Canada’s new top military man is being mocked after tweeting about the importance of diversity in the ranks – and backing it up with a photo of eight white men..“Conversations on diversity, inclusion, and culture change are not incompatible with our thirst for operational excellence. I count on my senior leaders to champion culture change,” Admiral Art McDonald, posted on Twitter on Wednesday..“Diversity makes us stronger, inclusion improves our institution.”.But the Admiral, only appointed as Chief of the Defence Staff last month, gets a sinking grade in optics – the photo he attached to the tweet shows eight white members of the Canadian Armed Forces around a boardroom table..“Are you speaking of the diversity of hiring men with varying degrees of hair loss?” tweeted comedian Rob Gill..The tweet drew more than 3,500 mocking replies. McDonald later posted an apology..“I hear your comments and I take them to heart. It’s true: the leadership … is, and historically has been, predominantly male and white. That needs to change,” he wrote..“We need to reflect Canada’s diversity at all levels. We must work to eliminate systemic racism & dismantle the barriers to career advancement that exist. We are there in mindset but know there is still a lot of work to do, and we are committed to doing it”.As of last February, only about 16 per cent of the CAF regular members were women. The government wants that increased to 25 per cent by 2026..It also wants to increase membership of Indigenous peoples from 2.6 per cent in 2016 to 3.5 per cent by 2026, and visible minorities from 6.7 per cent in 2016 to 11.8 per cent by 2026..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
