Some of Canada’s top military strategists are working on a plan to boost the country’s armed forces. At the center of the plan is the creation of civil defense force made up of as many as 300,000 volunteers.
A nine page document, Planning Direction – Defence Mobiliation Plan, was distributed by the Strategic Joint Staff, which is an internal group that offers advice and analysis to the Chief of Defence Staff. The opening lines of the document detailing the plan warn that rising technologies have presented unparalleled challenges to Canada’s ability to defend itself.
That group is calling for a ‘whole of society’ approach to defend Canada against domestic threats, from natural disasters to high-intensity large-scale combat operations.
“We’re thinking about the number of events and domestic operations we’ve had in terms of fighting forest fires and so on, so this is all part of our transformation effort,” said Jenny Carignan, the Chief of Defence Staff. “All Canadians will be, of course, voluntarily invited to serve.”
It’s not a done deal yet. The strategy must still be approved by the federal government in Ottawa. But Minister of National Defence David McGuinty is behind it.
“The notion of having a civil force or civil group of Canadians who are ready, willing and able to serve their country, is something that has been talked about for years in Canada,” he said. “It’s something that our allies are doing and pursuing very, very actively.”
The idea of mobilizing citizen reservists follows commitments made by Ottawa at a NATO summit last year to strengthen Canada’s military readiness. It’s not a new idea. Sweden has a civil defense force, part of a total defense strategy, which requires all citizens to train in preparation for war.
Canada’s strategy calls for a supplementary force that would initially prioritize volunteer public servants at the federal and provincial level.
“It’s no surprise that the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces would look to many sources to recruit people from, including people who are already dedicated to public service,” McGuinty said. “They may be federal. They may be provincial. They may be municipal. They may be in business.”
Those who join the Civil Defence Force would learn how to use a rifle, drive a truck or operate a drone. There would also be less restrictive age limits and lower physical and fitness requirements. And their training would be limited to five days a year.
Canada’s armed forces have been struggling to recruit and retain people. It’s still short by about 15,000 for an authorized strength of 71,000 soldiers and 30,000 reservists. And there are issues with attrition and retention of armed forces members.
“This is not what the forces have to do,” said retired major general David Fraser. “The forces have to listen to Canadians and also the market demands, because the forces are in competition with a lot of private sector companies, too. Theyr’e going to have to pick up their game.”
New data shows that recruitment is increasing. And since Donald Trump became president, Canada’s armed forces have recorded an uptick in interest in enlistment.
That could have more to do, however, with a recent announcement in Ottawa to bolster military spending to $150 billion by 2035 and meet a new NATO target of five percent of GDP for every alliance member. Part of that commitment by Prime Minister Mark Carney was a pay raise for the military.
“As the demands on our Canadian armed forces have increased, their resources and their salaries have not kept pace,” Carney said. “And these are the men and women we trust to wear the maple leaf, the Canadian flag, and to risk their lives for it. Their pay, your pay, should reflect the weight of your responsibilities.”
The new plan, along with new jet fighters, tanks and submarines, is a huge change for the armed forces and for Canadians who have lived their lives in a peacetime culture. Some, including Peter Kasurak, a fellow of the Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, question the rationale of a 300,000-member defense force, with only one week of training and an expectation they might have to address a deteriorating international situation or natural disaster.
But Carignan says surveys suggest that Canadians are looking for ways to contribute.
