The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has not turned around its personnel issues with latest figures showing more soldiers are leaving the ranks than are being recruited.
According to information presented in an Inquiry of Ministry in the House of Commons on Jan. 29, and first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter, the CAF recruited 3,026 soldiers in the Regular Force so far in financial year 2023-2024, whereas 3,273 left the organization.
Over the last three years, the Regular Force saw an intake of 12,793 individuals and the release of 15,176, for a gap of 2,383.
The COVID-19 period appears to have taken an especially heavy toll on the force. Recruitment slowed sizeably and hundreds of soldiers left or were kicked out over the CAF-imposed vaccine mandate. In financial year 2020-2021, the Regular Force had an intake of 2,288 personnel and a release of 4,392, for a net loss of 2,383.
The data recently released by the Department of National Defence (DND) covers the period from 2014 to 2024. It shows that while 47,728 members joined the Regular Force over the period, 51,667 were released.
The largest drop of Regular Force personnel in the last decade occurred in financial year 2022-2023, with 6,029 soldiers leaving the ranks.
Data provided by DND shows that the CAF, including also the Primary Reserve, suffered its worst attrition rate in nearly two decades during financial year 2022-2023 with 9.7 percent. It was 9.6 percent in 2008-2009 and 9.5 percent in 2021-2022.
Defence Minister Bill Blair has recently called for a close examination of the recruitment process and the lengthy timeframes involved.
Data provided in the Inquiry of Ministry shows the enlistment process is time-consuming, with the median time to complete enrolment standing at 196 days for the current financial year. It was 109 days in pre-COVID financial year 2019-2020.
This information was revealed as part of an effort initiated in 2018 by the CAF recruiting group to better understand and manage processing times through an analytics system.
The issue was brought to light following a query by Conservative MP Pat Kelly, who inquired about the number of personnel recruited and released from the CAF.
In response to the level of attrition, Mr. Blair has publicly acknowledged the difficulty in balancing the exit and entry of personnel in the military.
“Supporting the Armed Forces in their recruitment and retention efforts, and ensuring we keep the outstanding individuals we already possess, might be my most significant challenge as the newly appointed defence minister,” Mr. Blair said during the Senate Question Period on Nov. 1.
Mr. Blair highlighted the difficulties faced by the military, stating: “The Canadian Armed Forces are confronting a genuine problem. In the past three years, attrition has outpaced recruitment, with more individuals departing the Forces than we have been able to bring in.”
In a briefing note, the CAF recognized that a novel program aimed at recruiting new immigrants with the incentive of accelerated citizenship yielded limited success. According to a note dated Dec. 11, titled “Recruitment of Permanent Residents,” only 77 individuals from abroad were successfully enrolled.
“Between November 1, 2022, and November 24, 2023, the Canadian Armed Forces received 21,472 applications from permanent residents,” the note detailed. “Seventy-seven permanent residents have been enrolled.”
