Nearly half of Canadians would be willing to fight for their country in the face of armed combat; however, the majority of those would only do so if they believed in the cause of the conflict.
According to a recent survey by the Angus Reid Institute, 49 per cent of Canadians would be willing to take up arms in the event of a war, but most say they would only do so if they “agreed with the reasons for fighting.”
The survey comes on the heels of the Carney government’s pledge to boost Canada’s defence spending budget to meet NATO’s spending target, beginning with two per cent of GDP before eventually increasing to five per cent.
Canadians older than 54 were the most willing to enlist at 55 per cent, while those aged 18 to 34 were less likely at 43 per cent, despite being within the military’s recruitment bracket.
“Whether it is years of headlines emphasizing Canada’s relative underinvestment in the military, or the lingering effects of the 2021 sexual misconduct scandal, Canadians’ pride in their Armed Forces has declined over the past six years,” reads the study.
“In November 2019, approaching four-in-five (79 per cent) said they felt proud when thinking of Canada’s military; currently half (52 per cent) say the same.”
The study also found that those who voted Conservative in the last election were more likely to say they would volunteer for the military in the event of an armed conflict, at 59 per cent, compared to those who voted Liberal, at 47 per cent.
Only 36 per cent of those who voted NDP would enlist, followed by those who voted for the Bloc Québécois at 35 per cent, with a majority of both cohorts saying they would choose not to enlist.
For context, a similar survey conducted in 1985 asked Canadians whether they would be willing to fight for Canada if there was a war, and 61 per cent of Canadians said “yes,” while 15 per cent said “it depends.”
The Canadian Armed Forces is currently facing a shortage of up to 14,000 qualified personnel in both the regular and reserve forces.
“At the end of last year, there were more than 64,000 regular force members and 23,000 reservists, nearly 14,000 short of its intended size of 71,500 regular soldiers and 30,000 reserves,” reads the report.
The military published a strategy document in 2022 to address certain retention issues, which found that “there is a perception leadership is prioritizing culture change over critical operational needs like ammunition and equipment.”
The military is said to be facing a “recruitment crisis,” and former Lieutenant-General Michel Maisonneuve believes that the shortage is partly due to the CAF trying to recruit the “wrong people.”
“Using the armed forces as a social experiment is not the way to improve recruitment. They’re recruiting people who have blue hair, piercings and nail polish. As soon as they’re told, ‘dirtbag, get down and give me 20,’ they say ‘I can’t do that’ and they want to leave,” Maisonneuve told True North in May.
The Carney government announced that it would allocate billions to the Canadian Armed Forces in June, including a 20 per cent pay increase for personnel in an attempt to bolster recruitment.
Defence Minister David McGuinty said that new funding would go to housing and health care, among other things.
“That’s where a lot of the initial investment will be, of course, including a 20 per cent pay increase,” said McGuinty last month.
However, the Department of National Defence said it was unable to provide a date for when the raise would be received or how much it would actually be shortly after the initial announcement, leaving some to believe the idea may have been shelved.
“We look forward to sharing more details in the near future,” said McGuinty’s office in a statement last month.
A later statement from the DND also suggested that the raise may not equate to 20 per cent across the board.