The Canadian Armed Forces has received more than 21,000 applications from permanent residents eager to join the chronically understaffed force full-time, but CBC News has found that only a few have signed up for the regular army. Fewer than 100 men joined the regular army in the year after it was authorized. Up.
The federal government has lifted a ban on permanent residents from joining the military in 2022 after the country’s top commander warned of severe manpower shortages.
“Given the sheer number of demands around the world, there simply aren’t enough Canadian forces to do it all,” Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre said.
According to the State Department, of the 21,472 applications from permanent residents received between November 1, 2022 and November 24, 2023 (the first full year of eligibility), only 21,472 applications were accepted into the regular military. Only 77 people, or less than 1 percent, reported that. defense.
And of the 6,928 permanent residents who applied to join the Navy, Army, and Air Force Reserves, only 76 were accepted between November 1, 2022 and January 26, 2024. the ministry told CBC News.
Defense Minister Bill Blair said he was not satisfied with these numbers.
“Frankly, I think this is insufficient and potentially a missed opportunity,” Prime Minister Tony Blair told CBC News.
“I think there are many, many permanent residents of Canada who would make excellent members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Quite frankly, we need more people in the Canadian Armed Forces.”
CBC News found that more than 21,000 permanent residents applied to join the military, but only 77 were accepted in the year to November.
“It’s a long process,” said Gen. Krista Brody, who oversees the recruitment of brigadier generals.
“It’s frustrating for sure. We get frustration all the time from candidates and Canadians and from our own chain of command,” she told CBC News.
Brody said permanent residents may require an “additional level of security screening” when applying due to “foreign influence” and it will take 18 to 24 months for Canadian security agencies to process their files. He said he was told there was a possibility.
“Standards are important because at the end of the day, we have to be a combat-capable force that’s ready to fight tonight,” Brody said. “These factors are extremely important when dealing with sensitive military equipment in a national security environment.”
Brigadier General Christa Brody, who oversees military recruitment, said it will take 18 to 24 months for Canadian security agencies to conduct security checks on permanent residents. [a] A good reason. “
Prime Minister Blair said the recruitment process needed to move faster.
He said he has asked the department to consider allowing permanent residents to work on a probationary period until safety inspections are completed.
Mr Blair said: “I have recruiting experience in other organizations so I have some experience with this. We have to go fast. We definitely have to go faster than the numbers say.” .
The Pentagon said a multidisciplinary working group is considering the minister’s request. Brody said the military also aims to speed up the process by accelerating information sharing between government departments.
“Multiple Canadian government departments are involved in the process for permanent residents to join the Canadian Armed Forces, and we will work with other government departments to enable more Canadian permanent residents to join the CAF,” said Defense Department spokesperson Alex. Tetreault said. said in a statement to CBC News.
The military predicts it could be short by more than 7,750 regular military personnel and about 7,475 reservists by the end of the fiscal year in March.
Brody said the military loses more people each year than it takes in, but the problem is starting to calm down. He said the military was “really close to a tipping point” where numbers would improve and a “gradual” build-up would begin.
Sergeant Cynthia St-Jean of the Canadian Forces Recruitment Office in Ottawa said one of the biggest barriers permanent residents face is the time they spend waiting for security screening.
Canadians could get their pre-security forms back in about three months, she said.
“They don’t have any international travel, they don’t have family abroad, they don’t have banks or homes, so background checks… [for] Some have been working in another country for 20 years or have family members outside the country,” said Saint Jean, a recruiter.
“Sometimes we lose applicants to the pre-security screening form simply because it takes so long,” she says. “But we keep in touch with them. We try to say, ‘Hey, your file is still open, this is still going on, are you still interested?'” So, We try to keep them engaged. ”
Naval cadet Joseph Haddad said he was “very pleasantly surprised” when his application to join the Navy Reserve was processed within three months. He said he came to Canada with his family 10 years ago because his father was a diplomatic envoy.
“I think the reason it didn’t take so long to apply is because I’ve been in Canada since 2012,” said Haddad, who is now a Canadian citizen. “I’m also a federal civil servant with a Canada Revenue Agency license, so I think that helped as well.”
The military says about 15,000 permanent residents who had applied to join the regular army have lost interest in military service after facing long delays.
Another 5,000 permanent resident applicants are still interested. Brody called this an “exciting number for us to work with.”
“A significant portion of those seeking permanent residence are women, and I think that’s a positive indicator as well,” Brody said.
Jamal Rudin is one of the permanent residents waiting for his security clearance to be returned. Before taking the fitness test in Ottawa, Rudin told CBC News he wanted to serve the country that adopted him.
Rudin is from Afghanistan. When Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021, he fled on a military plane. He came to Canada in May 2022 after living in a NATO camp in Albania.
“I want to be part of this society because they help me in my very bad situation,” he said. “They took me and my sisters and my family away from a very difficult moment.”
Rudin’s brother died in Afghanistan in 2018, and her grieving mother later died of a stroke.
He now supports his family by making deliveries and working at a school that serves students with special needs. He also takes care of his younger sister, who has Down syndrome.
Rudin said he plans to wait up to two years to get his security clearance back because he wants to make his family proud.
“My family always wanted to see me in uniform,” he said.
The Canadian Armed Forces has introduced relaxed rules regarding length of service and appearance, allowing long hair and beards, in a strategy to help recruit and retain members.
Rudin also said he would like to become a Canadian citizen.
As an incentive, the government also announced it would process citizenship applications from members of the Canadian Armed Forces on a “priority basis” in 2022.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told CBC News the government will expedite 22 citizenship applications from military personnel between Nov. 21, 2022 and Nov. 30, 2023. It is said that he did. As of December, 11 more applications were outstanding, according to the ministry.
