CFMWS celebrates 20th anniversary

Members of the then named Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency, now the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Service, pose outside their headquarters in Ottawa in 1996. The organization is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. Photo courtesy of CFMWS

Members of the then named Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency, now the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Service, pose outside their headquarters in Ottawa in 1996. The organization is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. Photo courtesy of CFMWS

CFMWS ~

This year, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) is celebrating 20 years of unrelenting dedication to helping Canadian Armed Forces members and their families with services that are tailored to handle many unique aspects of the military lifestyle.

It was on Sept. 3, 1996, that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Department of National Defence implemented a VCDS Instruction that launched the provision of Personnel Support Programs through a Non-Public Property (NPP) delivery model.

Prior to Unification of the CAF, virtually all NPP activities were controlled and managed at the local level.  However, the idea of a common system of NPP control and administration was recommended back in 1966 in a study conducted by Rear Admiral C.J. Dillon. Years later, the concept of delivering morale and welfare programs through a combination of Public and NPP resources was introduced and approved. These defining actions opened the door to a concerted morale and welfare program delivery in the CAF and greatly impacted the direction that led to the birth of the present thriving model that is in place now.

By merging PSP services with those offered by CANEX, SISIP Financial and NPP administration, the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency (CFPSA), the precursor to today’s CFMWS, was created. Later, administration of Military Family Services and Casualty Support Management were added to CFMWS’ mandate to become a unified organization and the service provider of choice for the military community.

In the 20-year span of CFMWS’ existence, more than just the name has changed; however, its mandate has remained constant throughout. To echo the original 1996 mission statement: CFMWS continues to excel in supporting the operational effectiveness of the CAF and contribute to morale, esprit de corps and unit cohesion, by ensuring that CAF members and their families have access to programs at levels consistent with military tradition and to those services normally available in comparable progressive Canadian communities.

Today, CFMWS manages more than 4,300 staff on bases, wings, units, and at our headquarters in Ottawa.  In partnership with bases, wings and units, we ensure that our customers, the CAF Regular and Reserve Force members, retired and former CAF members, military families, Department of National Defence employees, NPF employees, and RCMP personnel receive access to morale and welfare programs, services and activities, no matter where they are located.

This anniversary provides our dedicated CFMWS staff and the military community with an opportunity to celebrate the undeniable progress achieved over the last 20 years.  We invite you to visit our 20th anniversary virtual gallery (www.cfmws20-sbmfc20.com) where you can learn more about significant milestones that marked our organization’s history. 

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