NEIL CLARKSON
Meet MARLANT’s New Formation Master Sailor and PMC Fleet Club Atlantic
By Mona Ghiz,
MARLANT Public Affairs
Master Sailor (MS) Morgan Olizarevitch, a native of Thamesford, Ontario, has been appointed Maritime Forces Atlantic’s (MARLANT) Formation Master Sailor (FMS) and President of the Mess Council (PMC) Fleet Club Atlantic.
The role of the FMS has two responsibilities. The first is to foster relationships with MARLANT senior leadership and junior non-commissioned members (NCM), by acting as an intermediary to affect change. As such, MS Olizarevitch is in frequent contact with MARLANT, Canadian Fleet Atlantic and CFB Halifax senior leadership, takes part in weekly command update briefs and meetings, and will attend certain events with the Admiral and Formation Chief. The second, as PMC, includes organizing mess events for the junior ranks and making herself accessible by visiting sailors aboard HMC Ships and courses.
Olizarevitch sees her new posting as FMS and PMC as an opportunity to advocate and ensure the junior ranks are well represented and able to report their concerns and issues directly to formation senior command. The junior ranks also benefit from having information from senior command/leadership passed down directly from the FMS/PMC.
“A Formation Master Sailor is an add-on to the MARLANT HQ team. I often describe it as the junior rank’s voice up and the Admiral’s voice down. I have a seat at the big table and represent the interests of the junior ranks on the East coast”, says Olizarevitch. “An FMS & PMC is also there to support any junior members with administrative issues similar to a union rep, I can provide backup when the member may not be comfortable with representing themselves fully.”
MARLANT’s Formation Chief, Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (CPO1) Derek Godin, echoes the sentiments. “The role of the Formation Master Sailor is extremely important. Not only do they represent the needs and the voice of the junior sailors in the formation, but they can also directly engage with formation leadership and be a part of the decision-making process.”
CPO1 Godin values the position and says “The FMS also can drill down on areas of concern and connect and communicate with our sailors on a level that would be difficult for senior leadership.”
In times when policy can be unclear, the FMS can gain clarity on behalf of the junior ranks and ensure the policy is properly applied to benefit those it should help. An example would be when the wording for “Acting While So Employed” (AWSE) temporary promotion policy was unclear, the FMS pushed for clarification, and achieved success in having it apply to MS positions.
Only two weeks into her role, MS Olizarevitch has created a vision for a way forward and hopes to impact positive change. “My passion projects currently are to increase a free-flow of information and strengthen relationships between senior leadership and the junior ranks, continue improvements to gender-equality onboard HMC Ships, and assist sailors who want sea time to find an opportunity to get those days in,” says Olizarevitch.
Olizarevitch began her career with the Canadian Armed Forces while in high school where she enrolled in the local Naval Reserve unit, as a naval communicator, with His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Prevost, in September 2015. After completing her preliminary trades training and sailing in HMCS Montréal, she component transferred to the Regular Force in 2018 with a posting to HMCS Fredericton. That same year she was attach posted to HMCS Moncton, where she participated in the Great Lakes Deployment and deployed on Operation Caribbe.
In 2020, she deployed on HMCS Fredericton for Operation Reassurance, employed on the bridge as a senior hand on watch. On return, she was posted to Base Information Services (BIS) for two years as Desktop Support before being posting to HMCS St. John’s as an Information Systems Administrator.
“I initially joined as a reservist for the many benefits surrounding post-secondary schooling, before falling in love with the east coast community and lifestyle and deciding to take the plunge and go regular force,” says MS Olizarevitch.
Please join us in welcoming MS Olizarevitch to her new position. You can connect with her by email at Morgan.Olizarevitch@forces.gc.ca and drop by her office located at Tribute Tower, next to Slackers.
