Political Activities Guidance

Department of National Defence (DND) employees and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members who are considering personal involvement in political activities at all levels of government need to be aware of their rights and responsibilities.

Here is a breakdown of what military and civilian Defence Team members should take into consideration should they wish to become involved in any political activity during the Federal Election:

Regular and Reserve Force Members

Regular Force members are permitted to participate in municipal level political activities with permission from the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), delegated to the Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services) (ADM(RS)), and approved through the Defence Ethics Programme (DEP) via a Confidential Report.

However, as per QR&O – 19.44 Political Activities and Candidatures for Office, they cannot take an active part in the affairs of a political organization or party, make a political speech to electors, or announce or allow themselves to be announced as a candidate, or prospective candidate, for election to the Parliament of Canada or a provincial/territorial legislature.

Reserve Force members are not prohibited from engaging in political activities in the same way as Regular Force members. However, Reserve Force members are reminded that they remain subject to the general rules set out in Queens’ Regulations and Orders (QR&Os), and other orders and instructions issued to the CAF, at all times when they are subject to the Code of Service Discipline, including QR&O 19.14 – Improper Comments and 19.36 – Disclosure of Information or Opinion. Consequently, members of the Reserve Force are encouraged to submit a Confidential Report via DEP.

In order to avoid any perceived or real conflict between their obligations of service and their political activities, members of the Reserve Force may also wish to request to be exempt from duty and training for the duration of their political activities under CMP Military Instruction 20/04 – Paragraph 3.11.

Public Servants

Federal public service employees have the right to engage in political activities as long as they do not impair, or are not perceived as impairing, their ability to perform their duties in a politically impartial manner. The Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) Communiqué will assist DND employees to make informed decisions about participating in political activities. Online tools are also available.

It is important to note that employees must first have requested and obtained permission from the PSC via Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources – Civilian) (available on Defence Team intranet) before seeking nomination as a candidate in any election at the federal, provincial, territorial and municipal levels. When PSC approval has been granted, the employee must then submit a Confidential Report via DEP to ensure that there is no real or apparent Conflict of Interest.

Employees are encouraged to submit their requests for permission in a reasonable timeframe to allow for timely processing and approval.

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