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Military hits 30-year recruitment high but still falls short in key trades
Officials said 7,310 applicants joined the regular force last year, while training delays and attrition still leave key trades understaffed.
- On Monday, Defence Minister David McGuinty announced the Canadian Armed Forces recruited over 7,000 new members in the past year, a 30-year high, while receiving more than 44,000 applications.
- Higher military pay and eased medical requirements for enlistment drove the surge, reversing the recruitment "death spiral" former Defence Minister Bill Blair warned of in 2024.
- Senior defence officials confirmed Monday that recruitment wait times fell to 134 days from 270, while reserves surpassed their recruiting target by 137 per cent.
- Despite the gains, the military remains 3,600 members short of 2017 policy goals, with McGuinty acknowledging persistent shortages in specific trades like weapons engineer and marine technicians.
- The military set a recruiting goal of 8,200 members for the coming year, though officials conceded they are currently struggling to secure adequate training space for new recruits.
41 Articles
41 Articles
CAF grilled over recruits who lack language skills, don't reach training
The federal government celebrated what it called record recruitment in the Canadian Armed Forces, but parliamentary testimony paints a more complicated picture of lower standards, including recruits who lack basic English and French language abilities.At a meeting of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on Monday, senior officials from the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces were questioned alongside the Office of t…
Canada recruited 7,310 military personnel in 2025, a record in three decades, with increased demands for economy and tension with the U.S., according to Defense.
Canadian Military Boasts Record Recruitment, Boosted by Intake of 1,400 Permanent Residents
Defence officials say the Canadian Armed Forces has recorded its strongest recruitment numbers in 30 years, with permanent residents accounting for roughly one-fifth of all new recruits. The Department of National Defence (DND) says the last fiscal year saw the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) recruit 7,310 new Regular Force members, beating its target by over 350. The CAF had recruited 6,710 new soldiers in fiscal 2024-2025. The development is the …
Military enrolment rebounds, but Canadian Forces still thousands short of 2017 target
A surge in military recruiting pushed regular force enrolment to its highest level in decades, with reserves also beating targets. Yet the Canadian Armed Forces are still thousands below 2017 goals. Faster processing and better pay are helping, but training limits and attrition continue to blunt momentum.
Recruiting into the Canadian Armed Forces reached a 30-year high last year, with 7310 new recruits joining their ranks.
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