Wainwright training accident highlights pay gaps for short-term reservists, retired major-general says

The Story

A retired major-general says the training accident at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright has highlighted pay and benefits disparities faced by some reservists, particularly those serving under short-term contracts or service classes.

John Milne said reservists on short-term contracts receive less compensation than regular force members they train with, adding that the risks shown in the Wainwright incident are shared by short-term reservists. Four soldiers died and 39 others, including several reservists, were injured when a fire overtook a training area at the base last month.

Milne said military pay is calculated using multiple factors and that, unlike regular force members, reservists often study or work in full-time civilian jobs while serving under one of several service classes. He said those service classes affect how benefits are determined.

Milne, who has written academic papers on military pay structure, said the federal government’s formula for calculating daily reservist pay has created an earnings penalty of roughly 32 per cent for part-time reservists compared to the regular force. He described this as a “matter of equity” and argued that the daily rate for reservists should match what regular force members receive. He also said the policy governing reservist benefits should be rewritten to be more fair.

In addition, Milne said reservists injured during training generally receive lower-tier compensation and benefits during their recovery than regular force members.

Milne added that he believes the military has reclassified the Wainwright reservists’ contracts from short to long-term service classes to improve their access to benefits, though the Department of National Defence did not respond to questions about that reclassification by deadline.

He said he submitted a brief to the House of Commons national defence committee seeking Parliament’s attention to the issue, writing that there is “no justification” for the earnings penalty and that it affects other benefits such as disability payment amounts. Milne said he also wrote directly to Defence Minister David McGuinty, and that the minister’s office replied that the pay structure is complex and involves “specific military considerations” different from civilian pay, while denying Milne had identified pay inequities.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a military pay hike last year that included a 13 per cent boost for some reserve force ranks, but Milne said it did not address how pay is structured. Milne also referenced long-standing concerns from the Canadian Armed Forces Ombud about systemic financial inequities and administrative delays with reservist pay, with little progress reported.