They come from far-off places like Comox, British Columbia, and Grande Prairie, Alberta, and Guelph, Ontario.

These new recruits in the Canadian Armed Forces, who were previously strangers, are now rarely more than a few meters apart from each other - eating, sleeping, and exercising as one unit - all part of a bonding process designed to mold the soldiers, sailors, and pilots of tomorrow.

They are among the first cohort to have completed basic military qualification, or basic training, under new guidelines aimed at removing barriers and increasing numbers – changes that National Defence (DND) hopes will resolve the staffing crisis that Defence Minister Bill Blair has described as a "death spiral" for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

CBC cameraman Ivan Mitsui spent a week at the Canadian Forces Recruiting School (CFLRS) in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, documenting recruits as they navigate different weeks of the nine-week basic training course.

A Double Rarity

"There are a lot of physical challenges, but when your body wants to give up, keep pushing," said Jersey Gabloński, 21, a newly minted pilot from Winnipeg. "You learn that you're way stronger than you think."

Gabloński, a woman and the first in her family to enlist, represents a double rarity in the forces, which historically has seen sons following in their fathers' military footsteps, although this is slowly changing.

Nearly half of the applicants who were asked to participate in a 2022 survey indicated that family members had been former or current members, according to DND. In the 2022-2023 period, among the 5,242 individuals accepted into the regular and reserve forces, about 17 percent were women – a high point in female representation over the past decade.

Back to Basics

Sgt. Simard, an instructor at CFLRS, where nine weeks of basic training are held, said, "The idea is 'soldier first, trade second'; basic military qualification is the first step to serving in the forces. Everyone from cooks to aircraft mechanics goes through it."

Simard added, "It's not like the movies. We're not mean and yelling all the time. I mean, we can be tough, but we also try to be professionally polite."

There's cursing from instructors, but it's aimed at no individual. Push-up drills are performed less as punishment and more as a team-building exercise. It’s a tight friendship forged through collective suffering, much like hiking in the rain (this is week five).

Simard said, "It doesn’t take long – two months – to change someone, but when you’re here, you won’t fall between the cracks or be left alone; you'll be taken care of by the best."

Questions are encouraged, and ratios of recruits to the instructor can be controlled. The weapons handling class for recruits in week four featured 12 recruits and two trainers. There were 30 recruits in a session on Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) weapons with two trainers, while the mountain descent course had 26 recruits with five instructors.

There are currently about 68,000 regular members and 27,000 reserve members serving in the CAF. But these numbers include people on leave, new parents, and others not combat-ready – far fewer than Blair states the forces need if called to fight.

While DND statistics indicate that the total number of women in the forces has remained relatively constant over the past decade, there is a more significant upward trend in representation of racialized individuals, which increased from six percent in the 2015 fiscal year to 12 percent in the 2024 fiscal year.

Gabloński belongs to a proud minority in the "Mega" complex, a large residential and classroom facility in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, where the CFLRS has been based since 1979, and where nearly all recruits begin their military journey.

Gabloński, who graduated with her cohort on May 2, said, "To the women thinking about joining, go for it. I've made so many connections; you go through hardships but become a part of the family."

The New Training Camp

Gabloński is also among the first groups of recruits enlisted under a new hiring model that includes removing some perceived barriers, such as anxiety about testing.

A new trial is also set to begin in December 2023, which has lessened the emphasis on standard written competency testing for those wishing to enter certain in-demand occupations, such as medical officer, gunner, cook, and line technician, to name a few.

However, successful applicants for these occupations will still be tested during basic training, not at the recruitment office – although results will be kept for statistical analysis only, according to DND.

Making Military Life More Attractive

In April, the federal government released its latest defense strategy, promising an increase in military spending of $8.1 billion over the next five years, and $73 billion over the next twenty years.

This would raise Canada’s defense investments from 1.33 percent of GDP to 1.76 percent, edging closer to the two percent target called for by NATO. Canada is a founding member of the military alliance.

The strategy, titled "Our North Strong and Free," sets two key objectives: "strengthening the foundations of the Armed Forces and acquiring new capabilities to address new threats."

The strategy includes a focus on northern sovereignty, in addition to a commitment to build and repair staff housing and $100 million over five years to improve access to childcare on bases across the country.

Recent changes to military dress codes (nail polish, tattoos, hairstyles, gender-neutral uniforms) are also part of a plan to make military life more appealing to potential soldiers today.

Time will tell if the strategy will succeed in closing the expected shortfall of about 16,500 personnel, as well as the readiness gap referred to in an internal National Defence presentation, which says only 58 percent of the army would be able to respond if called upon tomorrow by the end of the week. NATO.

And when it comes to staffing, Canadians' willingness to serve does not appear to be the bottleneck. The latest DND figures indicate that over 67,000 applications were submitted to the forces in the past year, representing the highest level in five years. Of that number, fewer than 4,000 were accepted, according to information provided to Parliament.

The Department of National Defence states that the backlog is partly due to extended security clearances required for permanent residents, who have been allowed to apply since 2022. The new defense policy does not expect the military to reach its target of 71,000 regular soldiers and 30,000 reserve soldiers at its fully authorized strength until 2032.