The Commander of the Canadian Armed Forces is calling on the entire country to rally behind the military at a time of unprecedented personnel shortages — a problem that could ultimately affect his ability to carry out his activities.
General Wayne Eyre explains that overseas deployments and operations in Canada are more complex now due to the lack of available resources.
“We must defend our way of life, both now and for the future”, argued the Chief of the Defense Staff in an interview with The Canadian Press, at a time when the army is increasingly called upon for operations in Canada and abroad.
“So, we need a national effort to help us bring our Armed Forces back to where they need to be to face the dangerous world ahead of us. »
The army is currently struggling to fill its approximately 10,000 posted positions, which represents about 10% of the total workforce. Earlier this month, the chief of staff ordered his troops to make recruitment a priority, to the detriment of other activities deemed non-essential.
The last few years have been difficult in terms of recruiting, in part due to allegations of sexual misconduct that have targeted several senior army officers and a labor shortage that affects the whole of society.
“We need to rebuild the Canadian Armed Forces; our numbers must increase, General Eyre decided. And we have to have that sense of urgency, because [la pénurie de personnel] undermines our ability to intervene anywhere in the world. »
Many obstacles
The military doesn’t seem to have a clear answer to why Canadians aren’t flocking to its recruiting centers, or why many of its members are choosing to desert.
Its retention strategy instead highlights the need to collect more data on departures, while Mr. Eyre insisted that military officers are not the only ones struggling in their recruitment efforts.
But the army faces specific problems, including its reputation, tarnished by allegations of sexual misconduct involving senior members of the hierarchy and the presence of members of far-right groups in its ranks.
The remoteness of certain military bases is not to be neglected either, according to General Eyre.
“We won’t lie to each other: Petawawa is not like downtown Toronto, or even downtown Ottawa, illustrated the Chief of Staff. Except that to ensure optimal coverage, we need to have personnel in Cold Lake, Bagotville and near both oceans. »
“So it’s a challenge for us to find ways to make these destinations attractive,” Eyre said.
Lack of enthusiasm
In addition to these various obstacles, the army must also consider another factor. According to a survey conducted earlier this year for the Department of National Defence, many Canadians are ruling out the possibility of enlisting.
“When asked if they were considering joining the Canadian Armed Forces, young men were more likely than young women to say yes, but overall less than half of the groups indicated that ‘they would,’ reads the poll’s summary.
“Both male and female respondents said they were resistant to the idea of leaving their family and/or moving frequently, which would also force them to leave their family. »
Most of these recruiting pitfalls are not new, so many commanders have had to find solutions to these problems.
For his part, to make up for the accumulated delay, General Eyre is counting on an overhaul of the army’s code of conduct, better representation of diversity, as well as financial support programs.
“It didn’t all fall apart and we didn’t lose our operational efficiency overnight,” Eyre said. He pointed out that the new dress code is more inclusive, and also allows long hair, nail polish and face tattoos for the first time.
“I am more concerned about these issues [pour les recrues] : Can they fight? Are they in good shape? Are they following orders? »
General Eyre opened the door to other changes, such as allowing more remote working and relaxing the requirement that members must be physically capable of performing their duties and deploying on missions at all times as conditions of employment.
It is also working to ensure that members of the army have the financial means to live adequately, in particular by improving the allowance intended to offset the costs of living in more expensive communities, which has been frozen since 2009.
But at the end of the day, the general reminds us that he needs the support of the whole country, and that people must recognize the importance of the role of the army.
“It’s not just the Canadian Armed Forces that have to worry about army recruiting,” he said.