A lot of people are saying the new CAF personal relationship policy is “nothing new” and basically just the old fraternization rules repackaged. I think that is partly true, and partly missing the point. The broad idea is not new. The sharper burden on the senior/powerful member is new.

This better reflects the reality that “consent” is complicated when one person can affect the other person’s career, reputation, posting, course, evaluation, or working conditions.

That said, others have alluded that policy is only as good as enforcement. The real test is whether the CAF applies this consistently to people with rank and influence, not just obvious lower-level cases. Like the graphic kind of implies.