Can new recruitment measures halt the Canadian Forces’ ‘death spiral’?
They come from as far afield as Comox, B.C., Grande Prairie, Alta., and Guelph, Ont.
Once strangers, these new Canadian Armed Forces recruits are now seldom more than a few metres from one another — eating, sleeping and exercising as a unit — all part of the bonding process designed to create the soldiers, sailors and airmen (and women) of tomorrow.
They’re among the first cohort to pass through Basic Military Qualification, or basic training, under new guidelines aimed at removing hurdles and boosting numbers — changes the Department of National Defence (DND) hopes will solve a personnel crisis that Defence Minister Bill Blair called a “death spiral” for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
CBC photographer Evan Mitsui spent a week at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School (CFLRS), in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., documenting recruits going through various weeks of the nine-week-long basic training course.
Standing at attention, recruits not yet fitted for their uniforms begin their first week at Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School (CFLRS), in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., on April 30. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) Pte.-recruit Ashton Fields gets a buzz cut, which is no longer required under updated grooming regulations, at the CFLRS barbershop during Week 1. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) Carrying duffles full of kit, new recruits make their way to the ‘Mega,’ a massive dormitory and classroom complex in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu where, since 1979, the CFLRS has been based and where nearly all recruits begin their military journey. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) A double rarity
“There are a lot of physical challenges, but when your body wants to give up, keep pushing. You learn you’re a lot stronger than you think you are,” said Jersey Jablonski, 21, a newly minted aviator from Winnipeg.
A woman and the first in her family to enlist, Jablonski represents a double rarity in the Forces, which has historically seen sons following fathers into military service, though that is changing slowly.
Nearly half of applicants asked to participate in a 2022 survey indicated having family members who were former or current members, according to the DND. In 2022-23, of the 5,242 individuals accepted into the regular Forces and primary reserve, about 17 per cent were women — a high point in female representation over the past 10 years.
There are roughly 68,000 regular members and 27,000 reserves currently serving in the CAF. But those numbers include people on leave, new parents and other non-combat-ready personnel — far short of what Blair says the Forces need if called upon to fight.
While DND stats show the total number of women in the Forces has stayed relatively the same for the past decade, there’s a greater upward trend for representation of racialized people, which has gone from six per cent in fiscal 2015 to 12 per cent in fiscal 2024.
Jablonski is in a proud minority at the “Mega,” a massive dormitory and classroom complex in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, where, since 1979, the CFLRS has been based and where nearly all recruits begin their military journey.
“To the women thinking of joining, go for it. You make a lot of connections. You go through hardships but you become family,” said Jablonski, who graduated with her cohort on May 2.
Pte. Jersey Jablonski, 21, receives the award for best athlete during a ceremony marking the end of basic military training at the CFLRS, on May 2. She says her next step is a posting at CFB Borden to train as a firefighter and, she hopes, a career in search and rescue. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) Back to basic
Basic Military Qualification is the first step to a career in the Forces. Everyone from cooks to aircraft mechanics goes through it. The thinking is, “soldier first, trade second,” said Sgt. P.A. Simard, an instructor at CFLRS, where the nine weeks of basic training are held.
“It’s not like the movies. We aren’t mean and yelling all the time. I mean, we can be hard-asses but we also try to be polite. Professional,” Simard said.
Instructors curse, but it’s not directed at any individual. Push-ups are doled out less as punishment and more as a team-building exercise. It’s camaraderie through collective suffering, much like bivouacking in the rain (that’s Week 5).
“It’s not very long — two months — to change someone, but when you’re here, you’re not going to fall between the tracks or be left alone. You’re going to be taken care of by the best,” Simard said.
Questions are encouraged and recruit-to-instructor ratios are manageable. A weapons handling class for recruits in Week 4 had 12 recruits and two instructors. There were 30 recruits in a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons (CBRN) attack session with two instructors, while a rappelling course had 26 with five instructors.
Recruits in Week 7 listen to an instructor during a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons (CBRN) defence class. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) The new boot camp
Jablonski is also among the first cohort of recruits to enlist under a new hiring paradigm that includes the removal of some perceived barriers, such as test anxiety.
A trial, new as of December 2023, is also underway that de-emphasized the once-standard written aptitude test for those wishing to enter certain in-demand trades, such as medical officer, gunner, cook and line technician, to name a few.
But successful applicants to these trades will still take the test during basic training, rather than at the recruiting office — though the results are kept only for statistical analysis, according to the DND.
Recruits simulate battle tactics during basic training. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) Making military life more appealing
In April, the federal government released its latest defence strategy, with the promise of an increase in military spending of $8.1 billion over the next five years and $73 billion over the next 20 years.
That would take Canada’s investment in defence from 1.33 per cent of GDP to 1.76 per cent, inching closer to the two per cent called for by NATO. Canada is a founding member of the military alliance.
The strategy, packaged under the title Our North, Strong and Free, identifies two core objectives: “strengthen the foundations of the CAF and acquire new capabilities to deal with new threats.”
The strategy includes an emphasis on northern sovereignty, as well as a commitment to build and repair staff housing and $100 million over five years to improve child care access on bases across the country.
Recent changes to the military dress code (painted nails, tattoos, haircuts and gender neutral uniforms) are also part of a plan to make a military life more appealing to today’s would-be soldier.
Time will tell if the strategy works in filling a projected shortfall of around 16,500 personnel, as well as a readiness gap an internal DND presentation points to, which says that only 58 per cent of the military would be able to respond if called upon tomorrow by NATO.
When it comes to staffing up, Canadians’ willingness to serve does not appear to be the bottleneck. The most recent DND figures indicate that over 67,000 applications were submitted to the Forces over the past year, representing a five-year high. Of that number, fewer than 4,000 have been accepted, according to information tabled in Parliament.
The DND says the backlog is, in part, due to lengthy security checks necessary for permanent residents, who have been allowed to sign up since 2022. The new defence policy does not foresee the military hitting its target of 71,000 regular and 30,000 reserve forces, its full authorized strength, until 2032.
Top image: Evan Mitsui/CBC | Editing and layout by photo editor Showwei Chu
About the Author
Evan Mitsui Evan Mitsui is a photographer and journalist with CBC News. He has taken photos of some of the most prolific newsmakers in Canada, has covered major news events across the country and is a passionate advocate for photojournalism.
