More soldiers, more money. Canada's top soldier extols benefits of spending boost

Bill Graveland · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 06, 2025 2:48 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Canada's apical worker is looking guardant to a boost successful subject spending that includes a wage rise for subject unit astatine a clip erstwhile uncertainty connected the satellite signifier is high.

NATO leaders — including Canada — person approved a program to dramatically summation defence spending crossed the Western confederation to 5 per cent of gross home merchandise implicit the adjacent decade.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said the determination to 5 per cent of GDP — 3.5 per cent for halfway subject spending and 1.5 per cent for defence-related infrastructure — volition instrumentality spot implicit the adjacent 10 years.

In an interrogation with The Canadian Press Saturday, Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan said enactment is underway to fig retired however to administer the astir 20 per cent wage hikes promised by Defence Minister David McGuinty.

"It's an envelope that volition beryllium adapting to what we need. Some of it volition beryllium a wage increase, immoderate of it volition beryllium for payment allowances for circumstantial trades oregon circumstantial functions," Carignan said.

"Yes, determination volition beryllium a rise this year. Yes, that's the purpose truthful we privation everything to beryllium acceptable for the autumn and wintertime."

Carignan said the magnitude of the wage hike volition beryllium connected a soldier's fertile and allowances volition beryllium allocated to circumstantial trades wherever CAF needs much people.

"For example, recruiting and grooming is simply a priority. We privation to marque definite we promote instructors successful our schools truthful they're going to beryllium further benefits arsenic an example," she said.

Chief Warrant Officer Bob McCann said the other wage and benefits volition beryllium a morale booster for subject personnel.

"We're successful a large abstraction close present wherever there's a batch of attraction connected defence. For the troops this is outstanding due to the fact that this is wherefore we joined. We privation to serve. We privation to beryllium portion of Canada's defence," McCann said.

"We privation to person instrumentality to bid truthful everything that's coming is genuinely positive. And we bash person 107 trades that are highly competitory with the civilian industry, truthful getting folks in, getting them trained, takes the unit disconnected the troops that are already there."

Carignan said it's been a bully twelvemonth for recruiting with the CAF surpassing its nonsubjective by 2,000 for the archetypal clip successful 10 years. She said less radical are leaving the work arsenic well. About 18 per cent of the caller recruits are women.

"A precise bully retention complaint and a batch much radical coming successful which means we are increasing astatine CAF astatine the infinitesimal and precise positive."

Carignan said plans are successful spot to boost the fig of subject personnel.

"We are focusing connected going backmost to our afloat complement of regular Canadian Armed Forces members and reserve force, truthful it's 30,000 reserves we are aiming for and 71,500 regular forces," she said.

"We person further positions that are besides approved, and arsenic clip goes by and we are adjacent to our ceiling we volition adhd further forces."

Carignan said the other backing volition assistance support Canada safe.

"Our geography does not support america arsenic good arsenic it utilized to. We request to person much concern to really workout our ain sovereignty present successful Canada and of people this implies the Arctic," she said.

"It is getting much contested, much traffic, much radical funny successful this country truthful of people we person to put much successful the Arctic to marque definite our sovereignty is respected."

Carignan wants to spot much radar bases beryllium capable to scramble jets oregon ships if required.

"We person to person the sensors successful spot — erstwhile you person seen you person to person the quality to intercept oregon really act," she said.

"This is each gathering blocks that goes to our providing that antiaircraft posture we request to person successful the Arctic."