering commissioning, knowing that that’s not another barrier, it would be helpful.

11. What else do you think the CAF should do to become more inclusive?

I do think addressing the officer ranks and respect is a good start. Gender neutral spaces. Increasing education. Normalizing better behaviour with regards to pronouns. Fixing dress uniforms to not have gender specifications even for formal wear.

They already got rid of pronouns in formal writing which helped people against being judged differently on boards.

Annex E

1. How long have you been a member of the CAF, and what is your rank and MOSID?

8 years, MCpl, 00150 Med A

2. Since you enrolled, have you felt that there has been a culture change, and if so, was it positive or negative, and do you have any examples?

Yes, for the positive, my unit is very sheltered, 50/50 gender heavy. Compared to male dominate units, not much happens here. From what I’ve experienced in clinics, it sounds like we are moving into a more respectful and conscientious CAF.

3. What gender (or lack there of) would you most closely identify with?

Non-binary

Ask if not cisgender:

Have you taken any steps to transition, and do you mind describing those steps?

I did my top surgery (double mastectomy, with three nipple graphs), I’m considering going on hormones but I am undecided.

Top surgery has helped me with dysphoria.

I have also changed my name to reflect my identity better. I initiated the paperwork July 2020, I got my name change certificate in the mail around November 2020, and then I had to change my Ontario birth certificate, which I only got back in June 2021. This timeline does not include the amount of time it took to switch over my bills, MSI, work, and everything else that required updates. I also changed my gender marker on my identification cards.

4. Have you ever been miss-gendered at work?

“oh yeah”

If yes, how does that make you feel?

I am personally pretty loosie goosie about it, it doesn’t cause me any dysphoria, but I do prefer they/them. I am not 110% comfortable introducing myself as ‘MCpl “B” my pronouns are they/them…’ either in my work life or personal life.

5. Can you identify any barriers to entry for non-cisgender individuals that are joining the Canadian Armed Forces?

CAF Policies:

RMO’s policies. I’ve been doing expedited enrolment recruiting medicals both full- and part-time since, 2017. I’ve noticed that when people present with hormones prescribed, the RMO likes to send out requests for additional information, and I believe that this would be easier and more punctual if local medical staff could give FDLs (Family Doctor Letters) during their medical appointment to reduce overall wait time for applicant’s joining who are non-cis applicants.

Personal considerations:

What’s been floating around in the news with all the sexual misconduct cases. The stereotypes that exist about the military being full of white men, who believe it’s my way or the highway, with potentially; misogynistic outlooks, homophobic, or transphobic outlooks.

The fear of going into an environment you don’t know, with expectations you don’t know, people you don’t know, while not conforming to the mold that society expects you to be.

6. Roughly, how many people do you know of in the CAF that are not cisgender?

Personally know of 5 individuals, but this isn’t something I go digging around looking for.

If others are known:

Have they described any feelings of discrimination at work, and what are those concerns?

I don’t know if this is necessarily discrimination, but someone I know went away on course while they were on hormone replacement therapy. Their body was changing rapidly while they were away, and the Adj was informed of this person’s situation regarding their accommodations. When they returned from course now accustomed to using the opposite gender’s bathroom, rather than the adj coming back to check in and see if they needed any changes in accommodations, they didn’t. Accommodations for their gender was not checked up on, and the member was not spoken with regarding their accommodations moving forward, or if they wanted them changed. At the time the member was new to the forces and they didn’t feel comfortable addressing it because of the large difference in rank.

7. Could you see yourself commissioning someday, whether it be to ‘pension pad’ or because that is your goal?

I could, I toss around the idea of going Log O.

If yes, what would you prefer subordinates to refer to you as?

I would prefer Sir or just rank.

If no, is there any reason why not?

8. Do you believe that non-cisgender people would feel as comfortable commissioning, as they may feel joining as a non-commissioned member?

I think it highly depends on the person. Where they are in the process of transitioning or what they identify as.

Why do you feel that way?

I can’t forecast other experiences or expectations, I can only draw from my own, but I cannot expect everyone to feel the same way I do.

9. Would referring to officers by their assigned rank, rather than a subordinates assumption of their gender, improve the likelihood that you or any non-cisgender person would consider commissioning?

Yes I think so.

11. What else do you think the CAF should do to become more inclusive?

Currently I think MARLANT has a good approach. We have Trans awareness briefs going out to BMQs, and I believe this brief should be distributed wider to both students and staff on courses.

These briefs must be facilitated by trans or non-cisgender soldiers.

Annex F

1. How long have you been a member of the CAF, and what is your rank and MOSID?

I am currently a Med A on their QL3, a Private, and I’ve been in for nearly 2 years.

2. Since you enrolled, have you felt that there has been a culture change, and if so, was it positive or negative, and do you have any examples?

I think that I’ve experienced two very different cultures within the CAF. One being within a very inclusive medical unit. The experience I had during BMQ wasn’t as inclusive as that, but I did feel there had been a shift in culture, especially with what’s been in the news over the last year and a half.

3. What gender (or lack there of) would you most closely identify with?

I most closely identify with non-binary

Ask if not cisgender:

Have you taken any steps to transition, and do you mind describing those steps?

For me I haven’t taken any physical steps, for me my gender identity is really about the way I interact with others. For instance, I use she and they pronouns, mostly because it’s easier not to have to correct everyone.

4. Have you ever been miss-gendered at work?

In a very odd way, there is a certain individual within my unit, when we were talking about gender and pronouns, and I told them I was non-binary and my preferred pronouns, they decided to call me ‘it’ ever since.

If yes, how does that make you feel?

It really made me feel as though the individual thought of me as inanimate. They referred to me more as a thing, than a person. It was really abrupt and made me question the environment that I am able to be myself in the workplace.

5. Can you identify any barriers to entry for non-cisgender individuals joining the Canadian Armed Forces?

CAF Policies:

Personal considerations:

For myself it’s an interesting standpoint. I didn’t really think about my gender identity until I was in the CAF. When I told my coworkers they were accepting, but I did have a fear about telling people. This fear extended beyond the workplace and into the civilian world. I think that there’s definitely some fear in being very upfront with my pronouns when on course, because of a fear of being separated within the troops based on my gender identity, specifically by course staff.

6. Roughly, how many people do you know of in the CAF that are not cisgender?

I believe I know 5 people

If others are known:

Have they described any feelings of discrimination at work, and what are those concerns?

I’ve only really talked with one individual about it specifically. They were very off put, actually by the same individual who referred to me as ‘it’. We spoke about how it instills a lot of caution in interacting with our coworkers and leadership, using our correct genders or preferred pronouns in the workplace.

7. Could you see yourself commissioning someday, whether it be to ‘pension pad’ or because that is your goal?

It’s not right now a goal of mine, but it is in the back of my head. I’m starting a nursing degree next year and by the end of that maybe my opinion will change.

If yes, what would you prefer subordinates to refer to you as?

I think I would prefer my rank. Yeah, I guess I would rather just prefer rank as there isn’t a pronoun for that fits Sir or Ma’am. I would like there to be a referrable pronoun of respect, similar to Ma’am or Sir, but I currently see someone’s rank as a form of respecting someone in that manner.

If no, is there any reason why not?

8. Do you believe that non-cisgender people would feel as comfortable commissioning, as they may feel joining as a non-commissioned member?

I feel like they would feel more comfortable as an NCM. I definitely felt more comfortable joining as an NCM, even though I had that debate about gender identity later. Just because it avoids a lot of correcting peers and subordinates based on just pronouns. I think there’s a lot of unknown with commissioning and gender identity. I don’t really see an aim in seeing a consensus in what we name individuals within those ranks. The current most professional pronoun of respect is to just say rank.

Why do you feel that way?

9. Would referring to officers by their assigned rank, rather than a subordinates assumption of their gender, improve the likelihood that you or any non-cisgender person would consider commissioning?

I think it would. However, I think we should focus on a level of inclusivity that includes forming a consensus on naming individuals as in Sir or Ma’am, that respect non-binary or gender-fluid or anybody on that spectrum of individuals.

11. What else do you think the CAF should do to become more inclusive?

A step that happened recently, when you go onto Logistic unicorp and being able to see both male and female uniforms, that was a step in the right direction. Also, dropping the gender differences in the uniforms was a step in the right direction.

The dress and deportment, and having that new CANFORGEN is a step in the right direction because it doesn’t dis-clude or force someone to identify their gender in the workplace.

Interview conducted over the phone.