The Courage To Look Within

Throughout its 82 years of history, The Royal Canadian Legion has been well served by its courage and introspection. Indeed, many of the organization’s major public accomplishments owe their success to those attributes—qualities that have served to strengthen the importance of remembrance and bring much-needed assistance to Canada’s veterans and still-serving armed forces personnel. Today, those very same traits are being called upon again—this time to consider what is best for the Legion and its future.

At its February meeting, the Dominion Executive Council discussed the results of the first substantive structural review of the Legion since its inception in 1926 (Dominion Convention To Vote On New Structure, page 67). The council’s members were asked to set aside their personal feelings, regional concerns as well as branch and command loyalties to consider the Legion’s overall governance, structure and command representation. “I cannot stress too much the importance of this study for the future of the Legion and the future of those who are serving in the Canadian Forces today,” Legion Honorary Grand President Charles Belzile told the Feb. 23-24 gathering in Ottawa. “The latter will continue to need our support now and in the future and we, in whatever configuration we choose to deliver this support, must ensure that we will be there when they call for us.”

This very timely soul-searching exercise began in February 2007 when DEC approved the creation of the RCL Commission on Governance, Representation and Command Structure. This significant undertaking continued on into February 2008 when DEC accepted the commission’s report and then agreed to forward three resolutions to dominion convention in June. The commission’s overall task was daunting, but it was an opportunity for the Legion to come up with fresh ideas that would make sense when viewed through the sharp realities facing the organization today. Chief among those realities, of course, is declining membership and the financial difficulties it creates at all levels.

It is our view that any discussion aimed at finding solutions must be seen as constructive to the Legion’s future. The current configuration has served the Legion well, but its essential components need to be retooled and reconciled with the Legion of today.

In his report to DEC, commission Chairman Steve Wessel noted that while Legion membership as a whole had dropped 36 per cent from its peak of 602,489 in 1984 to 388,584 in 2006, DEC remained essentially the same size with 40 members.

The three proposed resolutions stemming from DEC’s acceptance of the commission’s report are aimed at the following: a) reducing the number of DEC command representatives to 10. This would mean one from each provincial command. These 10 would be in addition to seven Senior Officers, namely the Dominion President, First Vice, two Vice-Presidents, Chairman, Treasurer and Past President; a TVS Representative; Honorary Grand President and the Chairman of the Constitution and Laws Committee—for a total DEC size of 20. b) reducing the number of dominion vice-presidents from four to two. c) eliminating the Dominion Command Sub-Executive Committee. The rationale behind each resolution is explained in our coverage of the February DEC meeting (page 67), but the ultimate aim is to reduce the cost of governance—starting at the top.

If approved, the proposed changes will bring about a major shift in how the Legion operates and governs itself. Therefore, it is very important for all three resolutions to be clearly understood and discussed thoroughly and openly at the June 21-25 dominion convention in Ottawa.

Overall, we applaud the commission and the courage it and the DEC have shown on this important quest for practicable solutions. The Legion—at any time—cannot afford to be over-governed. It must always search for smarter—more efficient ways to remain absolutely true to the organization’s Articles of Faith; it must be willing to change in order to stay strong and healthy enough to meet those honourable commitments against the backdrop of present-day realities.

Currently, costs prevent the 40-member DEC from meeting more than once a year outside of dominion convention. A leaner DEC would cost far less and allow the council to meet in Ottawa three times a year. This, we feel, would keep DEC closer to the issues of the day, and—along with the help of e-mail and conference calls—it would enable DEC to make important decisions in a far more timely and efficient manner. It would also mean that dominion convention would remain as the governing authority—just as it will be in June when delegates will be asked to debate and vote on these important measures.