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National Defence

Question period focused on military recruitment in the Canadian Armed Forces. Conservatives cited a leaked military memo and report saying standards were lowered, some recruits could not speak English or French, some platoons had many non-citizens and experienced racism, sexism and discipline problems, and that basic training pass rates had fallen; they asked the minister to admit the recruitment plan failed and to focus on fixing the forces. The Liberal minister replied that recruitment had hit a 30-year high, with over 45,000 applications last year, 7,310 regular force members recruited against targets, and 70 of 97 critical positions filled, and said the government is raising pay, speeding up training, and improving equipment and housing, while saying the Conservatives had blocked measures to improve the forces.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

8 statements

James Bezan

Conservative
“The defence minister did not fix the military recruitment problem. A leaked memo shows that standards were lowered, some recruits cannot speak English or French, and there is racism and sexism. I want the minister to admit his plan failed.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the defence minister told Canadians that he fixed the recruitment crisis, but like everything with these Liberals, it was just another illusion. A leaked military memo tells a very different story. Some recruits were unable to communicate in either official language, and there are damning reports of misogyny and racism. This is more Liberal mismanagement and more of the same. These Liberals did not fix the military; they lowered the bar so low and hoped nobody would actually notice. When will the minister stop ignoring the facts and admit that his recruitment reforms have failed?

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David McGuinty

Liberal
“Military recruitment is at a 30-year high. We are raising pay for armed forces members, training them faster, and buying them the gear, weapons, and housing they need.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Clarity 38 of 100

    Much of this statement used imprecise wording, lacked details on timing or responsibility, or made broad claims without support.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, no matter how hard we try on this side of the House, we could never be nearly as negative as this member. The truth is that the Canadian Armed Forces recruitment has just hit a 30‑year high. Our soldiers, our sailors and our aviators do important and incredible work, and we need more of them. That is why we have been reinvesting in our people. We have given our forces a well-deserved pay raise. We are getting them the tools, the weapons, the equipment and the housing they need. We are getting them through training faster. With the good help of the women and men in uniform, we are just getting started.

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James Bezan

Conservative
“Fewer recruits are passing basic training, and our military is not ready to defend the country. I want the defence minister to focus on fixing our armed forces instead of good publicity.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the minister can sit here and spin his numbers all he wants, but he fails to mention that he actually knew that basic training success rates have fallen down to 77%. It is so bad that one platoon graduated only 48% of its recruits. A military that cannot graduate its recruits, cannot integrate its members and cannot maintain basic standards is not a military that is ready to defend our country. When will the Liberal defence minister stop prioritizing his press releases over the operational effectiveness of the Canadian Armed Forces?

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David McGuinty

Liberal
“The Conservatives blocked every measure to improve the Canadian Armed Forces. Even so, recruitment is at a 30-year high. We had over 45,000 applications this year and beat our target for new members.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, every single measure brought before this House, every single measure for the improvement of the Canadian Armed Forces, was blocked by that member and his party. Here is the good news. Recruitment has hit a 30‑year high. These are the facts. In the past year, applications have more than doubled, to over 45,000. The CAF enrolled 7,310 regular force members, surpassing our target, and 70 of the 97 critical roles, as opposed to 18 last year, have now been filled. As I said a moment ago, we are just getting started.

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Pierre Paul-Hus

Conservative
“A leaked report shows that military training groups made up mostly of non-citizens are having serious cultural conflicts, racism, and discipline problems, including disrespect toward female officers. I want the minister to admit that recruiting quotas have hurt the military.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, ethnic conflicts from various countries have now found their way into the Canadian Armed Forces. A leaked internal report from the Canadian Armed Forces Leadership and Recruit School confirms that platoons comprising up to 83% of people who are not even Canadian citizens have experienced serious conflicts, allegations of racism and cultural friction. Instructors even report difficulties in enforcing authority, particularly that of female officers, which directly undermines discipline and the chain of command. It is a total mess. Does the minister understand that these policies aimed at meeting quotas have undermined the cohesion of the Canadian Armed Forces?

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David McGuinty

Liberal
“Military recruitment is at its highest level in 30 years. We are supporting our troops by raising their pay, giving them better equipment, and speeding up their training.”
Official Hansard

On the contrary, Mr. Speaker, recruitment into the Canadian Armed Forces has just reached its highest level in 30 years. Our soldiers, sailors and airmen do essential and remarkable work, and we need them. That is why we are reinvesting in our personnel. We have given our forces a pay raise, we are providing them with the tools and equipment they need and we are speeding up their training. It is a great day, a great week and a great start for Canada, and this is only the beginning.

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Pierre Paul-Hus

Conservative

Linked statement

“The military turned away most Canadians who wanted to join and recruited non-citizens instead, including people who do not speak English or French. I want an answer on how this keeps Canada safe.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, that answer is absolutely meaningless. It is important to understand that, between 2022 and 2025, 192,000 Canadians wanted to enroll but only 15,000 were accepted. Meanwhile, the government recruited permanent residents, non-Canadians and people who do not speak English or French and enrolled them in officer courses. How can we keep our country safe when we rely on people who do not understand our culture, do not understand our language and do not want to listen to orders from women? Can we get an answer on that?

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David McGuinty

Liberal
“Military recruiting is at a 30-year high. Over 45,000 people applied last year, which is more than double the year before. We beat our goal by hiring 7,310 regular force members, and we filled 70 of 97 critical jobs.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 47 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we have good news for Canada, good news for the Canadian Armed Forces and good news for the member. Recruitment is at a 30-year high. He knows that, and here are the facts. Over the past year, the number of applicants has more than doubled, to over 45,000. We recruited 7,310 regular force members, surpassing our target. In addition, 70 of the 97 critical roles have been filled. We are just getting started. There is work to be done.

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