Making military families in Canada a research priority

Abstract

Since the 1990s, the nature, frequency, and intensity of military operations have shifted, and these shifts have, in turn, had an impact on the families of Canada’s military personnel. Operational tempo has increased and has been almost continuous, and the roles of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel have changed from “peacekeepers to peacemakers to warriors.”1 In 2013, the Office of the Ombudsman, National Defence and Canadian Forces, released its seminal report on military family health and well-being, On the Homefront: Assessing the Well-Being of Canada’s Military Families in the New Millennium. This report brought into view the contexts, meanings, and consequences associated with recent changes in CAF military operations for members, Veterans, and families.