Government announces major pay and compensation boost for Canadian Forces personnel

Ottawa Citizen

6 days ago

Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced pay hikes for military personnel, ranging from 20 per cent for the lower ranks to an eight per cent boost for senior officers.
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The total cost for the various elements of the new compensation and benefits package announced Friday will be $2 billion annually.
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With the 20 per cent boost, the starting salary for a private in the regular force will increase from $3,614 a month or $43,368 annually to $4,337 a month or $52,044 annually. Reserve military personnel would get a 13 per cent boost.
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Military personnel above that basic rate, up to the rank of lieutenant colonel, will see a 13 per cent increase in pay, according to documents provided by the Canadian Forces. That would apply to both regular and reserve forces.
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Colonels and generals, both regular and reserve forces, will receive an eight per cent pay hike.
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In addition, a new annual lump sum payment will be provided based on years of service and tied to an individual's enrolment date in the Canadian Forces, according to the new compensation plan. Reserve military personnel would receive a lesser annual lump sum. A Canadian Forces member with five to 10 years of service would receive a $2,000 annual lump sum payment while military personnel with 21 years or more service would receive a $6,000 lump sum payment.
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Extra compensation is also being provided for military instructors and certain occupations which are critical to the military. A recruitment allowance for critical occupations, such as vehicle and dental technicians, could be as much as $50,000 over a number of years.
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Changes are also being made to allowances provided for time at sea or in the field as well as for compensation for those military personnel who are required to move for their jobs.
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In addition to any allowances received for being in the field or at sea, military members will receive $45 a day when deployed on domestic operations such as responding to forest fires or floods. A new allowance will also be paid for deployments to the Arctic.
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Military officials, speaking at a briefing Friday, noted that the last major overhaul of Canadian Forces compensation was in 1998. Under rules imposed by the Department of National Defence, news outlets cannot identify the officials by name.
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The officials said they hope to have the new compensation in place by the fall but no specific date was provided.
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The announcement on Friday is somewhat different than what was previously outlined by Defence Minister David McGuinty. McGuinty told journalists June 10 that the 20 per cent pay increase would be across-the-board.