Canada may enlist immigrants to boost military

Proposals to boost flagging recruitment levels mean soldiers may no longer have to be Canadian citizens before they enlist in the Forces, military officials revealed this week.

Canadian Forces soldiers from A Company, 1 Platoon, 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry patrol and search compounds within the Zjarey district, west of Kandahar

Dropping the Canadian citizenship prerequisite and signing up landed immigrants is just one idea being considered, Capt. Helene Tremblay said.

"If we want to meet our recruitment targets, it might be necessary," Tremblay, a military career counsellor at Montreal's Canadian Forces recruiting centre, told the Montreal Gazette.

A decision is expected in the next few months, she added.

Major Andy Coxhead, spokesperson for the Forces' main recruiting group at Ontario's Camp Borden, confirmed discussions among military officials about boosting recruitment were ongoing and some changes would indeed be implemented.

No decision that threatens national security will be taken and any "radical change" to the recruiting process will require high-level approval, Coxhead told the Gazette.

Last year, 5,873 men and women joined the Canadian Forces.

However, Tremblay said those numbers are not enough for the Canadian military to sustain itself and eventually it may be unable to meet international commitments.

At any given time, 40 per cent of Canada's 63,000 regular troops and reservists are engaged in operational missions and pre-deployment, she added.

Canada's high-profile mission in Afghanistan is one of only 18 to which the Forces are committed.

Just last week, Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada's top general, revealed some ambitious new deadlines to boost military recruitment and speed up the process of enrollment.

By Oct. 1, Hillier said he wants 30 per cent of recruits enrolled within a week, and 40 per cent more enlisted within a month. That's down from the 90 days it takes on average now to get a new recruit enlisted and set for basic training.

It's a dramatic attempt to crank up recruiting to meet the Conservatives' vow to increase the armed forces by 13,000 new full-time soldiers and another 10,000 reservists over the coming years.

The military's national recruitment program, known as Operation Connection, aims to raise the military's profile and eventually boost troop strength to 75,000 over the next five years.

The military is also attempting to boost its medical ranks by promising bonuses of up to $225,000, free tuition and rising salaries to medical school students willing to enrol.