Members of the Canadian Armed Forces march at a parade in Calgary on July 8, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Permanent residents can now apply to join the Canadian Armed Forces, regardless of whether they have been trained by a foreign military.
It's the latest effort by Canada's military to boost recruitment numbers, which are lagging well behind the target of adding 5,900 new members by March.
Officials have blamed a series of factors including the COVID-19 pandemic and reputational issues stemming from a number of high-profile sexual misconduct cases for the current shortfall of nearly 8,000 soldiers, sailors and aviators.
Until now, permanent residents in Canada could sign up only if they were skilled professionals who were trained by foreign militaries, but the federal government is now broadening the pool of applicants.
The Department of National Defence says joining the military can help permanent residents gain citizenship, in part because their applications are given priority by immigration officials.
On October, chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre ordered an immediate halt to all non-essential activities in favour of boosting military recruitment and retention.
The Armed Forces has also been pushing for greater diversity in its ranks, with targeted recruiting of under-represented groups and efforts to create a more inclusive workplace by doing things like easing dress rules.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2022.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he’s invited premiers to Ottawa for a 'working meeting' to discuss a health-care funding deal, on Feb. 7.
As the minority Liberals plot out their policy moves ahead of the 2023 parliamentary sitting, weighing heavily are commitments Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh that have to be acted on this year in order to uphold the two-party confidence-and-supply deal. Here is what needs to get done to keep the deal alive.
Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem says he thinks Canada is 'turning the corner' on inflation, but he isn't ruling out that the country could enter a 'mild recession.' In an English-language broadcast exclusive interview with CTV National News Ottawa Bureau Chief Joyce Napier, Macklem encouraged Canadians to prepare a 'buffer' to withstand 'tougher times.'
After six weeks, more than 70 witnesses, and the submission of more than 7,000 documents into evidence, the public hearing portion of the Public Order Emergency Commission wrapped up on Friday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sat down with CTV National News Chief News Anchor and Senior Editor Omar Sachedina for a year-end interview to reflect on the political shifts experienced in 2022, and to contemplate the challenges ahead in 2023. Here is a full transcript of the interview.
Based on Justin Trudeau's first-day fail in the House of Commons, 'meeting the moment' is destined to become the most laughable slogan since the elder Pierre Trudeau’s disastrous campaign rallying cry in 1972, which insisted 'the land is strong' just as the economy tanked.
Like Jacinda Ardern, Justin Trudeau’s early handling of the pandemic was a reassuring communications exercise where harsh isolation measures went down easier with a hefty helping of government support, Don Martin writes in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca. 'But like the New Zealand Prime Minister, the Canadian PM's best days are arguably behind him. '
The Standing Committee on Transport gathered Thursday with MPs demanding an explanation for how that highly unusual Canadian winter combination of heavy snow and cold temperatures which delayed or cancelled thousands of post-pandemic reunions. What they got was a gold-medal finger-pointing performance, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
From a more coherent public health and carbon tax position, to cutting the 'Freedom Convoy' connection and smiling more, Pierre Poilievre has seven New Year's resolutions to woo the voters in 2023, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
Find out what 'the best brains in Canadian politics' are predicting for Canadian politics in 2023, in Don Martin's exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
Canada's new special representative on combating Islamophobia says she is sorry that her words have hurt Quebecers.
A long-time CBC radio producer who was the victim of a random assault in Toronto last week has died, the public broadcaster confirms.
Candice Bergen, the former interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, is resigning from Parliament.
The former director of a zoo in southern Mexico killed four of the zoo's pygmy goats and served them up at a Christmas-season party, authorities said.The former director of a zoo in southern Mexico killed four of the zoo's pygmy goats and served them up at a Christmas-season party, authorities said.
U.S. House Republicans on Wednesday began their promised aggressive oversight of the Biden administration, focusing on what watchdogs described as 'indications of widespread fraud' in federal coronavirus aid programs initiated under then-president Donald Trump.
Higher grocery prices are expected to hit stores across Canada soon as a blackout on price increases over the holiday season comes to an end.
Police have released a video of a driver who smashed a vehicle through the doors of Vaughan, Ont. mall early Wednesday before allegedly breaking into an electronics store.
Nearly 130,000 Helly Hansen sweaters and hoodies have been recalled in Canada due to flammability concerns.
The federal government is expected to introduce a law as early as Thursday to delay the extension of medically assisted dying eligibility to people whose sole underlying condition is a mental disorder.
Higher grocery prices are expected to hit stores across Canada soon as a blackout on price increases over the holiday season comes to an end.
Police have released a video of a driver who smashed a vehicle through the doors of Vaughan, Ont. mall early Wednesday before allegedly breaking into an electronics store.
Nearly 130,000 Helly Hansen sweaters and hoodies have been recalled in Canada due to flammability concerns.
A second key player of Alberta's last government revealed their landing spot on Wednesday: former premier Jason Kenney is joining Bennett Jones' Calgary office.
An Alberta First Nation is to sign an agreement today with Ottawa giving it the autonomy to administer its child welfare.
A long-time CBC radio producer who was the victim of a random assault in Toronto last week has died, the public broadcaster confirms.
Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, put its navy on alert and activated missile systems in response to nearby operations of 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships that are part Beijing's strategy to unsettle and intimidate the self-governing island democracy.
A couple abandoned their baby at an airport check-in desk in Tel Aviv, Israel after arriving without a ticket for the child.
Donald Trump's bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 got off to a modest fundraising start, with his campaign ending the year with about US$7 million on hand while his Save America fund had about $18 million, according to financial disclosures released on Tuesday.
The FBI searched U.S. President Joe Biden's vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Wednesday without finding any classified documents, the president's attorney said. Agents did take some handwritten notes and other materials relating to Biden's time as vice president for review.
Four key suspects in the killing of Haiti's president appeared for the first time in U.S. federal court Wednesday to face accusations that they plotted and participated in his assassination, a day after they were transferred to the United States for prosecution.
Newly empowered House Republicans are preparing to oust an African-born Black lawmaker, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, from the Foreign Affairs Committee over comments she has made critical of Israel -- and as payback after Democrats booted far-right Republicans from panels for incendiary, violent remarks.
The NDP is calling on a House of Commons committee to expand its study of federal contracts awarded to McKinsey & Company and include other consulting firms that have received large contracts.
Candice Bergen, the former interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, is resigning from Parliament.
Canada's new special representative on combating Islamophobia says she is sorry that her words have hurt Quebecers.
Lawmakers in Finland approved amendments Wednesday that will make it substantially easier for people to change their legally recognized gender in the Nordic country.
New guidelines on long-term care services by the Health Standards Organization say residents should receive at least four hours of direct care each day. If you or a loved one are living in long-term care, we want to hear from you.
A new report from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is highlighting 'significant inequities' in women's health care that is disproportionately affecting racialized and Indigenous women, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community and those living with low socioeconomic status.
In 2022, San Francisco-based Yelp removed more than 2,000 racist business reviews before they went online -- a nearly 10-fold jump over the year before.
An archeological team from Saint Mary's University will travel to France this summer to use ground-penetrating radar and other technology to assist a United States defence agency recover and identify military personnel missing since the Second World War.
A chance discovery in a Canadian laboratory could help extend the life of laptop, phone and electric car batteries.
Hindenburg Research, the financial research firm with an explosive name and a track record of sending the stock prices of its targets tumbling, is taking on one of the world's richest men. Hindenburg is back in the headlines after last week accusing Indian conglomerate Adani Group of 'a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme.'
Losses in the energy sector helped lead Canada's main stock index lower in late-morning trading as it fell more than 100 points, while U.S. markets also fell ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest interest rate decision this afternoon.
A report from an investor-focused advocacy group raises questions about how well some of Canada's biggest investors are meeting their climate commitments. The report from Investors for Paris Compliance (IPC) looks at the voting records on shareholder proposals by 19 Canadian members of Climate Action 100+, a global coalition with around 700 members representing over $68 trillion in assets under management.
The U.K. Supreme Court says people who live in glass houses have a right to privacy too.
Atlantic Lottery says someone in Cape Breton has a record-breaking, multimillion-dollar winning lottery ticket.
News that she'd be headed back to the office was very welcoming for English instructor Kathy Andvaag, after more than two years teaching from her “dark” and “cold” basement.
John Herdman is staying put. After a morning of speculation fuelled by a New Zealand report that the Canada men's soccer coach had agreed to take over the 105th-ranked All Whites, Herdman and Canada Soccer put out the fire with a statement Wednesday.
Brittney Griner's return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a dramatic prisoner swap in December with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
LeBron James has climbed into fourth place on the NBA's assists list as he closes in on becoming the league's career scoring leader.
A good winter tire will always outperform an all-season tire in snowy, icy driving conditions and be the safer alternative. Edmunds' experts explain the importance of winter tires and offer advice on when to use them and how much you should pay.
The U.S. Justice Department has requested documents from Tesla related to its Autopilot and 'Full Self-Driving' features, according to a regulatory filing.
Europe is taking another big step toward cutting its energy ties with Russia, banning imports of diesel fuel and other products made from crude oil in Russian refineries. The European Union ban takes effect Feb. 5 following its embargo on coal and most oil from Russia.
