The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is facing a growing personnel shortage. New figures reveal recruitment and training have not kept pace with CAF expansion plans, leaving more than 12,000 positions unfilled. Figures provided to the Canadian press by military authorities document recent warnings by the Chief of the Defense Staff, General Wayne Eyre, and other senior officers about the state of the CAF, which are increasingly increasingly in demand both on national territory and abroad.
While the CAF wanted to be able to count on 68,000 active soldiers and 29,000 reservists, the Liberal government wanted to raise these figures to 71,500 and 30,000 respectively, i.e. 4,500 additional members. This expansion is considered essential for the CAF to be ready to deal with growing global instability, particularly in Europe and Asia, and any other emerging threats. However, their numbers have decreased by more than 700 since the end of 2020.
Overall, the Canadian army currently needs more than 6,750 active soldiers and some 5,500 additional reservists. In addition, these figures could increase, because it would be a question of dismissing up to 900 soldiers who refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Worse still, figures show that more than 10,000 active-duty members are currently unavailable for service because they are not properly trained or are ill or injured.
- October 21, 2022
- 3 Min Read
