As the military struggles with low recruitment numbers, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) announced on Friday that permanent residents will now be able to enrol.
According to the Royal United Services Institute of Nova Scotia, a non-profit organisation of retired and active duty members of the Canadian Armed Forces, permanent residents were previously only qualified under the Skilled Military Foreign Applicant (SMFA) entry programme, which was “open for individuals… that would reduce training costs or fill a special need… such as a trained pilot or a doctor.”
The decision was made five years after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said that they will change their “outdated recruitment process” to enable permanent citizens who have been in Canada for ten years or more to apply.
With just roughly half the candidates it needs each month to reach its target of recruiting 5,900 new members this year, the CAF raised the alarm in September about a serious recruitment shortfall that was preventing it from filling thousands of open posts.
The military hasn’t confirmed if the new action was taken to increase recruiting, but Christian Leuprecht, a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, believes it makes sense.
“Because there were enough candidates in the past, the CAF had the luxury of being able to restrict itself to nationals. Now that this is no longer true, “Informed Leuprecht on Saturday.
The CAF had resisted allowing permanent residents to join the ranks because it would entail extra costs and dangers, such as those related to obtaining security checks.
He argues that many other nations have been doing this for years, so hiring non-citizens is by no means a novel idea.
Since Canadian citizenship is very simple to get for permanent residents, it’s not obvious that would give a significant incentive in the Canadian scenario, he said. “Countries like France use military service as either a gateway to citizenship or an accelerated pathway to citizenship,” he added.
Anita Anand, the national defence minister, stated in March that the CAF must expand to fulfil international demands brought on by Russia’s continuing, unjustified invasion of Ukraine.
“With so much at risk for Canada and the globe, time is of the importance in all we do. Since the end of World War II, we have faced the worst danger to global peace and security, she declared during a news conference.
“What can a country like ours, an incredible country like ours, bring to the table?”
