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CPCC Request for Proposals: Scoping Research Agenda

The Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture (CPCC) is being established within the Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). This organization will be the functional authority and principal advisor to the Deputy Minister and Chief of Defence Staff on all matters related to professional conduct and culture in the Defence Team. As such, the CPCC is focused on creating the conditions for cultural transformation; that is, to progress the culture and governance of DND and the CAF to better embody shared professional values and ethos that embrace the diversity and values of Canada, wherein all members thrive in a dignified, equitable, respectful, and inclusive institution, while continuously delivering and supporting operational excellence. In support of its objectives, CPCC will pursue research and analyses of relevant cultural processes and structures, policies, challenges, perspectives, lessons learned and best practices to concurrently enhance the inclusion of members of the Defence Team and operational effectiveness by contributing to doctrine, professional military education, training and related personnel readiness enablers. Importantly, CPCC priorities recognize the intersection of sexual misconduct with discrimination and hateful conduct, as well as additional layers of harm for Indigenous and racialized persons, individuals who do not identify as or are not perceived to be cisgender or heteronormative, persons with disabilities, and women.

The key Canadian Government policies that inform this current call for proposals are: the Government of Canada Defence Policy: Strong, Secure, Engaged and the CPCC Initiating Directive, accessible at: CDS/DM Initiating Directive for Professional Conduct and Culture - Canada.ca; the “Minister’s Advsiory Panel on Systemic Racism, Discrimination and a focus on anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism, LGBTQ+ Prejudice, Gender Bias and White Supremacy,” accessible at: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/organizational-structure/anti-racism-secretariat/terms-of-reference.html; and the Clerk of the Privy Council “Call to action on anti-racism, equity, and inclusion in the Federal Public Service,” accessible at: https://www.canada.ca/en/privy-council/corporate/clerk/call-to-action-anti-racism-equity-inclusion-federal-public-service.html. Also of relevance, the Government of Canada has commissioned Madame Louise Arbour to lead an “Independent External Comprehensive Review into harassment and sexual misconduct in the DND/CAF”; the Terms of Reference can be accessed at: New initiatives to advance culture change for Canada’s Defence Team - Canada.ca. Related documents further include “The Report of the Third Independent Review Authority to the Minister of National Defence,” accessible at: https://military-justice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Third-Independent-Report-Fish-1.pdf; and “The External Review into Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces,” accessible at: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/reports-publications/sexual-misbehaviour/external-review-2015.html.

This call for proposals seeks inputs to assist in identifying and prioritizing the topics and issues that the CPCC should investigate as part of a strategic research agenda. Thus, the key question is: what should be examined in order to facilitate effective cultural transformation and adaptability to achieve and sustain an adaptable, inclusive, robust, healthy and productive Defence Team?

The accompanying draft document, “Developing a Research Plan for the Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture,” provides some initial scoping to support the research agenda. It is provided to assist in developing submissions; however, it should be interpreted as preliminary work and understood to be open to challenge, critique and expansion. This draft recognizes the relationships within and external to Defence in Canada, and thus considers that there are issues and opportunities that would be seen as central to the current challenges faced internally by the CAF, the DND, and the Defence Team, as well as considerations related to influences, impacts, and relationships with other government departments and non-government organizations. Thus, in identifying research topics, it is important to indicate whether these are seen as particularly central or peripheral to the military, the participation of civilians serving in the DND, the Defence Team, or relationships with other government departments and civil society, including, for example, advocacy and equity seeking groups.

Under this call, it is intended to commission several papers. In developing proposals in response to this call, the following key information is provided:

Proposal Submission Deadline: 1 December 2021

Statement of work: The work to be performed is to draw on the most relevant literature to conduct an academic assessment of the broad issues identified in the attached draft for developing a research plan in order to:

a. Present the issues assessed as of the highest priority for the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence or the Defence Team, with justification as developed from the literature;

b. Identify those issues that are not included in the attachment with a coherent argument for inclusion of the issue(s); and

c. Provide summary recommendations for scoping specific research projects arising from the first and, as relevant, second item above.

Deliverable: The required deliverable for endorsed proposals, is a paper of approximately 20 to 30 pages meeting the standards expected of an academic book chapter or graduate student term paper.

Bid Evaluation Criteria: proposals will be evaluated on three criteria to assess the value for the price quoted:

a. Expertise: the degree to which the individual(s) demonstrate expertise relevant to the topics that are proposed to be addressed;

b. Relevance: the degree to which the proposal is assessed to address issues that that are of greatest relevance in informing the CPCC strategic research programme; and

c. Cost.

Submission Requirements: it is requested that responses provide the following information:

  • Name(s) of proposed contributor(s) with a brief (200 word) summary of relevant expertise, publications or, for graduate students, courses taken;

  • A short (maximum 500 words) summary presenting the key topics to be covered in the paper and a summative statement of the contribution that contributors propose to make in informing the draft CPCC research program; and

  • A firm, fixed price cost for the work to be performed.

Selection Notifications: 10 December 2021

Submission Deadline: 11 March 2022, to include final paper and invoice.

Intellectual Property: all work submitted to CPCC under contract will become the property of the Crown.

Point of Contact: those seeking additional information to assist in developing a proposal are invited to contact: Karen D. Davis, Karen.Davis@forces.gc.ca

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Project Ploughshares: “NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE” CANADA’S FLAWED ANALYSIS OF ARMS EXPORTS TO SAUDI ARABIA

 A joint report by Amnesty International Canada and Project Ploughshares—“NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE”—presents a comprehensive analysis and rebuttal to Canada’s flawed rationale for allowing continued arms exports to Saudi Arabia, as articulated in Global Affairs Canada’s Final Report: Review of export permits to Saudi Arabia, issued April 2020.

“NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE” finds that the ongoing export of Canadian weapons systems to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is contrary to Canada’s obligations under the international Arms Trade Treaty. 

Highlights:

  • Unreliable analysis and conclusions.

    • Canada’s Final Report dismisses, omits, and misrepresents key findings in its analysis. An objective and genuine assessment would otherwise have resulted in a cessation of arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

  • Flawed risk assessment.

    • Canada failed to correctly assess and recognize the risks associated with authorizing arms exports to Saudi Arabia. This is in part due to a failure to effectively comply with all its international obligations to control the export of weapons under the Arms Trade Treaty.

 

  • Substantial risk of misuse.

    • There is a risk that Canadian weapons exported to Saudi Arabia could be misused, including to undermine regional peace and security, to commit or facilitate abuses of international humanitarian law, human rights law, and of gender-based violence, and to be diverted to unauthorized uses/users.

Report in English: https://ploughshares.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/NoCredibleEvidence_EN.pdf

Report in French: https://ploughshares.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/NoCredibleEvidence_FR.pdf

Questions about the report’s contents can be directed to:

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CDSN 2020-2021 Annual Report

Rapidly adjusting to the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19, the CDSN continued to deliver outstanding events, cutting edge research, and reliable and timely analysis during our second year. Once again, we depend greatly on our amazing partners, our wonderful staff, and the countless experts who participated in CDSN events in 2020 and 2021. 2020 was a year unlike any other. I am immensely proud of the work we have accomplished and the collaborations that our team was able to foster, often from their living rooms while juggling family responsibilities and various lockdown restrictions. Determined to keep Canadians connected and informed, we continued most of our events and added some new ones, building momentum despite an unpredictable and challenging environment.

The crises facing the Canadian Armed Forces from without and from within reinforced our determination to provide policy-relevant research, to build connections within and beyond Canada, and to amplify the work of our members and partners. We were proud to see co-directors Alan Okros and Stéfanie von Hlatky, as well as other members of the CDSN, provide testimony to the House of Commons Defence Committee on the sexual misconduct and abuse of power scandals. Several members, including the CDSN’s first post-doctoral fellow, Linna Tam-Seto, spent much time engaging the media to discuss the ramifications of the revelations and to suggest potential paths forward. Our COVID Response Conference in April 2020 inspired new research as well as providing a model for DND’s own networks.

We have added three new partners: Institut Militaire de Québec, Réseau d’analyse stratégique/Network for Strategic Analysis, and the Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security. We continue to reach out to foster relationships with other organizations, so we are likely to announce new partners in our third year.

In sum, we have adapted to the new circumstances, developed new research agendas, engaged the public, the government, and the media, and have continued to build connections with the many elements of the Canadian defence and security community. Crises often reveal character, and the pandemic revealed that the CDSN and its partners are building a reliable, sustainable network of defence and security expertise.

Sincerely,

Dr. Stephen Saideman

Director, Canadian Defence and Security Network

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