Edmonton Police Service is quietly looking into the possibility of eliminating recruits to pass a basic physical fitness test prior to commencing their recruit training... (Ironic since EPS was known for years for their incredibly high fitness standards)
It sounded like a terrible idea, and I voiced my initial reaction during an informal 'town hall' style meeting hosted by Chief Dale McFee.
But his explanation of why the idea might have some merit was practical, and whether or not it affects the quality of the final product is what the recruiting section will be monitoring, IF this idea manifests on the trial basis being discussed.
(The idea is to no longer have recruits do a fitness test during the recruiting process or as a screener for the recruiting process - but rather have the recruits be required to pass those same fitness standards by the end of recruit training. The rationale is that the recruits will still require the same fitness level once they hit the streets, but by requiring the fitness standards be met by the end of the classroom portion of recruit training it will allow more (in theory) some people to proceed in the process where they otherwise couldn't have without lowering the fitness standard of the final product)
...
I imagine the proposal of having people do their CFAT while at CFLRS has the same driving force behind it - get more people in uniform by removing as many bottlenecks as possible, and get them started in the training pipeline as quickly as possible. I can't imagine the CAF would get rid of the CFAT altogether, but plenty has happened that I never thought possible...
They would need to keep some form of aptitude test on the front end in the case of the Reserve Force, I'd reckon?