Frequently Asked Questions About the MyVoice Group

Your input is critical for the Canadian Armed Forces to continue to understand the issues most affecting military families and act on these. By providing us with feedback, you can help to influence military family programs and services so that we remain family focused in everything we do at Military Family Services.

Our aim is to make communicating feedback as accessible as possible to all families, wherever they are (and whatever their situation is), at a time and in a format that is convenient for them. Therefore, social media closed Facebook group, our Family Information Line, email and even ground mail are available to families to communicate their feedback, 24/7. We also hold quarterly virtual feedback sessions (teleconference and videoconference), on questions related to the military lifestyle.For a list of ways to communicate with us, please click here. 

All feedback is considered, whether it is communicated by email, social media, phone or in person. No comment is unimportant. 

Here is how it works:

• When feedback is received, it is compiled and summarized in such a way that anonymity and confidentiality of family members is respected, while still retaining as much of the family members’ words and intent as possible. While the MyVoice Facebook Group is a Closed Group and thus restricts membership. A Facebook Group is not by nature a confidential forum. We have therefore pinned a note on Facebook Group, noting that if Group Members have a confidential topic to discuss, they should use another point of contact, such as the Family Information Line.
• It is then reviewed by the Military Family Service MyVoice Feedback Team, a small group of people who have first-hand experience of the military lifestyle. The team is made up of military family and serving military members as well as Military Family Services staff.
• The feedback is categorized into key themes and recommendations and then directed to relevant partners, stakeholders and military leadership (e.g.: Chief of Military Personnel Command; Military Family Resource Centre Executive Directors; family associations or groups; Director General Health Services; etc.) to make them aware of the situation and the perspectives of families on particular issues.
• Feedback and any action taken is then reported back to families via social media, websites and email.

We are happy to receive your comments and feedback, 24/7 by social media, phone or email. For a list of ways to communicate with us, please click here.

Feedback will be summarized and directed to the proper leaders, authorities and partners in such a way that ensures anonymity and confidentiality of family members. However, every effort will be made to avoid any “filtering” during this process, in order to ensure that the authentic family voice is conveyed directly to military leadership and partners. 

The Director, along with the senior management team within Military Family Services, is responsible for setting the course and priorities for the Military Family Service Program. Employees are hired for their expertise in a number of areas and for their ability to contribute positively to the well-being of military families as per our mission statement. We aim to hire the best qualified staff to fulfill our mandate. Being from a military family is deemed to be an asset, although not a requisite for employment.

Requiring that someone be from a military family as a condition of employment would be discriminatory, just as being a parent is not a prerequisite for anyone working within a children's hospital, or similarly for someone working in a daycare for example. 

The Director of Military Family Services is wholly responsible for MyVoice, as directed by Chief of Military Personnel Command. The Military Family Services MyVoice Feedback Team's composition is well represented and provides many perspectives and years of experience in a number of fields. Their responses within the MyVoice forum represent a collective voice on behalf of the whole of Military Family Services.

After the feedback is collated (to ensure confidentiality of participants), it is reviewed by the Military Family Services MyVoice Feedback Team. The feedback is categorized into key themes and recommendations and then shared with relevant partners, stakeholders and military leadership (e.g.: Director of Military Family Services, Chief of Military Personnel Command; Military Family Resource Centre Executive Directors; family associations or groups; Director General Health Services; etc.) so that they may gain an appreciation for families’ perspectives on various issues.

Once the feedback is summarized, we send it to relevant partners, leaders and authorities. Any feedback and resulting action from partners, leaders or authorities is then communicated back to families via social media, websites and email.

No, any officer or non-commissioned member who has been aggrieved by any decision, act or omission in the administration of the affairs of the Canadian Armed Forces for which no other process for redress is provided under the National Defence Act is entitled to submit a grievance.

Yes, the Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman investigates complaints and serves as a neutral third party on matters related to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. Acting independently of the chain of command and managers, he reports directly to the Minister of National Defence.

The purpose of MyVoice is to get feedback from a wide variety of military families on all issues related to military family life. Some of the feedback will be critical—critique is an important part of improving military family program and service design.  

We do, however, also welcome success stories and MyVoice will encourage participants to state challenges and potential opportunities or solutions to address the challenges.  

The desired outcomes of MyVoice are positive ones: to enable families to offer feedback on the programs and services available to them; to connect families with the appropriate stakeholders; to provide a forum where families are able to connect with one another and to report back to families how the issues are being addressed.