One of Mark Carney’s first promises upon becoming prime minister was to reinvest in and rebuild Canada’s military, and it appears the Liberal government has followed through with the recruitment commitment. The Canadian Armed Forces recently reported the largest surge in recruitment seen in 30 years, with over 7,300 new members joining in the 2025/2026 fiscal year.
The CAF has struggled to attract new members for decades, so it was surprising to see such a turnaround. In 2022, the federal government changed the rules and allowed non-citizens to join the Forces. This tactic appears to have worked, as 20 percent of the new recruits aren’t Canadian citizens but are permanent residents. This way of bulking up the CAF raises some concerns, however.
