Faced with the proliferation of armed conflicts on a global scale, the new Chief of the Canadian Defense Staff, Jennie Carignan, intends to rebuild the strength of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) within the next five years.
The new leader, originally from Val-des-Sources, appeared Thursday in Ottawa before a National Defense committee for the first time since her appointment. On July 18, she became the very first woman to become Chief of Defense Staff.
The war in Ukraine, the conflicts in the Middle East as well as the threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan require a rapid reconstruction of FAC personnel in order to be ready to intervene, she argued to elected officials.
“Although we have benefited from our geography in the past, the situation is changing. We must now transform our Armed Forces to face growing global threats and support our partners,” she explained in opening remarks.
The army has been grappling with a significant shortage of soldiers for several years. Earlier this year, a document obtained by CBC News revealed that only 58 per cent of the CAF would be able to respond to a crisis if called upon by NATO allies.
“We must focus on the three Rs: recruitment, retention and preparation (readiness). We must ensure that our forces are back to full strength within five years. It’s absolutely essential,” insisted M.me Carignan.
Approximately 15,000 FAC positions are still vacant at present, or 16% of the workforce, National Defense confirmed to Duty.
There is a shortage of 7,878 members in the Regular Forces, which includes units and individuals employed full-time as military personnel. There is also a shortage of 7,112 members in the Primary Reserve, largely made up of people who join the Armed Forces part-time.
Earlier this year, Federal Defense Minister Bill Blair described recruitment difficulties as a “deadly spiral”, noting that more members are leaving the military than joining.
General Carignan indicated that she had set a target of 6,400 recruits for this year. “These figures project that we will return to full capacity within the next five years, also taking into account attrition,” she said.
Currently, 2400 people out of the target of 6400 have been recruited.
Relax the criteria
Asked by a deputy about the rejection of candidates with a diagnosis of anxiety, asthma, attention deficit disorder or allergies, General Carignan agreed that the selection criteria must be reviewed and relaxed.
“Medical standards are being revised. Today’s diagnostic tools are much more sophisticated than they were 30, 40 or 50 years ago. This highlights the need to modernize our standards to ensure we recruit Canadians fit for service,” she responded.
The defense policy update, published earlier this year, also provides for easing measures for recruitment, including the introduction of a probationary period to speed up registrations and reduction of time to obtain authorizations security for new recruits to take up their positions.
Minister Blair recognized a few months ago that security screening processes, which can be lengthy, do not need to be carried out “from day one”.
The long delays in taking up positions have often been criticized in the past, with some members having to wait up to two years before having their file processed.
Greater recourse to permanent residents, who can apply for the FAC since 2022, will also make it possible to rebuild the workforce, believes General Carignan. Only a handful of the 21,000 applications from permanent residents were accepted in the first year of eligibility.
“Diversity only increases operational efficiency. […] We cannot continue to bring the same people around the table. We need to adopt new approaches if we are to overcome the complex challenges of today and tomorrow,” she said.
General Carignan replaces General Wayne Eyre, the current Chief of Defense Staff, who announced at the beginning of the year his retirement from the Canadian Armed Forces after 40 years of service.