The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) isn’t anywhere near to achieving its recruitment quotas for women, aboriginals or other minorities that the Trudeau government is expecting.
In response to its gender-focused defense policy of 2017, Canada’s military was mandated to increase the number of women and minorities in uniform. Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance promised to deliver: beginning with a military force comprised of 25 percent women by 2025-26.
But, as CBC News reports, there may be some more women visiting CAF recruitment centers across Canada but not nearly enough to increase the percentage of women serving in the military.
As of May 2018, that percentage was 15.4 — exactly what it was before the recruitment drive began.
The situation is the same for aboriginals and visible minorities. First Nations personnel make up 2.8 percent of the CAF while the desired quota was 3.5 percent. The number of visible minorities stands at 8.2 percent while the quota established was 11.8 percent.
But with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s insistence on gender equality and given his plan to give women a commanding role in future Canadian peacekeeping missions, the military will have to do better.
“Those are still not meeting the number we need to have in order to meet the 25 per cent target and we’re conscious of that,” Lt.-Gen. Chuck Lamarre told CBC News.
“We recognize it’s going to take a much more disciplined approach, a much more targeted approach to go get more women, more visible minority and more Aboriginal folks to come join the Canadian Armed Forces,” Lamarre told the CBC, adding that he believes the CAF can still meet its quota.