As the Canadian Armed Forces works to recruit more personnel in a bid to strengthen the country’s defense, a new report from the office of Mario Baril, ombud for the Defence Department and the CAF, shone light on the barriers still faced by ill and wounded primary reserve members.
The report “Marking Time: A Decade of Stalled Progress for the Primary Reserve,” released in February 2026, found that inequities related to reservists’ access to compensation, health care and administrative support when they become ill or wounded during military service have persisted. Compared to full-time service members, said the report, ill or wounded reservists continue to miss out on benefits to adequately support their recoveries, returns to duty or transitions to civilian life. They are also unsure of their benefit entitlements due to unclear guidelines and have to navigate a complicated application process and other administrative barriers to access compensation. Plus, they receive very little follow-up.
Addressing these issues, said Baril, is more important now than ever, as the defence department aims to increase the reserve force from 30,000 to 100,000, as well as grow the supplementary reserve to 300,000.
“As the Defence Team works to grow their ranks and prepare for mobilization, building strong foundations to support these members is not optional—it is essential,” said Baril.
The report highlighted several specific examples of reservists unable to access adequate compensation. After more than five months of CAF-supported treatment for a serious wound sustained during training, one class ‘C’ service member was downgraded to class ‘A’ status, in which care isn’t covered by the CAF though covered by provincial health care. While the treatment was still necessary, it was no longer covered and the member was asked to repay the CAF for the previous care.
“The irony is this,” reads an interview with a former director general of reserves and cadets published in the report, “if a Regular Force person is injured off duty, they are entitled to uninterrupted, automatic, full pay and benefits until they recover. No fault. No one does an investigation. At the same time, when a Reservist suffers a service-related injury, the CAF makes Reservist families beg for money to pay the mortgage or credit card.”
The report is the culmination of a systemic review, which started in December 2024, of the CAF’s policies and conduct relating to ill and wounded reservists. It identified several factors contributing to the decade-long delay, such as unclear roles and fragmented authority in the CAF affecting how policy is implemented, enduring bias against reservists, staffing shortages and financial pressures, and outdated directives and administrative procedures.
Though progress has stalled, the ombud noted some potentially promising developments, including the $81.8 billion in funding for the CAF announced in the latest federal budget and the CAF’s Reserve Transition Support policy, which launched in summer 2025 to help facilitate the return to duty or transition to civilian life of some reservists.
“Building strong foundations to support these members is not optional—it is essential.”
“Marking Time” comes on the heels of the ombud’s 2024-2025 annual report, which detailed other systemic investigations focused on the experiences of CAF members. Those include the health care complaint process, military grievances, civilian complaint mechanisms, and the treatment and care of former language and cultural advisors who served in Afghanistan. Recommendations from some of these studies were cited as evidence in House of Commons standing committee proceedings. Other highlights included the expanded Military Benefits Browser, an online platform launched in 2018 to help members and their families navigate programs and services available to them throughout their careers, and the appointment of Baril in July 2025.
“With nearly two decades of executive leadership in the federal public service, I have dedicated my career to advancing organizational health, strategic governance, and respectful workplaces,” wrote Baril in his initial ombud message. “I bring to this role a deep commitment to fairness and accountability, and a passion for supporting those who serve.”
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