Single mom now facing medical release from military

[kratz]

Reference:  CBC.ca

Our friendly neighbourhood CBC is rolling out this story again.
The headline is pure clickbait:

Military looking to avoid a 'black eye' by stalling human rights complaint, lawyer says
Single mom Laura Nash says she was called on the carpet for having too many 'family issues'

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Jan 21, 2019 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

The Canadian military is being accused of dragging its feet to prevent a human rights complaint from being heard regarding the case of a former naval officer who was told to choose between her child and her career.

The story of now-retired sub-lieutenant Laura Nash made headlines 18 months ago, before she was medically released in July 2017.

The single mother says that in late 2013, she was called into a meeting with two superior officers, both of them women, and told she had too many "family issues." She faced a training deadline to go to sea at the time and was given six weeks to decide between raising her child and her career as a warship navigator.

Her complaint before the Canadian Human Rights Commission alleges the military discriminates against single parents. It's being held up because a grievance, filed before she was forced out, is still pending.

Under the law, the commission cannot proceed with its investigation until all other administrative procedures have been exhausted.

Nash told CBC News she believes the military is trying to sabotage her complaint by keeping the file open — retribution, she said, for the embarrassment she caused it by taking her story public.

'It's not going to go away'

"I feel like (Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance) is just waiting for this case to go away, but it's not going to go away," Nash said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighed in on the case back in June. "It's very simple. The choice Laura had to make is not acceptable. It is not acceptable in Canada," he said.

Members of the military are allowed to file formal grievances when they believe they have been treated unjustly by the chain of command.
N
ash — who served in the navy from 2010 to 2017 but did not complete her training as a maritime warfare officer — filed two grievances under the system.

Both were, for all intents and purposes, resolved before her plight became public.

more at link:  CBC.ca

I'm glad the report includes both sides of the topic (Ms. Nash and the CAF):

But she said she proposed specific fixes.

"They are very, very simple, easy changes to make," she said. "There is nothing difficult. There is no undue hardship that will happen to the military for tweaking some of these policies."

The proposed policy changes Nash recommended include subsidized travel for single parents and improved access to on-base child care.

and

Maj. Travis Smyth, a spokesman for the chief of military personnel, said there are a number of existing programs single parents can access now under the military's Family Care Assistance plan, which is designed to offset increases in child care costs due to extended absences. Other services are available through Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services, he said.

"They deliver a wide range of services and programs to support the physical, social, financial and mental wellbeing of the [Canadian Armed Forces] community," Smyth said in an email.

Even my wife, currently RegF asked, "How many businesses are required to offer benefits that she is asking for?"

 

[Rifleman62]

....who served in the navy from 2010 to 2017 but did not complete her training as a maritime warfare officer....

Does that mean that other than her basic officer trg, she did not complete any classification trg? If that's the case, deducting her basic trg time (language trg??), she was unemployable for at least 5+ years?

What civilian org would put up with that?

 

[Jarnhamar]

Nash told CBC News she believes the military is trying to sabotage her complaint by keeping the file open — retribution, she said, for the embarrassment she caused it by taking her story public.

I'd believe it too.

Does that mean that other than her basic officer trg, she did not complete any classification trg? If that's the case, deducting her basic trg time (language trg??), she was unemployable for at least 5+ years?

What civilian org would put up with that?

Yea that's pretty messed up and unrealistic expectations of a job in the military.

 

[Journeyman]

Most comments on the CBC article AREN'T the expected anti-military babble.    :stars:

 

[Halifax Tar]

This is going to have to be handled very delicately. 

The ramifications of this out come could be huge if it finishes not in the military's favor.

 

[daftandbarmy]

This is going to have to be handled very delicately. 

The ramifications of this out come could be huge if it finishes not in the military's favor.

We've worked with the MFRCs in a couple of places. They are fantastic, and are absolutely committed to helping people like this.

 

[Halifax Tar]

We've worked with the MFRCs in a couple of places. They are fantastic, and are absolutely committed to helping people like this.

No doubt, the MFRCs do great work.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

nice to see the PM taking an unbiased stance on it.... :

 

[blacktriangle]

nice to see the PM taking an unbiased stance on it.... :

Well he does come from a profession where serving 8 years and achieving nothing is par for the course...

 

[MilEME09]

So 7 years in and couldnt get the time for courses to become an officer. So she lacked a family care plan, and couldnt balance her career and her family well. Thats what im getting here