“The Canadian Armed Forces serves Canada by defending our values, interests and sovereignty at home and abroad. However, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is experiencing a shortfall in personnel that has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and Canada-wide labour shortages,“ said the briefing note titled ”Recruitment And Retention.”
The CAF is aiming to increase enlistment by “streamlining and redesigning” the recruitment process to administer applications more efficiently, according to the document, which was first obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.
The recruitment strategy includes prioritizing the recognition of past experience to accelerate military career paths, allowing permanent residents to apply for the CAF, and improving synergy to “better place members in occupations that match their interests, skills, abilities, and experience,” says the briefing note.
The CAF is also increasing its outreach and education to under-represented groups of Canadians. The document says this involves lowering barriers for the recruitment of women, indigenous, and LGBT recruits, saying “every Canadian needs to see the Canadian Armed Forces as a first-rate career choice where they will feel welcome, valued and safe.”
In 2022, the CAF eliminated “binary uniform and appearance choices,” giving members the ”freedom to choose the uniform that makes them most comfortable.”
“Through these efforts, the CAF will become a first-rate career choice that will attract talented Canadians for years to come, thereby ensuring that the Forces is optimized to meet current and future security needs at home and abroad,” the briefing said.
In October 2022, Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre warned that due to recruitment shortfalls Canada did not have the military “that we need” to deal with future threats. He added that CAF readiness was diminishing and, in the context of threats to the rules-based international order, this made him “very, very worried.”
According to an Inquiry of the Ministry tabled in the House of Commons, the military estimates minimum strength requirements at 60,500 regular members fully trained with a working target of 68,000. Regular forces currently number 63,477.
In 2017, then-Deputy Defence Minister John Forester testified at the House of Commons public accounts committee that there was “no point in us having a target of 68,000 and continuing to be 4,000 people short.”
“It is a challenge,” he said.
