Canada moves to 2% GDP end of FY25/26 - PMMC

[KevinB]

Re the 300,000 and organization.

I. Recruit the 300,000 willing.
2. Organize them after they have been recruited and their skills and availability evaluated.

That makes zero sense.

You need to know what you need in order to recruit and train.

300k is an enormous jump for the CAF.
A lot of effort needs to be put into to planning what to do with that number of personnel.
Lot of infrastructure and equipment will need to be acquired and planned out even before the first recruit is sworn in.

 

[childs56]

Re the 300,000 and organization.

I. Recruit the 300,000 willing.
2. Organize them after they have been recruited and their skills and availability evaluated.

Then you loose 299,999 of those people because as always the money for wages will dry up, no rifles/ equipment to train with, no trucks to drive, no fuel to put into the trucks and the list goes on and on. Then you have 299,999 people telling 4 or 5 others how much of a crap show it is and now you are into over a million people with credible knowledge of how bad it is. You might end up with a 20,000 of that million saying it cant be that bad. Until they try it out themselves and decide wow this sucks.

Sorry but it is time the Canadian Military either gets serious or hands the keys over to the US or other allies for our defense. I hear Greenland is nice this time of Year.

 

[Eaglelord17]

In Vietnam the average age of an American soldier was, famously, 19.
In WW2 the average age of a frontline Canadian soldier was 22.
In Ukraine the average age of a frontline soldier is 43 to 45 years old.

Vietnams average age was 22-23, Hardcastle lied to you in the catchiest way possible.

 

[mariomike]

In WW2 the average age of a frontline Canadian soldier was 22.

Any idea what it was for the other services?

My father joined the RCN when he was 17 in 1943.

Served as an Engine Room Articifer's Apprentice on HMCS FUNDY ( J88 ), HMCS LOCKEPORT ( J100 ), HMCS UNGAVA ( J149 ), HMCS FORT ERIE ( K670 ) during the war.

My uncle was 21 when he was KIA with the RCAF over France.

 

[GR66]

Re the 300,000 and organization.

I. Recruit the 300,000 willing.
2. Organize them after they have been recruited and their skills and availability evaluated.

I don't think we should frame it as recruiting 300,000 reservists and organizing them into units.

Instead we should think of it as increasing the number of Reservists we recruit and train to a basic level then put most of them on a Mobilization Reserve list and have them come back in one weekend a year to update their status and record their applicable civilian skills. Perhaps this pool of partially trained personnel could be contacted for voluntary call-up for floods, fires, ice storms, etc. if manpower is needed (rather than using the Reg Force).

A portion of them may choose to stay on and join the Reg Force or the Primary Reserves. The bulk would get basic training and familiarization with the CAF. Could be paid during their training and maybe get some kind of educational bonus when they complete their training or maybe a small tax credit for maintaining their annual status.

No need to recruit 300,000 all at once but instead build the list year after year.

 

[childs56]

I don't think we should frame it as recruiting 300,000 reservists and organizing them into units.

Instead we should think of it as increasing the number of Reservists we recruit and train to a basic level then put most of them on a Mobilization Reserve list and have them come back in one weekend a year to update their status and record their applicable civilian skills. Perhaps this pool of partially trained personnel could be contacted for voluntary call-up for floods, fires, ice storms, etc. if manpower is needed (rather than using the Reg Force).

A portion of them may choose to stay on and join the Reg Force or the Primary Reserves. The bulk would get basic training and familiarization with the CAF. Could be paid during their training and maybe get some kind of educational bonus when they complete their training or maybe a small tax credit for maintaining their annual status.

No need to recruit 300,000 all at once but instead build the list year after year.

With out organizing the people then it has no purpose besides feel warm and fuzzy inside for the leaders to pat each other on the back and say good job.
What skills are you going to use that has been trained?
What liability are you going to ask of these people.

What you could do is organize them into jobs, ie Heavy equipment operator. Then during a forest fire hire them on as part of the emergency response team as first responders.
You could bring helo pilots on and have them fly civil defense helicopters as part of the emergency response. Especially if the Governments wont pay to hire xyz company......

You also have mechanics who can be hired on to provide mobile service techs for Military exercises, you could hire transport truck drivers to move armored vehicles to and from training areas along with infield. Then they can be specifically trained on the "specialty" equipment requirements that some think are so important.

 

[KevinB]

To me the key ask is what are the roles that are envisioned for these personnel.
Putting them under the CAF means there needs to be a baseline “soldier first” training, as well as refreshers on those at least annually.

I think the CA is entirely upside down on the Combat Arms, as I think the majority of those positions should be Reservists.
You generally do not need a majority of your Cbt Arms units every day -- you do need everything that supports them to the battlefield though.

But the biggest obstacle facing this is regardless how they are (CA, RCAF, or RCN) allocated is that equipment and infrastructure is required for them.

 

[Maxman1]

I don't think we should frame it as recruiting 300,000 reservists and organizing them into units.

Instead we should think of it as increasing the number of Reservists we recruit and train to a basic level then put most of them on a Mobilization Reserve list and have them come back in one weekend a year to update their status and record their applicable civilian skills. Perhaps this pool of partially trained personnel could be contacted for voluntary call-up for floods, fires, ice storms, etc. if manpower is needed (rather than using the Reg Force).

A portion of them may choose to stay on and join the Reg Force or the Primary Reserves. The bulk would get basic training and familiarization with the CAF. Could be paid during their training and maybe get some kind of educational bonus when they complete their training or maybe a small tax credit for maintaining their annual status.

No need to recruit 300,000 all at once but instead build the list year after year.

Sounds like the American Selective Service registration.

 

[ytz]

Honestly I like @ytz ’s training center concepts.
One gets a entire facility for local training in a one stop shop.

The Local Training Center that ytz shows, has the ability to both house Res units, and training of recruits into portions of their initial trade training.

Incidentally, CA Modernization and Restructure has 10 "Reserve Training Centres" on the books. One per Res Bde. I would like to see that be more than a parade square.

 

[Czech_pivo]

Some overall good news.

For 2026, so far, a reversal of the trend of foreign money fleeing Canada.

Foreign investment flows into Canada hit record levels in June 2026

Investors are seeking the relative stability of Canadian fixed income amid continued global uncertainty

www.wealthprofessional.ca

Demand for Canadian debt at record pace​

Foreign investment flows into Canada hit record levels in June 2026​

Investors are seeking the relative stability of Canadian fixed income amid continued global uncertainty

Foreign investors poured $40.8 billion into Canadian securities in June 2026, driven by surging demand for federal government debt, as international capital continued to seek the relative stability of Canadian fixed-income assets.

Newly released data from Statistics Canada shows that activity capped an extraordinary second quarter in which foreign investors committed an unprecedented $100.6 billion to Canadian markets, a figure that highlights the growing appetite among non-resident buyers for Canadian paper.

Over the first six months of 2026, foreign holdings of Canadian federal government debt reached $80.0 billion, part of a record $175.0 billion in total debt securities purchased by non-residents in the first half of the year.

The appetite for Canadian bank paper in foreign currencies reflects the sector's strong credit standing and the yield premium it offers over comparable sovereign debt.

Canadians double down on US equities​

While foreign capital flowed into Canada, domestic investors were equally active in building their exposure to foreign markets.

The data shows that Canadian investors acquired $35.4 billion of foreign securities in June, led by $23.5 billion in US share purchases. That brings the first-half total for Canadian buying of US equities to a record $78.1 billion; more than double the $35.1 billion invested during the same period of 2025.

My comments: No real surprise here. Anyone willing to take on a bit of risk has been piling into US AI driven stocks. Whether that is a bubble and it bursts remains to be seen. In the meantime, record returns continue to fuel this approach.

 

[ytz]

To me the key ask is what are the roles that are envisioned for these personnel.
Putting them under the CAF means there needs to be a baseline “soldier first” training, as well as refreshers on those at least annually.

I think the CA is entirely upside down on the Combat Arms, as I think the majority of those positions should be Reservists.
You generally do not need a majority of your Cbt Arms units every day -- you do need everything that supports them to the battlefield though.

But the biggest obstacle facing this is regardless how they are (CA, RCAF, or RCN) allocated is that equipment and infrastructure is required for them.

I think the CA is heading in this direction. Based on my cursory read of CA Mod.

 

[KevinB]

I think the CA is heading in this direction. Based on my cursory read of CA Mod.

I’m honestly unsure of what the CAF would do with another 300k reserve personnel.

Anything more than a lightly equipped Home Guard would be exceptionally costly in Capital Equipment costs.
I can see 50-100k PRes for the CA, as one could come out with 2 Canadian Corps and an Army HQ from that.
Beyond that ?

Adding 100k to the RCN and RCAF would be very nice, but while one may shudder to equip a Army Corps, the cost of aircraft and ships is downright frightening.