A leaked internal report shows the Canadian military is losing new recruits at more than twice the average rate, as frustration grows over training delays and the inability to get into desired roles.
The 2023–24 report, obtained by CBC News, found that 9.4% of newly enrolled members quit, compared to 4.3% across the entire Canadian Armed Forces. Many cited long waits—over 200 days in some cases—for specialized training, lack of equipment, and difficulty adjusting to military life.
"There are not enough trainers, facilities, or support," the report said. New members often face “months of underemployment,” which is driving morale down.
While the military says it's addressing recruitment challenges, retention is proving just as urgent. A Defence Department program designed to tackle the issue was quietly shut down this year, its funding and staff redirected.
Critics say that move undermines the military's stated priority of rebuilding its workforce. "Since 2022, we've been hearing that personnel issues are a priority," said Charlotte Duval-Lantoine of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. "But the military is not putting its money where its mouth is."
Military leaders admit the training bottleneck is a problem. Commander Lt.-Gen. Lise Bourgon said the forces are partnering with civilian colleges to help ease the load. Basic training improvements are also underway, according to Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan.
The leaked report also warned that experienced soldiers close to retirement aren’t being encouraged to stay. Many feel overworked and overlooked, and leave as soon as they're eligible for a pension.
One exception may be the Navy's one-year trial program, which lets recruits test the waters before fully committing. Early results suggest it's helped reduce early exits.
The Armed Forces are short about 14,000 members. Yet as plans for Arctic expansion and new global commitments grow, the gap between recruitment and readiness continues to widen.
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The global recall of Airbus A320 aircraft has triggered widespread disruption across several major airlines, forcing flight cancellations in the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
U.S. investigators have recovered the black box recorders from the wreckage of a UPS cargo plane that crashed in flames on takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky. At least twelve people died. The crash sent a wall of fire into an industrial corridor and forced the shutdown of the airport.
Pope Leo visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday, stepping inside one of the most iconic sites of the Muslim world. He removed his shoes at the entrance in a gesture of respect. He did not appear to pray.
Russian drones and missiles struck several districts of Kyiv early on Saturday, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen. Fires swept through residential blocks as debris rained over the city.
At least 47 people have died and another 21 are reported missing following ten days of heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides across Sri Lanka, local media reported on Thursday (27 November).
Hong Kong fire authorities said they expected to wrap up search and rescue operations on Friday after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years tore through a massive apartment complex, killing at least 128 people, injuring 79 and leaving around 200 still missing.
Netflix crashed on Wednesday for about an hour in the U.S. as it launched season five of "Stranger Things", with the service becoming inaccessible to many subscribers within minutes of the episodes going live at 8 p.m. local time.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the Latin American region on Thursday, amid a military buildup by President Donald Trump’s administration that has heightened tensions with Venezuela.
French health experts are warning that the highly pathogenic H5 strain of bird flu, already devastating wild and farm animals, could evolve into a virus capable of human-to-human transmission — potentially sparking a pandemic worse than COVID-19.
The global recall of Airbus A320 aircraft has triggered widespread disruption across several major airlines, forcing flight cancellations in the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Pope Leo visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday, stepping inside one of the most iconic sites of the Muslim world. He removed his shoes at the entrance in a gesture of respect. He did not appear to pray.
Russian drones and missiles struck several districts of Kyiv early on Saturday, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen. Fires swept through residential blocks as debris rained over the city.
Shoppers packed malls and downtown streets in Caracas on Black Friday (28 November) as retailers offered discounts despite Venezuela’s prolonged economic crisis. Customers queued in shoe and electronics stores and browsed signs advertising cuts of up to 50%.
The famed Nuremberg Christmas Market opened on Friday (28 November) with its traditional ceremony featuring the Nuremberg Christkind, an angel-like child figure said to deliver Christmas gifts in some European countries.
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