June 2019: Higher Pay for Reservists

[The Bread Guy]

This from the DND info-machine (also attached if link doesn't work for you)...

As promised in Canada’s defence policy Strong, Secure, Engaged, Reserve Force pay is being restructured to align with Regular Force pay where the demands of service are similar.

The new methodology for the Reserve Force applies the same base pay the Regular Force receives, plus the elements of the Military Factor that apply to reservists.

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, announced the change today at the 4th Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment in Laval, Quebec.

The restructuring of pay is part of an overall vision outlined in our defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, which also includes increasing the Reserve Force by 1,500 members and further integrating reservists into operations. The Reserve Force is crucial to the success of our Canadian Armed Forces. Reservists come from all walks of life, and include students, civil servants, labourers, business people, academics, and former members of the Regular Force.

Reservists will receive more money in this new system in order to more fairly compensate them for their important service. Previously, Reserve Force pay was a simple 85 percent calculation of the total Regular Force pay. Regular Force pay is composed of two parts: base pay and Military Factor. The Military Factor is a percentage added to the base salaries of Canadian Armed Forces members that compensates them for additional requirements that don’t affect most public servants.

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Quick facts

    The Military Factor is calculated using three military and two additional elements. The military considerations are: personal limitation and liability, separation, and posting turbulence. The two additional elements are overtime and acting for supervisors without an increase in pay.

    The Military Factor elements that apply to reservists under the new system are: personal limitation and liability, overtime, and acting for supervisors.

    Reservists cannot be posted to a different geographic location or be sent away from their families on an operation or exercise without their personal consent. This is different from Regular Force members, who are expected to move or deploy when directed, often frequently and on short notice; therefore separation and posting turbulence are not applied as part of the Military Factor

    The change of calculation from 85 percent to a base pay plus Military Factor approach will result in an increase of 7.8 percent. For example, the pay rate for a first year corporal will increase from $140 to $153 a day. Basic pay for a lieutenant “A” will increase from $147.62 to $161.18 a day.

    Reservists on Class A and Class B periods of service are paid on a daily rate, based on their rank and time in that rank. Reservists on Class C periods of service, such as those who deploy on operations, receive the same pay as Regular Force members, which is calculated at a monthly rate.

(...)

More @ link -- pay rates page for NCM's here & for officers here, but they don't look updated to include this announced change yet (last updates April & early June, respectively).

 

[MJP]

I applaud this move, and it is recognizing the integration and work that already exists in the PRes/RegF world.

In the same vein, I await the day that the Pte-Cpl promotion times between the Reg Force and Reserves is fixed as well.  I think the right answer is move them all to 3 years, rather than keep the 2 & 4 year marks for the PRes & RegF respectively.  Only the CAF would say that a more trained and experienced person should have to wait longer to get promoted.

 

[Monsoon]

In the same vein, I await the day that the Pte-Cpl promotion times between the Reg Force and Reserves is fixed as well.  I think the right answer is move them all to 3 years, rather than keep the 2 & 4 year marks for the PRes & RegF respectively.  Only the CAF would say that a more trained and experienced person should have to wait longer to get promoted.

Good point. In practice the different theoretical time-in-rank requirements are patched over by the very common use of accelerated promotion to Cpl in the RegF, which is not available to reservists. But there’s no obvious reason to have differing policies on either point.

 

[Kilted]

So two questions.

1. Is this effective immediately?
2. Is it retroactive?

 

[dapaterson]

Effective 01 April 2019.

 

[Swing-Pro]

As a former Reservist and having deployed several times, I was glad to hear this news; not in the sense of helping equalizing the pay, though more so that this will help reservists financially afford being able to parade, attend training and deploy.

From a financial perspective, the pay I received didn't cover my family and living expenses even on Class B & C contracts. Parading on Class A time, I often had to choose between giving up work with my employer to make significantly less money.

You don't join the army to get rich. I hope this change helps support members so they can remain active.

I didn't have a concern making less than Regular Force members, as a Reservist I never had to pay for accommodations or a single meal aside from reimbursement in the 10 years I served.

 

[Halifax Tar]

This is good news for the reserves. 

Now how about working some retention benefits for the reg force ? 

 

[Remius]

This is good news for the reserves. 

Now how about working some retention benefits for the reg force ?

This is exactly the right attitude for this and how it should be approached.

 

[dimsum]

Wing Operations has lots of reservists.  This is a good plan since they take a lot of the shift work.

 

[MilEME09]

I welcome our base pay becoming equal, that said thats our base pay. On average as a Class A person I'll get my day/half day plus pay in lieu of leave, and maybe CLDA for the odd EX. Over all I would theorize a ref force member still makes more especially posted to a field unit, factor in benefits and its still a better deal. Not saying our system is perfect, oh heavens it is very far from perfect but there are other factors to keep in mind over just the base pay rate.

 

[kratz]

From a NavRes POV...this hits the sweet spot.

 

[Remius]

Good points.

Whenever I was on class B for a PRES organisation I was tasked out over the summer every summer.  When I was on Class B with a reg force organisation I never was tasked for anything but my actual job. And to be honest I went to cool places with my reg force class B.  Not so much with my reserve class B. 

Over my class class B time with regular force orgs none of the reg force guys ever deployed last minute for anything.  Those that did deploy did so because they themselves sought it out, no one forced them.

We reservists also got strange looks when they found out we paraded once a week and a weekend or two a month on ex.  They couldn’t figure out why we still did that.  I got tired of explaining it.