Latest news with #CanadianArmedForces'
Global News
2 days ago
- Business
- Global News
Canadian military surpasses 2025 recruitment goal, hits 10-year high
Nearly 7,000 people joined Canada's military over the last year, exceeding the Canadian Armed Forces' recruitment goal and marking a 10-year high in enrollment. More recruits are enlisting at a time of heightened focus on Canadian sovereignty, and as Prime Minister Mark Carney vows to rebuild the military and reduce reliance on the United States. It's a sign of some progress in a recruitment crisis the previous defence minister described as a 'death spiral,' but government officials acknowledge significant problems with retention remain. The Department of Defence released numbers to Global News on Monday, showing that 6,706 recruits enrolled in the regular forces between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, surpassing its target of 6,496. 2:40 Carney says increasing defence spending about 'defending Canada,' not just NATO targets The figures represent a 55 per cent increase from the previous year and a 10-year peak. Story continues below advertisement 'These milestones highlight the success of the CAF (Canadian Armed Forces) recent changes to the recruitment process, and commitment to building a more modern and effective military,' department spokesperson Derek Abma said in a statement. Cmdr. Pascal Belhumeur, head of the military's personnel generation group, did not tie the spike to U.S. President Donald Trump's annexation rhetoric, telling Global News it's too early to know what's behind the renewed interest. 0:35 Rutte expects a 'NATO-wide' commitment on 5 per cent of GDP spending on defence He attributed the rise in applicants to modernization efforts and widening eligibility, but added that other factors could be at play, including economic uncertainty, advertising efforts and a growing number of Canadians reflecting on 'who we are as a country.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Trump has repeatedly threatened to make Canada the 51st state, while also launching a punishing trade war against the United States' northern neighbour and closest ally. Story continues below advertisement After years of lagging behind its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, Carney pledged on Monday to meet NATO's two per cent of GDP defence spending target this fiscal year, half a decade ahead of schedule. 1:58 Canada to discuss Golden Dome with US, military recruitment increasing: defence chief The plan amounts to an increase of $9.3 billion in defence funding for 2025-26. 'We're too reliant on the United States,' the prime minister said during a speech at the University of Toronto's Munk School. 'The long-held view that Canada's geographic location will protect us is becoming increasingly archaic.' But better protecting Canada will require digging out of a personnel hole. To do so, Carney has vowed to increase salaries, build more housing on military bases and improve health and legal services. 'They deserve better. And they will have better,' the prime minister pledged during Monday's speech. Story continues below advertisement 2:15 Canada's military recruitment tool faces rollout problems Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, defence analyst with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said the latest recruitment numbers are 'encouraging and worth celebrating' but insists there are some caveats. 'Six thousand, seven hundred and six new members in the regular force does not necessarily translate into 6,706 active members once fully trained,' Duval-Lantoine said in an e-mail to Global News. 'Is that enrolment keeping pace with attrition? Basic training is one of the moments in military life that suffers the highest level of attrition.' 2:07 How will Canada meet its defence spending targets? The CAF is short roughly 14,000 personnel. The Department of National Defence's goal is to reach 71,500 regular forces members and 30,000 reserve members in 2029. Story continues below advertisement Government officials say they're confident they'll hit those targets this time around, citing growing excitement around Canada's increased military investment and what they refer to as changing demographics. The CAF widened eligibility to include permanent residents and changed medical standards, allowing people with asthma, allergies, anxiety and ADHD to apply. 'While we're seeing an improvement in numbers in the short-term, whether it translates into readiness for the CAF is a big question,' Duval-Lantoine said.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
To Remain Canadian, Our Northern Neighbors Should Become a Little More American
President Donald Trump isn't the first U.S. leader to contemplate annexing Canada, though he may be the first to take the idea seriously in a long time—if he is serious. The "51st state" comments and maps of a unified North America could be an elaborate joke with no obvious punchline. If it's a joke, Canadians aren't amused; they're upset and making plans to defend their country against a hostile takeover. Standing in the way, though, is their country's pathetic excuse for a military, and the severe restrictions, relative to the U.S., that Canada's government imposes on private weapons needed to resist an invasion. If they're to avoid becoming Americans, Canadians need to become a little more American. Thankfully, Trump stands pretty much alone in his obsession with absorbing our harmless northern neighbor. According to Angus Reid Institute pollsters, 60 percent of Americans, including 44 percent of Trump voters, have no interest in seeing Canada become part of the U.S. Probably, nobody wants to find out what that would do to America's fraught political balance. Another 32 percent of Americans "and 42 per cent of Trump voters say they would only be interested if the idea was supported by Canadians." Ninety percent of Canadians say, "no, thanks," so that should be the end of that. But what if Trump and company pushed the issue anyway? Hopefully, those number mean Americans, including those in the U.S. military, would refuse to comply with an invasion plan. At least, Canadians had better hope we would, because their military is in no condition to put up a fight. The Canadian Armed Forces' "objectives since the end of the Cold War have been to sustain four frigates for deployment, 18 CF-18 fighter jets for peacetime operations (12 on alert in Canada and six abroad for NATO), and a half brigade's worth of soldiers (2000-2500) with ancillary capabilities," defense expert Richard Shimooka wrote for Canada's Macdonald-Laurier Institute in 2023. "Among Western states, this is a fairly small contribution." Worse, Shimooka added, the armed forces struggle to maintain even that minimal level of readiness, ensuring that "Canada's military is less capable than ever." Canada's former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reportedly told NATO allies that the country will "never" meet the alliance's defense spending goal. Having piggybacked on American defense for decades, Canadian leaders ensured their country is ripe for the taking should the U.S. turn hostile. That leaves Canadians relying on the prospect of a prolonged guerrilla war to resist a takeover. "A military invasion of Canada would trigger a decades-long violent resistance, which would ultimately destroy the United States," vows Aisha Ahmad, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto. "Trump is delusional if he believes that 40 million Canadians will passively accept conquest without resistance." Ahmad envisions resistance fighters retreating to Canada's rough terrain to be trained by veterans of the country's armed forces. Weapons would flow to the insurgents, she insists, from China and Russia. In fact, Canadians are a bit better armed than Americans usually recognize. The country has an estimated 12.7 million firearms in private hands. That likely underestimates the total given the Canadian government's long-gun registry fiasco, which met with widespread noncompliance before it was abandoned. That said, the Canadian government has been trying to disarm its unfortunate subjects. Also, "restricted" weapons, including handguns and semiautomatic rifles—the most effective weapons for resisting an invasion—are subject to registration. Unless quickly purged, those registration records would be available for use in confiscation efforts by occupying troops. Another concern is that resisting invasion requires an ornery culture that encourages noncompliance with authorities. In the absence of such independence, governments—whether elected or imposed—can exercise power over a docile population. And, despite that long-gun registry resistance, Canadians have a reputation for obedience. "We all like to think in our hearts that we would fight to the bitter end, but I honestly don't think that would be the case," Howard Coombs, director of the Queen's Centre for International and Defence Policy and a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, told The Canadian Press. "We don't have a porous border that would allow the shipment of supplies to Canadians.… Is Russia going to ship stuff across Alaska to us? Are we going to get air drops from the U.K.?" Ironically, it's Americans who often have a tense relationship with their own government dating back to the founding of the country in revolution and through various (sometimes violent) acts of resistance to authority. In 1946, returning war veterans who found a corrupt gang in charge of Athens, Tennessee, and the surrounding county tossed them out with gunfire and dynamite. Americans are well-armed with mostly unregistered guns. Making firearms at home is a popular pastime in the U.S. My family vacation this year will be a week-long defensive pistol class at the same facility where my wife's rabbi and members of her synagogue trained to defend their house of worship. This is the kind of culture that lends itself to fighting a hostile takeover. Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that George S. Rigakos, a Carleton University professor of the political economy of policing, rests many of his hopes for Canadian sovereignty on American resistance. "An attempted annexation would not only provoke resistance in Canada, but also ignite widespread unrest in the U.S.," he wrote last month. "Combined with existing partisan divides, this would likely shatter U.S. political unity and inevitably lead to armed secessionist movements." This might well be true. But it's another sad example of Canadians hoping Americans will save their bacon (both the real stuff and the ham slices Canadians call by the name). Canadians won't want to hear it, but if they're to remain Canadian, they need to drop some dysfunctional qualities they've adopted to distinguish themselves from their neighbors to the south. They should build a national defense worthy of the name. That will take time. More quickly accomplished is to permanently abandon registration of "restricted"—or any—firearms and ease the purchase and ownership of a wider range of weapons useful for personal and national defense. Armed people are harder to conquer. While they wait for their government to change, Canadian salvation may lie with friends to the south. Despite President Trump's ridiculous protectionism, the U.S. has a proud history of thwarting trade barriers with smuggling. Americans unsympathetic to annexation fantasies might help supply Canadians with the hardware necessary for an insurgency, for the right price. To keep from being forcibly being converted to American—or any other nationality—Canadians need to become just a little more American. The post To Remain Canadian, Our Northern Neighbors Should Become a Little More American appeared first on
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Armed Forces name former MP as first Indigenous Knowledge Keeper
WINNIPEG — A former Cree member of Parliament and a longtime military member has been named the Canadian Armed Forces' first Indigenous Knowledge Keeper. Warrant Officer Robert-Falcon Ouellette is set to be promoted to captain in a ceremony hosted by the military in Winnipeg on Thursday evening. "It's about the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples fully within the institutions of our nation," Ouellette said in an interview ahead of the ceremony. "We've moved in such a way with reconciliation that we have this opportunity to really demonstrate what the Canadian Forces can be." Ouellette said he is a fourth-generation military member with nearly three decades of service. He started with the Navy League and Sea Cadet program and is currently with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles unit. From 2015 to 2019, Ouellette represented the riding of Winnipeg Centre as a Liberal MP. He is currently an associate professor of education at the University of Ottawa. The military said the new position is part of its effort to embrace Indigenous spirituality. The Forces offer spiritual and religious care to members and their families through the Royal Canadian Chaplain Services. There have been Indigenous chaplains in the past, including Lt.-Col. Catherine Askew, but this is the first time someone has been designated to provide spiritual teachings from an Indigenous point of view instead of a Christian one. Before this, chaplains would have to rely on a network of Indigenous representatives for spiritual and emotional support. For many years, Indigenous Peoples were banned from practising their spirituality. Ouellette can remember a time when he faced harassment for being Cree. "There were times when I had terrible discussions with commanding officers and others within my unit. I have long hair and sometimes that would upset people who are older military members," he recalled. "Today it's much different. People are much more accepting." Indigenous soldiers have built their own network within the military, meeting for drum groups and traditional ceremonies, said Ouellette. Indigenous people made up 2.9 per cent of the Canadian Armed Forces as of November 2022. Approximately 23 per cent of Canadian Rangers self-identify as First Nations, Inuit or Métis. Ouellette said his role not only supports Indigenous people, but educates non-Indigenous members as well. "I see myself supporting all soldiers … there's something much larger than this." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2025. Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
CBC
30-01-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Former MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette to become Canadian military's 1st Indigenous Knowledge Keeper
A former Cree member of Parliament and a longtime military member has been named the Canadian Armed Forces' first Indigenous Knowledge Keeper. Warrant Officer Robert-Falcon Ouellette is set to be promoted to captain in a ceremony hosted by the military in Winnipeg on Thursday evening. "It's about the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples fully within the institutions of our nation," Ouellette said in an interview ahead of the ceremony. "We've moved in such a way with reconciliation that we have this opportunity to really demonstrate what the Canadian Forces can be." Ouellette said he is a fourth-generation military member with nearly three decades of service. He started with the Navy League and Sea Cadet program and is currently with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles unit. From 2015 to 2019, Ouellette represented the riding of Winnipeg Centre as a Liberal MP. He ran to become mayor of Winnipeg in both 2014 and 2022. He is currently an associate professor of education at the University of Ottawa. The military said the new position is part of its effort to embrace Indigenous spirituality. The Forces offer spiritual and religious care to members and their families through the Royal Canadian Chaplain Services. There have been Indigenous chaplains in the past, including Lt.-Col. Catherine Askew, but this is the first time someone has been designated to provide spiritual teachings from an Indigenous point of view instead of a Christian one. Before this, chaplains would have to rely on a network of Indigenous representatives for spiritual and emotional support. For many years, Indigenous Peoples were banned from practising their spirituality. Ouellette can remember a time when he faced harassment for being Cree. "There were times when I had terrible discussions with commanding officers and others within my unit. I have long hair and sometimes that would upset people who are older military members," he recalled. "Today it's much different. People are much more accepting." Indigenous soldiers have built their own network within the military, meeting for drum groups and traditional ceremonies, said Ouellette. Indigenous people made up 2.9 per cent of the Canadian Armed Forces as of November 2022. Approximately 23 per cent of Canadian Rangers self-identify as First Nations, Inuit or Métis. Ouellette said his role not only supports Indigenous people, but educates non-Indigenous members as well.
