Military says more Canadians enlisting as second career amid recruitment struggle

CTV National News: Military recruitment challenges Heather Butts speaks with a recruit in the Canadian Armed Forces about the desire to serve and the future of the military.

Working on a military truck, within the logistics squadron of CFB Kingston, Private Charlotte Schnubb is elbows deep into an engine with a huge smile on her face.

It’s a new day, a new task and this is exactly where she wants to be for this new phase of her life. She worked on cars as a teenager, but only now, in her 30s is she making a career of it in the military.

“The teamwork, the camaraderie, the stability that the military provides, it was kind of a no-brainer,” said Private Schnubb during an interview inside the shop bay.

The mother of five left her role as a medical assistant in a doctor’s office for a career in the military. After 16 years in the medical field, she saw this as an opportunity to explore an entirely new trade.

“I figured, if I’m going to start somewhere and learn something brand new, I’m going to do it in a career that I have no idea about,” said Schnubb. The training offered by the military is part of why she signed up.

Schnubb immigrated from the U.K. as a young child, but only received her citizenship a few years ago. She enlisted with the Canadian Armed Forces in 2022. Patriotism, she says, was also a driving force behind her decision to be part of this next generation of members.

“I believe in this country, I believe in what we do here and as a vehicle tech I’m really excited to be able to provide support for the CAF in general.”

It’s people with that motto the military is looking for as it struggles to increase its numbers. For people like Schnubb, choosing the CAF as a second career has become more common. Many years ago, the average recruit would have been 18-19. Today, they’re coming from “all walks of life” according to Rear Admiral Christopher Robinson, who also serves as assistant chief of naval staff for personnel and training.

“We’re getting people who have had whole lives already, have had careers have had families and always had that desire to serve their country and joining later in life,” said Robinson, speaking from the dockyard at CFB Esquimalt in Victoria, BC.

He adds the Forces is seeing recruits in their 30,’s 40’s, and into their 50’s, who will contribute while they’re able.

Searching for people who have a desire to serve their country, the military is putting recruitment and retention at the top of its agenda.

As of September 30, 2024, the Canadian Armed Forces’ Regular Force had a total strength of 63,863, that’s more than 7,600 short of the authorized strength of 71,500. As for reservists, Canada has just 22,935, more than 7,000 short of the authorized 30,000.

“The chief of defence staff is seized on this. She has convened a working group. It is probably the largest challenge facing us right now,” said Rear Admiral Christopher Robinson. The Forces has set of goal of reaching its authorized capacity within the next few years.

“There are challenges to the international rules-based order no matter where you look across the world right now and it’s a dangerous time,” said Robinson.

“I believe the Canadian Armed Forces are up to the task, but we need to be filled with people in order to really execute those tasks.”

The Armed Forces has tried to modernize its recruitment process by evolving dress requirements and fostering more inclusiveness.

At the same time, it has committed to overhauling the military culture and to better respond to sexual misconduct allegations. Building back its numbers is a priority as it seeks a wider audience of prospective members.

The CAF has developed new recruitment strategies, such as the Naval Experience Program, which offers a year of training with no strings attached and it’s showing success. Robinson says the Navy has enrolled about 300 people into that program and they’ve seen about an 80 per cent retention.

The Navy also recently toured communities throughout the great lakes to help people envision this career and lifestyle.

“It’s not something they’re either considering, or they really see themselves as doing, they don’t have a mental picture of themselves in uniform,” said Rear Admiral Christopher Robinson, adding “we need to do a better job showing people that it is possible to have this life.”

He admits improvements need to be made within the recruiting process, but also enlisting and training these new recruits, something that is considered to be time consuming.

“It’s a complex problem, we need people seeing themselves in the military, we need to do a much, much better job attracting and recruiting them, so signing them up to the military, we do to do better at training them” said Rear Admiral Christopher Robinson.

Part of that is finding people who feel a calling to serve their country, while the Navy touts itself as a way for people to live an adventure, time at sea often offers opportunities to see the world.

Schnubb already had an understanding the military lifestyle. Her husband has been a member for nearly fifteen years. She admits when she first enlisted, there was a focus on a stable career, but that has shifted. “I’m super proud to wear this uniform – super, super proud. I didn’t realize the impact it was going to have on me when I joined,” she said.