In an internal directive signed Oct. 18 by General Eyre, a copy of which has been received by Radio-Canada, the senior officer in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) authorizes the Commander of Military Personnel and Recruitment Command to enlist recruits with permanent status residents, under three conditions.
First, the recruit must agree to apply for citizenship once eligible. Then it must respond to a specific work need that needs to be filled. Finally, recruiters must ensure that the candidate does not harm national interests.
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Previously, only the Chief of Defense Staff was exceptionally authorized to recruit non-Canadians.
Military personnel leadership quickly took advantage of their newfound power. Barely four days after receiving the green light from headquarters, Army recruiters flocked to Toronto’s Newcomers’ Lounge to poach potential recruits.
“We are at least starting to take baby steps. »
— A quote from Grazia Scoppio, Associate Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada
Grazia Scoppio, a full professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, notes that the CAF has come to a crossroads. They believe Canada will not be able to maintain its army as we know it unless they make this transition. This is truer than ever with the latest census data showing that Canada has set an all-time record for the number of foreign-born Canadians, or one in four Canadians, she specifies.
The American example
Grazia Scoppio, who has been trying for twenty years to persuade the CAF to relax their enrollment rules and open their doors to permanent residents, is delighted with this first step. But, in their opinion, the army should not stop there. After that, we need to speed up the naturalization process. This is already happening in the United States: When immigrants join the army, their naturalization process is faster, the professor explains.
According to their latest estimate, there are more than 10,000 vacancies in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Photo: The Canadian Press/Justin Tang
There are other countries that do that. Citizenship is also not required in the USA and is granted more quickly, explains Grazia Scoppio.
In the United States, citizenship is available to a permanent resident who has served in the military for at least one year. To facilitate the immigration process, the applicant does not have to pay the fees normally required to submit an application, and their immediate family members also benefit from expedited processing of their immigration application.
In return, the recruit must be able to read, write and speak English. They must also have a good knowledge of United States history and demonstrate commitment to the principles of the American Constitution.
The US Department of Defense estimates that an average of 8,000 permanent residents join the ranks of the military each year.
This policy is not new. The US military has always welcomed permanent residents into its ranks, so in 2019 the number of veterans born outside the US was estimated at 530,000, or 3% of the 18.6 million veterans the country had.
In Canada, the new policy makes no mention of a fast track to obtaining Canadian citizenship for permanent residents who choose to enroll.
In the office of the military personnel command, we are informed by e-mail [être] is finalizing plans for the implementation and operationalization of this designated authority to expand and facilitate the registration of permanent resident applicants.
improve diversity
Grazia Scoppio observes that in addition to the labor shortage, the relaxation of the recruitment rules for permanent residents corresponds to another need of the army. Recruitment agencies also need to be more representative of Canada’s diversity, and that’s not really the case yet, she says.
The CAF struggles to diversify its workforce and fails to meet its recruitment goals within cultural communities. In 2016, visible minorities made up 6.7% of CAF members. The aim is to increase this share to 11.8% by 2026.
General Wayne Eyre asked that every effort be made to recruit personnel.
Photo: The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
The Canadian Armed Forces are currently short by 10,000 soldiers, which is 10% of the total strength. In that regard, in early October, the chief of staff ordered a halt to all non-essential activities to focus on recruitment efforts.
With the collaboration of Marie Chabot-Johnson