Re: Canadian Forces Recruitment

by **Luxray** Sun 21 Feb 2021, 9:02 pm

Canadian Forces targets recruitment in Toronto

Kevin Connor
Publishing date: Feb 21, 2021

The Canadian Forces will be holding a virtual recruiting event to attract youth in the northwest part of Toronto to sign up for duty.

The March 3 event will target recruitment in the Jane-Finch and Humber Black Creek communities.

Youth will have the opportunity to explore career options in the military during a virtual session designed for those living in the area of the Downsview Airbase and Denison Armoury.

The online event is set for March 3 at 4 p.m. and is being called Make Your Future and aims to help young people potentially identify a career path.

“In addition to the traditional career path of joining the Canadian Armed Forces after high school or after university, we want young people to know there are opportunities for them to join the CAF through a co-op program while they are still in high school. In this program they can earn high school credits and a paycheck while they are training,” said Lt(N) Victoria Shortridge, of the Canadian Forces recruiting group.

The Jane-Finch area has lots of young people looking for great career options, said Mark Tenaglia, chairman of Make Your Future, which has been working since 2018 to bring young people and employers together using school-based career fairs and events.

“COVID-19 forced us to suspend our in-person events, but it has made us more aware of opportunities for virtual events like this one, which actually has the potential to reach even more young people across a wider area during this time,” says Tenaglia.

Interested individuals can register online.

https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/canadian-forces-targets-recruitment-in-toronto

by **Stargunner** Tue 23 Mar 2021, 3:47 pm

Canadian Armed Forces facing recruiting challenges, still prioritizing diversity, says acting chief of defence staff

Acting Chief of the Defence Staff Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre said on Tuesday before House of Commons’ Status of Women committee that the Canadian Forces are facing recruiting challenges due to the pandemic but are “still very much prioritizing diversity” and asked MPs to reach out to their constituents and help the military in recruiting more diverse members.

https://globalnews.ca/video/7714025/canadian-armed-forces-facing-recruiting-challenges-still-prioritizing-diversity-says-acting-chief-of-defence-staff

by **Forcell** Sat 29 May 2021, 11:59 am

Kurl: Crisis in Canada's military could
make recruitment even harder

Even those with close ties to our armed forces view
allegations against top brass as a reflection of a
'systemic problem' in the way the institution handles
sexual assault cases.

Shachi Kurl
Publishing date: May 28, 2021

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/kurl-crisis-in-canadas-military-could-make-recruitment-even-harder?fbclid=IwAR0sOXtgLaXd8jTULv19YAFXZMND2Zst1nT7rIHi12IDuqAfXqUhyINJ8uw

by RanMerison Thu 30 Sep 2021, 9:23 pm

Military planning women recruitment ads amid sexual misconduct reports

By Stephanie Taylor The Canadian Press
Posted September 30, 2021

https://globalnews.ca/news/8234072/canada-military-women-ads/

by Dolland Tue 26 Oct 2021, 9:25 am

Eyre blames sexual misconduct crisis, pandemic for shrinking military

Eyre told a conference the Canadian Armed Forces is short 7,500 people

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Oct 26, 2021

Canadian Forces Recruitment - Page 3 Army-command-20190820

CBC News

by **Spider** Mon 22 Nov 2021, 9:58 am

Canadian Forces top-heavy with generals as rank and file shrinks

Other forces have a much leaner structure. The U.S. Marine Corps has 180,000 active personnel commanded by a maximum of 62 generals.

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date:Nov 22, 2021

Defence Watch

by Callvery Thu 30 Dec 2021, 2:52 pm

Canadian navy needs to recruit 1,000 sailors to crew new warships: Commander

Published Thursday, December 30, 2021

Canadian Forces Recruitment - Page 3 Image

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadian-navy-needs-to-recruit-1-000-sailors-to-crew-new-warships-commander-1.5723427

by **Replica** Fri 11 Mar 2022, 6:46 am

Canadian military pivoting to digital recruitment push amid challenges: vice-chief

By Marie Woolf The Canadian Press
Posted March 10, 2022

The vice-chief of Canada’s defence staff says the military is embarking on a digital recruitment drive to build up numbers.

Lt.-Gen. Frances Allen told an international defence conference in Ottawa that a priority was to build back Canadian Armed Forces capacity.

In order to do that it, Allen said leaders are addressing “many flaws” with the recruiting process.

Recruitment will be more digitally based and designed to quickly engage with people who have expressed an interest in the Armed Forces, Allen said.

She added the recruitment drive will focus on the skills Canada’s Armed Forces need, and retaining existing members is also important.

Allen says a culture change is ongoing, which will allow people to “be their best” without feeling they are “an outsider” or “an other.”

Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of the defence staff, will speak later on Thursday at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute event, as will Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarus’s exiled opposition leader.

Tsikhanouskaya claimed a first-round victory over Alexander Lukashenko in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election after she stood in the place of her husband, who had been detained.

She disputed the eventual election of Lukashenko, who is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He has allowed Belarus to be a staging post for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, letting Russian troops amass along the border.

Global News

by Lux4795 Sat 12 Mar 2022, 4:06 pm

'We've got to grow': Anand says CAF must recruit more troops amid heightened global uncertainty

Published Friday, March 11, 2022

OTTAWA -- National Defence Minister Anita Anand says there is an urgent need to attract more Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel amid a “clear and present” danger to the rules based international order.

“We’ve got to grow this thing,” she said at an Ottawa-based defence conference on Friday. “And I’m going to do everything I can with General [Wayne] Eyre and the broader defence team to make sure that happens.”

The defence minister spoke about Russia’s ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and how the events of the past two weeks have triggered reflections about how Canada should re-envision its defence strategy.

“Time is of the essence in everything we do when so much is at stake for Canada and for the world. We are facing the greatest threat to international peace and stability since the end of the Second World War,” she told the crowd.

“What can a country like ours, an incredible country like ours, bring to the table?”

Bringing more to the table, though, requires a more expansive Armed Forces, Anand said. A significant component of this objective is recruitment.

“We’ve got to make sure that members of the Canadian public who are deciding how they’re going to spend their lives see the Canadian Armed Forces as a viable option for them,” she said.

“We have to have institutions where all Canadians see themselves as playing a part and that means having institutions where discrimination and sexual harassment and other forms of unfair treatment are not present.”

The Canadian military spent most of 2021 grappling with sexual misconduct investigations involving some of its highest-ranking members, deepening the call for a complete internal culture shift.

The revolving door of senior officers stepping down or stepping aside stirred up criticism not only of the leadership of the CAF, but also of the federal government for not taking action to protect victims.

In light of concerns of a tarnished reporting system, a second external review is currently underway to put forward “concrete recommendations” to establish a more independent structure. It’s not unlike the mandate of the review led by Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps in 2015.

In December, Anand, alongside deputy minister Jody Thomas and the chief of the defence staff, acknowledged successive governments had failed to protect those who willingly signed up to protect Canada.

Anand on Friday reiterated that one of her top priorities as defence minister is to build a durable CAF that won’t waver under new leadership.

“What I really think I must do is to put in place institutional change to ensure that those institutions have the longevity that survives changes in leadership,” she said.

CTV News

by **Zoneforce** Wed 23 Mar 2022, 5:27 pm

With recruitment lagging, Canadian military preparing new ethos, dress code

Published Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) leadership says it hopes a new military ethos and dress code refresh will help address a much-needed culture shift as it struggles to recruit more diverse personnel.

During a technical briefing on recent initiatives and future plans taken by the Department of National Defence to address the military’s culture, officials said lack of diversity in the ranks is affecting readiness and the situation requires serious attention.

“The reality is that the Canadian workforce has changed but we, the CAF, have not. Seventy-one per cent of the CAF workforce are still white males, although they only represent 39 per cent of the Canadian civilian workforce,” said Maj.-Gen. Lise Bourgon, acting chief of military personnel, on Wednesday.

“So as an organization, we must attract, recruit, retain and develop talent that is representative of our Canadian society.”

To achieve this goal, Bourgon said the new “trusted to serve” ethos will emphasize character as being critically important, while including inclusion as a military value and teamwork as a professional expectation.

Also soon to be released is a new gender-neutral dress code for military personnel.

“We've heard from our members that the existing dress instructions were not inclusive, and did not allow our members to represent their authentic selves while in uniform,” said Bourgon.

The CAF will give members options regarding their appearance while following safety and operational effectiveness guidelines.

“Professional skills and competence are not defined by the length or the colour of your hair. So this will be the first visual display of our culture and honestly a very clear signal that the CAF is evolving into a more inclusive organization,” Bourgon said.

Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan, chief of professional conduct and culture, cited COVID-19 and the unearthing of repeated instances of sexual misconduct over the last several years as reasons for low recruitment levels, specifically when it comes to women, Indigenous Peoples, and visible minorities.

While the Forces has a goal of reaching 25.1 per cent of women recruits, in 2021 that figure stood at 15 per cent.

The CAF achieved slightly more than 40 per cent of its total intake target in 2020-2021 and is tracking to meet approximately 75 per cent of its target in 2021-2022.

Officials said that as far as “trained, effective strength” goes, the CAF is 7,600 people short as of Feb. 15.

“[We are trying] to make sure that we, through our soon-to-be-published retention strategy, will have the ability to measure the causes of attrition, what causes unhealthy attrition specifically, and why people are leaving… this is, of course, a number one priority for all of us, ensuring that readiness is not affected,” said Brig.-Gen. Simon Bernard.

Defence Minister Anita Anand said one of her primary goals at the helm is to build the base.

This comes as NATO leaders consider long-term deployments in Eastern Europe as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the Canadian government faces increased pressure to boost its share of defence spending to two per cent of Canada’s GDP.

CTV News

by Covert Thu 24 Mar 2022, 8:14 am

Canadian military reports sagging recruitment as NATO ramps up deployment in eastern Europe

Ashley Burke · CBC News · Posted: Mar 23, 2022

Canadian Forces Recruitment - Page 3 Russia-ukraine-war

Canada's military reports that it's roughly 7,600 members short of full strength — just as NATO is deploying more troops to eastern Europe in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The latest figure was recorded on Feb. 15 and shows a major shortfall in what the military calls its "trained, effective strength." The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has roughly 65,000 regular members.

"This is of course a number one priority for all of us, ensuring readiness is not affected by our current trained, effective strength," said Brig.-Gen. Simon Bernard, the military's lead on reconstituting the forces.

Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of defence staff, said earlier this month that operational readiness is "one of the things that keeps me awake at night" as he laid out his plans to rebuild the military for an "increasingly dangerous future."

NATO's Sec. Gen. Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday the alliance is deploying four more battle groups to Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria as a show of unity and force in the face of Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine. NATO leaders are expected to discuss whether to make that deployment permanent when they meet in Brussels on Thursday.

A 'significant' shortfall

David Perry, the president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said CAF's membership shortfall is "significant."

"[The military] always put the highest priority on operational commitments, including NATO, so the short-term impacts will probably be low," said Perry. "But if we can't quickly fix that shortfall, it will impact what we can commit to NATO in the medium and long term."

Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus, vice-chair of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association, said the shortfall is a "huge problem" and raises questions about Canada's ability to deploy the 3,400 military personnel now on standby to join NATO's high-readiness force.

"I think the government needs to change things quickly," said Hus. "We need to recruit."

The military has seen a drop in numbers during the pandemic and over the course of its recent sexual misconduct crisis. Multiple senior male leaders have been sidelined, investigated or forced into retirement in connection with sexual misconduct claims.

The military said it does not yet know how many members have left in response to sexual misconduct claims.

Drop in female recruits

Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan was appointed the military's chief of professional conduct and culture a year ago. She gave a briefing Wednesday with acting chief of military personnel Maj.-Gen. Lise Bourgon.

"We've seen an impact, sadly. I wish I could tell you that we've not, but we've seen an impact, and we need to work on that," Bourgon said of the effect of sexual misconduct allegations on recruitment and retention.

Bourgon said 71 per cent of the military's workforce is made up of "white males."

"The bottom line ... is that diversity enhances readiness and, in turn, our operational effectiveness," Bourgon said.

"So as an organization, we must attract, recruit, retain and develop talent that is representative of our Canadian society. The situation requires serious attention and clear leadership."

Women, minority groups and Indigenous members "continue to be under-represented" in the military, she said.

Only 631 women enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in the 2021-2022 fiscal year — roughly 15 per cent of all new recruits into the regular forces. The number of women who enrolled over the year is the lowest recorded since 2015-2016 and represents a 10 per cent drop from the previous fiscal year.

In 2016, the military committed to increasing the number of women in uniform and is striving to reach the goal of 25 per cent of all military personnel by 2026. As of last month, women accounted for just over 16 per cent of the Canadian Armed Forces, CAF said.

CAF said it's taking steps to diversify the forces. It said it's adopting a gender-neutral dress code and relaxing rules banning long hair and hair dyed in bright colours.

"It's going to be the first visual change of our culture change," said Bourgon. "We can't define our soldiers by short hair anymore. The colour and the length of the hair does not define your quality as a soldier, an aviator, and a sailor. So this is going to be a big departure."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-armed-forces-staff-shortfall-1.6395131

by **Spider** Mon 28 Mar 2022, 9:39 am

As the military struggles with recruitment, Atlantic Canada answers the call

Terry Roberts · CBC News · Posted: Mar 28, 2022

Canadian Forces Recruitment - Page 3 Nick-barfett-portrait

CBC News

by **Spider** Thu 28 Apr 2022, 9:54 am

Majority of Canadians have no interest in joining the military, DND poll shows

The poll also indicates Canadians have limited detailed knowledge of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Apr 28, 2022

The majority of Canadians don’t see the military as an organization they would want to join, according to a new opinion poll delivered to the Department of National Defence.

The results reveal a public that has little knowledge of the Royal Canadian Air Force as well as little inclination to join any type of military service.

The poll results, delivered in March, indicate more bad news for a military that is already having trouble recruiting.

Fifty-eight per cent of those polled said they were not at all likely to join the RCAF, while 21 per cent indicated they were not very likely. For the Canadian Army, those numbers were similar: 57 per cent responded they were not at all likely to join and 22 per cent indicated they were not very likely to sign up. The Royal Canadian Navy was the least likely service to interest Canadians; 61 per cent said they were not at all likely to join, and 22 per cent said they were not very likely.

The poll was conducted in January and February using an online survey of 3,075 Canadians. The research was done to support planning for the RCAF’s 100th anniversary in 2024.

The poll also indicates Canadians have limited detailed knowledge of the RCAF. For instance, most of those surveyed had trouble identifying the RCAF logo. Although three-quarters of those polled had seen the logo, only 22 per cent correctly identified the organization it represented. Others believed it was the logo for other organizations such as the Winnipeg Jets, Air Canada, the Canadian Automobile Association, Petro-Canada and Maple Leaf Foods, poll results showed.

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre has voiced concern over the military’s failure to recruit enough personnel. Defence Minister Anita Anand has warned that ongoing sexual misconduct scandals that have rocked the Canadian Forces in recent years have hurt both recruitment and morale in the military.

That conclusion was further reinforced by a new report written for Anand and released Monday.

“Although stories of sexual misconduct within the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces have led the media focus over recent months, sexual misconduct is a symptom of a bigger ailment: a toxic environment within both the military and civilian workplaces,” concluded the report from the Minister of National Defence’s Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism and Discrimination. “Unless it is rapidly reined in and addressed, the impact of this toxicity will linger for years, affecting the reputation of the Defence Team to the point of repulsing Canadians from joining its workforce. Recruitment data suggest that this is already happening.”

The advisory report noted that 71 per cent of the Canadian Forces are white males. Military leaders have acknowledged more effort is needed to entice other Canadians to join the ranks.

In addition, some defence insiders say a recent campaign by analysts and retired senior officers that falsely paints the Canadian Forces as on the verge of collapse hasn’t helped. They say claims being made are not only highly inaccurate, but could also harm recruiting as they portray the Canadian Forces as all but destitute and outfitted with ancient and infective equipment.

Eyre declined to comment on the false claims made by former senior officers or to provide an explanation on why a young person should consider the Canadian military as a career.

However, Department of National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier released a statement noting that Canada needed its armed forces now more than ever. “There is no greater purpose than defending one’s country and fellow Canadians — the best reason to join,” Le Bouthillier said. “As members of the Canadian Armed Forces — be it at home or abroad — they will proudly represent Canada, wearing our nation’s flag on their sleeve as they make a real difference in the world.”

Defence Watch

by Covert Wed 06 Jul 2022, 9:20 am

Canadian Forces Naval Security Team draws curious onlookers during first training and recruiting visit to the Okanagan

GUN BOATS DRAW A CROWD

Cindy White - Jul 6, 2022

They attracted a curious crowd as they pulled up to the dock at the Kelowna marina.

The Canadian Forces Naval Security Team has arrived in the Okanagan for training exercises.

It’s the first time they’ve come to Okanagan Lake for manoeuvres, packing up 19 personnel and three 30-foot Defender pontoon boats and transporting them here from CFB Esquimalt.

“It’s a combination of navigation training. We’re also training up some more personnel so that they can be even more comfortable with handling of the boats,” said Master Sailor Daniel Cramer.

“And we’re doing a certain amount of tactical movements. Coming up with different formations and cycling different boats into different positions and just seeing how smoothly we can facilitate all those motions.”

The naval security team is also hoping to find some new crew members while they’re in the area. A recruitment booth was set up at the waterfront Wednesday afternoon.

“We’re looking for eager people who like to work hard and have fun doing important work,” said Cramer, who joined the Royal Canadian Navy as a hull technician, before transferring to the security team.

He adds that he would hope that people who have a passion for being around the water would look at how they can do that professionally. He says being a professional sailor is a great time.

The Defenders are equipped with forward-mounted and aft-mounted machine guns, but no ammunition is being used during the training on Okanagan Lake, which offers up a different challenge than their usual operations off the coast of Vancouver Island.

“Out on the ocean, if there’s a spit on land and you want to give it a little bit of room, you can give it a lot of room because you have the entire ocean. Whereas here, you can only get so far from anything without getting closer to something else. It just kind of helps build situational awareness.”

Cramer notes that they will be doing their best not to disrupt other boaters and lake users.

“It would definitely help us with our training if you could also just give us a little bit of space because we are going to be doing some high-speed manoeuvres.”

The Canadian Forces Naval Security Team will also be making stops in Vernon and Penticton during their visit to the Okanagan.

CASTANET

by **Accer** Mon 12 Sep 2022, 1:17 pm

Canada's military will overhaul its recruitment process, general says

In her discussions with Canadian Forces personnel, Maj. Gen. Lise Bourgon noted that top-notch military instructors were critical to improving retention and culture

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Sep 12, 2022

The Canadian military will overhaul its recruitment process to try to speed up and streamline the procedures to bring new blood into the ranks.

Maj. Gen. Lise Bourgon, head of the military personnel branch, fielded questions in mid-July from Canadian Forces members, including concerns that decades ago the recruitment process took only a few months, but now it takes years.

Bourgon said changes were coming, including using more private contractors to handle some tasks in recruitment.

“We have just stood up a Recruitment Modernization Team that will look at a complete re-design of our recruitment process,” she said. “They will also look at contracting activities that don’t need military personnel to complete (screening/medical etc.).”

A transcript of the internal conversations was provided to this newspaper by military personnel concerned about the need for reform in the Canadian Forces, which is facing a recruitment crisis. No timeline was provided on how long it would take to redesign the recruitment process.

Bourgon’s initiative is the result of a directive issued in late June by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre and National Defence deputy minister Bill Matthews. That 49-page document outlined a plan to prepare the military for the future as well as “overcome deficiencies that are hampering the composition and readiness of the Canadian Armed Forces.”

That directive, leaked to this newspaper, noted the need for reconstitution of the armed forces because of ongoing problems the military has had attracting new recruits and retaining skilled personnel. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced recruiting and the failure of military leaders to take care of their personnel has led to retention problems. The sexual misconduct crisis that has engulfed the Canadian Forces has also harmed retention and recruitment, according to the directive.

The directive from Eyre and Matthews noted there had been a “significant loss of experience and expertise with the CAF (Canadian Armed Forces), creating a requirement to recover and rebuild the organization.”

It also stated the military had to “reduce staffing processes and cease activities and tasks that do not directly contribute to the growth of the CAF, operations and modernization.”

In her discussions with Canadian Forces personnel, Bourgon noted that top-notch military instructors were critical to improving retention and culture. “Instructors are the most important people in our Reconstitution effort and our culture change initiative; therefore we have to be careful on who we pick and to ensure that we have the right person,” she explained in the online discussion. “When we talk about retention and people leaving because they went through a bad experience, a lot of cases are linked to training events.”

Some of the directive from Eyre and Matthews focused on the need to improve life for military personnel. Changes are needed to moving and housing policies to enhance retention, the document noted.

Personnel policies also have to be modernized to improve quality of life, which, in turn, will help retain skilled military staff, the directive noted.

The directive for “CAF (Canadian Armed Forces) Reconstitution” was sent out to senior leaders.

Eyre and Matthews noted the “directive will set in motion a significant body of work that will provide direction on the course corrections” that are needed.

“Assess what capabilities and projects can be divested, paused, or re-scoped to generate capacity savings,” Eyre and Matthews told the leaders. “Assess what tasks/capabilities must be retained by Defence and can be transferred from CAF to DND employee or contractor responsibility.”

Getting rid of old capabilities will free up staff and resources to concentrate on bringing in new capabilities. A review of capabilities will allow the military to “reduce/divest capabilities that are nearing end of life and invest in new capabilities that will be coming online,” the document noted.

Defence Watch

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