Latest news with #Duval-Lantoine
Global News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Global News
More Canadians want to join the military, but enlisted members keep leaving
Interest has spiked in the Canadian military, with recruitment levels hitting their highest point in a decade. But as more people walk in the door, thousands of enlisted members are deciding to walk out. Numbers obtained by Global News show the retention crisis worsened year over year, as Prime Minister Mark Carney who is attending the NATO summit in Brussels, vows to rebuild the Armed Forces and reduce Canada's dependence on the U.S. 'The reason why retention has not been improving is because the military has been putting all of his eggs in the recruitment basket,' said Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, a defence analyst with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. 0:45 'A real end': Trump says he wants Iran to 'give up entirely' on nuclear weapons According to figures from the Department of National Defence, attrition rates in the regular forces increased, with 5,026 leaving the military between 2024 and 2025, compared with 4,256 during the same period the previous year. Story continues below advertisement Retention among reservists improved slightly during the past two years. Overall, the situation has remained largely stagnant, the DND numbers show. 'This is knowledge and readiness that we're losing that new recruits cannot replace immediately … and skills that are necessary to defend Canada,' Duval-Lantoine said. 6:20 PM Carney pledges to meet NATO's 2% defence spending target this year Recruitment in the regular forces hit a record high this fiscal year, but not all 6,706 enrolled will pass basic training. The gains are offset by the loss of 5,026 members. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy More people are considering careers in the Canadian Armed Forces, as Canada's relationship with the U.S. undergoes a major shift, and Ottawa vows to prioritize defence and increase pay for military personnel. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Canadian sovereignty and has not backed away from punishing tariffs. The CAF cautions it's too early to link the jump in interest to Trump's rhetoric and policies. Story continues below advertisement The military has widened eligibility recently to include permanent residents and applicants with certain medical conditions, while modernizing recruitment with a new online portal. 5:59 Breaking Down Canada's Defence Spending Plan Unless the military can hold onto more currently serving members, Duval-Lantoine doubts it will fill a shortage of roughly 13,000 personnel or meet its targets of 71,500 regular force members and 30,000 reservists by 2030. 'It's too slow of a growth. There really needs to be more aggressive measures,' she said. 'The lack of urgency is quite scary from my point of view.' 4:51 Canada-U.S. trade talks accelerate as Carney hosts G7 leaders in Alberta Story continues below advertisement DND says the 'fluctuation' in the attrition rate is 'within the normal range' and consistent with Canada's allies. 'There are a wide variety of reasons members choose to stay in or leave the CAF, so it is difficult to attribute it to one or a few specific factors,' department spokesperson Derek Abma said in a statement to Global News. But defence experts point to issues around training and career management, a lack of affordable housing, and pay. Earlier this month, Defence Minister David McGuinty said CAF personnel will be getting a salary bump, but did not specify when. 'That's where a lot of the initial investment will be, of course, including a 20 per cent pay increase,' he told reporters June 10. A day earlier, Carney announced an additional $9.3 billion in military funding to meet the NATO target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence. Of that, $2.6 billion will go towards recruitment, salary hikes and hiring an additional 1,400 new staff, said government officials, speaking on background, at a technical briefing on June 9. 9:55 Former Chief of the Defence Staff reacts to spending plans More than 77,000 people hit 'Apply Now' on the Armed Forces' website, the highest number in five years, but less than 10 per cent — 6,706 – made it to the finish line and enrolled Story continues below advertisement The military says a large number of people never finish their applications. It's not clear how many are completed, but Duval-Lantoine insists there isn't enough staff to handle the intake. Canada's former chief of the defence staff, retired general Wayne Eyre, acknowledges there is no 'silver bullet' to solve the personnel crisis, but he would like to see the military be less risk-averse, something the CAF, like most government institutions, has struggled with. 'The secret to success is the willingness to experiment, to try new things. If it doesn't work well, fine. Learn from it. If it does, take it up to scale,' Eyre said. 'We've got to keep our foot on the gas…. We've got to get as many qualified members of Canadian society in the door as quickly as possible.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Leaked Canadian military report shows many new recruits are quickly leaving
The Canadian military insists it's getting a handle on its recruiting crisis, but a new leaked internal report obtained by CBC News suggests many of those who come through the door quickly leave in frustration over the inability to get trained and into the job they want. In addition, the effort to retain experienced soldiers, sailors and aircrew was dealt an important blow recently when a Department of National Defence office — set up to find ways to keep people — was defunded. The struggle to recruit new members to both the regular and the reserve force has been a major preoccupation as the Canadian Armed Forces face a shortage of up to 14,000 qualified personnel. But the flip side of the equation — that has gotten less attention — is the effort to hold on to people, especially in critical technical trades. According to the evaluation obtained by CBC News, the military's biggest retention problem appears to be among those who've just joined. Trouble adjusting and getting trained "The highest attrition rates within the [Canadian Armed Forces] CAF are observed among its lowest ranks and newest members," said the report, which pointed to the 2023-24 fiscal year where 9.4 per cent of newly enrolled members quit, as opposed to 4.3 per cent average across all of the CAF. The reason new members are quitting: Training delays and difficulty adjusting to military life. In some cases, recruits are waiting over 206 days for training — notably in specialized trades. "There are insufficient trainers, equipment, training facilities and other supports to meet training targets effectively," said the report, written in April 2025. "This leads to delays which significantly frustrate [new] members, who often face months of underemployment." Defence researcher Charlotte Duval-Lantoine said the Defence Department seems to be approaching the crisis in a linear, one-step-at-a-time fashion — fix recruiting, then fix the training system. "When you're sitting like a lame duck, waiting for your training, your morale can wane very quickly," said Duval-Lantoine, vice-president at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. "We really need to change the way that we talk about the current state of personnel. We cannot talk just in pure numbers. We really need to talk about it in terms of how many people are actively doing their job today." During a media availability last winter to trumpet the military's plan to boost recruiting, the country's top military commander, Gen. Jennie Carignan, acknowledged training was an issue. She said efforts were being made to improve basic training, the step ahead of trades training, which is at the heart of the retention issue. "There's no point in recruiting if you're not retaining people," Carignan said. Similarly, the commander of military personnel, Lt.-Gen. Lise Bourgon, said they're trying to get around the training bottleneck with outside partnerships. "There's a great partnership being done with community college and other academic institutions in Canada so that we can use the civilian capacity," Bourgon said, noting that some pre-qualification can be done in the civilian years ago, the military took a stab at addressing the issue of keeping people in uniform with a 90-page strategy document. As part of that plan, the chief of the defence staff, now-retired general Wayne Eryre, set up a program office to collect data and analysis and provide guidance for senior leaders on how best to keep members from leaving. The evaluation report, obtained by CBC News, said retention efforts of the military's top commanders had made little progress, partly because of the "limited awareness" of the strategy introduced by Eyre and former defence minister Anita Anand. "This issue was exacerbated by the defunding of the Retention Program Office, which was responsible for managing the [senior leaders'] tasks outlined in the strategy," said the evaluation. The Defence Department was asked why the office, which was also tasked to conduct research on the reasons members choose to quit, was defunded and whether it related to the Liberal government's internal budget reallocation exercise. In a statement late Thursday night, the department acknowledged the office had been shut down and that "its finances and staff were reassigned to support overarching Canadian Armed Forces reconstitution efforts." The department insisted its overall retention strategy is still in effect and that its available resources have not changed. Follow-through questioned Last year, the government of former prime minister Justin Trudeau ordered National Defence to find $810 million in savings — money that could be pumped back into equipment purchases. Federal estimates said the DND was then expected to find $851 million in savings in the 2025-26 budget year and $907 million thereafter. Duval-Lantoine said that follows a typical pattern. The Defence Department comes up with all of these plans and either never follows through, or doesn't support them. "It's appalling to see personnel [policy] pieces being defended in what the military called the reconstitution era," said Duval-Lantoine. "Since 2022, we've been hearing that personnel issues are a priority for the Canadian Armed Forces. But then when we look down the line, the military is not putting its money where its mouth is." In exit interviews, the departing members talk about the "challenges related to high operational tempo, lack of equipment, training and leadership direction." One of the biggest complaints of new members who are leaving is that they believe senior commanders have the wrong priorities. "Interview evidence shows that there is a perception leadership is prioritizing culture change over critical operational needs like ammunition and equipment," said the evaluation. Similarly, the report found that little effort is made to hold on to highly experienced members who are close to retirement, but might be enticed to stay. "Many have had multiple geographic postings, and feel 'tired and broken,'" the evaluation said. "It was noted that pension-eligible members have done their part to serve the country and therefore there are no strong attempts made to retain them." One bright spot, according to evaluation, is the Naval Experience Program (NEP), which allows recruits to join for a year on a trial basis. It has, according to the report, reduced initial dissatisfaction. "Early data shows that this initiative has had positive effects, allowing some recruits to transfer to another element after initially joining the Royal Canadian Navy."
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Leaked Canadian military report shows many new recruits are quickly leaving
The Canadian military insists it's getting a handle on its recruiting crisis, but a new leaked internal report obtained by CBC News suggests many of those who come through the door quickly leave in frustration over the inability to get trained and into the job they want. In addition, the effort to retain experienced soldiers, sailors and aircrew was dealt an important blow recently when a Department of National Defence office — set up to find ways to keep people — was defunded. The struggle to recruit new members to both the regular and the reserve force has been a major preoccupation as the Canadian Armed Forces face a shortage of up to 14,000 qualified personnel. But the flip side of the equation — that has gotten less attention — is the effort to hold on to people, especially in critical technical trades. According to the evaluation obtained by CBC News, the military's biggest retention problem appears to be among those who've just joined. Trouble adjusting and getting trained "The highest attrition rates within the [Canadian Armed Forces] CAF are observed among its lowest ranks and newest members," said the report, which pointed to the 2023-24 fiscal year where 9.4 per cent of newly enrolled members quit, as opposed to 4.3 per cent average across all of the CAF. The reason new members are quitting: Training delays and difficulty adjusting to military life. In some cases, recruits are waiting over 206 days for training — notably in specialized trades. "There are insufficient trainers, equipment, training facilities and other supports to meet training targets effectively," said the report, written in April 2025. "This leads to delays which significantly frustrate [new] members, who often face months of underemployment." Defence researcher Charlotte Duval-Lantoine said the Defence Department seems to be approaching the crisis in a linear, one-step-at-a-time fashion — fix recruiting, then fix the training system. "When you're sitting like a lame duck, waiting for your training, your morale can wane very quickly," said Duval-Lantoine, vice-president at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. "We really need to change the way that we talk about the current state of personnel. We cannot talk just in pure numbers. We really need to talk about it in terms of how many people are actively doing their job today." During a media availability last winter to trumpet the military's plan to boost recruiting, the country's top military commander, Gen. Jennie Carignan, acknowledged training was an issue. She said efforts were being made to improve basic training, the step ahead of trades training, which is at the heart of the retention issue. "There's no point in recruiting if you're not retaining people," Carignan said. Similarly, the commander of military personnel, Lt.-Gen. Lise Bourgon, said they're trying to get around the training bottleneck with outside partnerships. "There's a great partnership being done with community college and other academic institutions in Canada so that we can use the civilian capacity," Bourgon said, noting that some pre-qualification can be done in the civilian years ago, the military took a stab at addressing the issue of keeping people in uniform with a 90-page strategy document. As part of that plan, the chief of the defence staff, now-retired general Wayne Eryre, set up a program office to collect data and analysis and provide guidance for senior leaders on how best to keep members from leaving. The evaluation report, obtained by CBC News, said retention efforts of the military's top commanders had made little progress, partly because of the "limited awareness" of the strategy introduced by Eyre and former defence minister Anita Anand. "This issue was exacerbated by the defunding of the Retention Program Office, which was responsible for managing the [senior leaders'] tasks outlined in the strategy," said the evaluation. The Defence Department was asked why the office, which was also tasked to conduct research on the reasons members choose to quit, was defunded and whether it related to the Liberal government's internal budget reallocation exercise. In a statement late Thursday night, the department acknowledged the office had been shut down and that "its finances and staff were reassigned to support overarching Canadian Armed Forces reconstitution efforts." The department insisted its overall retention strategy is still in effect and that its available resources have not changed. Follow-through questioned Last year, the government of former prime minister Justin Trudeau ordered National Defence to find $810 million in savings — money that could be pumped back into equipment purchases. Federal estimates said the DND was then expected to find $851 million in savings in the 2025-26 budget year and $907 million thereafter. Duval-Lantoine said that follows a typical pattern. The Defence Department comes up with all of these plans and either never follows through, or doesn't support them. "It's appalling to see personnel [policy] pieces being defended in what the military called the reconstitution era," said Duval-Lantoine. "Since 2022, we've been hearing that personnel issues are a priority for the Canadian Armed Forces. But then when we look down the line, the military is not putting its money where its mouth is." In exit interviews, the departing members talk about the "challenges related to high operational tempo, lack of equipment, training and leadership direction." One of the biggest complaints of new members who are leaving is that they believe senior commanders have the wrong priorities. "Interview evidence shows that there is a perception leadership is prioritizing culture change over critical operational needs like ammunition and equipment," said the evaluation. Similarly, the report found that little effort is made to hold on to highly experienced members who are close to retirement, but might be enticed to stay. "Many have had multiple geographic postings, and feel 'tired and broken,'" the evaluation said. "It was noted that pension-eligible members have done their part to serve the country and therefore there are no strong attempts made to retain them." One bright spot, according to evaluation, is the Naval Experience Program (NEP), which allows recruits to join for a year on a trial basis. It has, according to the report, reduced initial dissatisfaction. "Early data shows that this initiative has had positive effects, allowing some recruits to transfer to another element after initially joining the Royal Canadian Navy."
