After years of dwindling numbers leading to a so-called “death spiral,” the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) beat its annual recruitment target for the second straight fiscal year.
Driving the news: In the 12 months ending March 31, 7,310 people signed up to join the military. The CAF is bullish after these consecutive beats, and has raised this year’s recruitment target to 8,200 — that's more than 1,000 people higher than last year’s.
Why it’s happening: Tweaks Ottawa has made to boost recruitment appear to be working, including a significant pay raise and enrolling applicants with medical conditions like ADHD and asthma. The top factor, though, appears to be the enrollment of permanent residents.
As of 2022, citizenship was no longer required to join the military, opening the door for permanent residents. Sure enough, 1,400 of last year’s recruits weren’t citizens.
Plus: A rise in patriotism, and also the uncertain state of the world, might be a factor. A March Nanos Research survey found that 24% of respondents would be interested in full-time military service if Canada faced a major conflict — up 12% from last November.
Yes, but: Recruitment likely would have been even higher if the application process wasn’t so slow and cumbersome. An auditor general’s report last year found that between fiscal 2022 and 2025, around 54% of online applicants voluntarily withdrew from the process.
A major reason for this was likely slow processing times. The CAF is supposed to recruit an applicant between 100 and 150 days, but it often takes twice as long.
Why it matters: The CAF is still facing a personnel crunch and needs to keep the line going up. We’ve all heard about Canada’s dramatic jump in defence spending, but pouring money into a military that’s chronically understaffed is like filling a bucket with a hole in it.—QH
