Canadian soldiers patrol the area around a NORAD satellite relay dome in Yukon in March, 2025.Gavin John/The Globe and Mail
Against a backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats, a gruelling trade war and global economic uncertainty, Canada’s defence strategy has come back into focus.
Prime Minister Mark Carney released a new plan for growing Canada’s domestic defence industry on Tuesday, which includes prioritizing building military equipment at home and adding up to 125,000 jobs over the next decade.
The moves build on earlier commitments by Ottawa to increase the size of the Canadian Armed Forces, specifically the part-time Reserve Force. The military already has in motion an initiative to increase the number of its part-time soldiers to 400,000. As of March 31, 2024, the total Reserve Force numbered 44,482.
So what exactly is the Reserve Force, who is eligible to apply and why is there renewed interest? Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know.
What is the Reserve Force?
Youth in the Royal Canadian Navy's Raven Indigenous youth employment program, specifically designed for Indigenous youth. Upon graduating, they'll receive the CAF army reserve basic military qualification and the option of joining the Reserve Force.CHAD HIPOLITO/The Globe and Mail
The Reserve Force is a subset of the Canadian Armed Forces. It is largely composed of part-time participants who hold other jobs or are students in college or university. Reservists support the navy, army and air force both at home and abroad with tasks such as assisting in relief and recovery efforts during natural disasters and working security at events.
It is split into three classes and four subgroups, though most members are part-time and serve in Class A of the Primary Reserve Force. Classes B and C are for full-time reservists. The other subgroups –the Canadian Rangers, the Supplementary Reserve, and the Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service – have more specialized mandates. The Canadian Rangers, for example, specifically serve in remote areas of the country.
What are the requirements to join the Reserve Force?
Applicants to the Reserve Force must have Canadian citizenship or permanent residency. They must also be at least 16 years old and have a Grade 10 education (or Secondary 4 in Quebec).
In terms of service, reserve members typically work one night a week and one weekend a month. They train with a local unit, just like members of the regular Forces.
What is the process to apply for the Reserve Force?
Individuals must first apply to the Canadian Forces at large. Required documents include a birth certificate, government-issued photo ID, education transcripts and proof of trade qualifications or professional licences. Additional forms may be required for specific trades or jobs.
Applications for prioritized positions will be processed before others, and candidates for these critical roles may qualify for joining incentives such as a recruiting allowance of up to $50,000.
All applicants undergo a background check, a medical exam and an employment and personality assessment to evaluate qualities such as “physical fitness and athletics, teamwork and leadership skills and well-roundedness,” according to the Forces website. The final step is an interview.
Reserve units can be found in more than 100 communities across the country. Individuals interested in joining can also contact a local armoury.
How much do members of the Reserve Force get paid?
Reservists are paid a daily rate that starts at $143.76 for privates, aviators and second- and third-class sailors. Rates increase base on rank and occupation. A master corporal or master sailor, for example, receives a starting rate of $217.22 a day. Lieutenant-colonel or commander roles start at $423.66 a day.
Are more people applying to join the military?
In 2025, the Auditor-General released a series of reports that found the Forces had fallen short of recruitment targets.
But lots of people are still applying. As of early January, applications for the regular Forces were up 12.9 per cent in the 2025-26 fiscal year, compared with last year.
In the previous fiscal year, the Forces enrolled 6,706 members – the highest number in the past decade.
So far, the largest share of applications are from Southern Ontario, which accounts for 32.7. The Prairies and the North followed with 20 per cent, then Quebec with 15 per cent.
Women make up 30 per cent of applicants for the regular Forces in the 2025-26 fiscal year, with 921 enrolled as of Jan. 7. Last fiscal year, 1,178 women enrolled.
Permanent residents have accounted for 27 per cent of applications to the Forces since April 2025.
As for the Reserve Force, specifically, applications are either up or on par in each of the three branches: the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
As of Feb. 2, the Army Reserve received 22,219 applications for the current fiscal year – down from more than 25,000 applications last year – but expect similar numbers once February and March totals are added.
Applications for the Air Reserve are at 3,808 in the current fiscal year, up from 2,480 last year. Meanwhile, the Air Reserve has had 108 enrolments this year so far, compared to 63 from the same time last year.
Meanwhile, the Naval Reserve has received 3,997 applications so far in the current fiscal year.
Why is there renewed interest in the Canadian Armed Forces?
Canadian soldiers in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories on Feb. 15.Carlos Osorio/Reuters
The CAF said it would be difficult to directly correlate an increase in applications to any specific event. This year’s increase is in line with trends that were already emerging in the previous four years, it said.
Gaëlle Rivard Piché, executive director of the Conference of Defence Associations, said the recent uptick in applications is likely the result of several converging factors rather than a single cause – a combination of “internal reforms within the CAF, external geopolitical pressures and broader political and economic timing.”
She pointed to recent improvements to the bureaucratic side of things (faster processing times and more flexible entry standards) and efforts to address long-standing cultural issues (such as sexual misconduct and a lack of diversity).
Increased defence spending has also helped make the Forces a more attractive employer by improving the quality of life on bases (including better housing, connectivity and infrastructure) and raising pay, she said. (The 2025 Auditor-General reports found that some housing facilities lacked running water or functioning toilets.)
But broader shifts in public discourse and the global security environment have also likely played a key role, Ms. Piché added.
“Heightened geopolitical tensions, Arctic sovereignty concerns, uncertainty around the future of security alliances such as NATO, and an increasingly unstable United States have made national defence feel more immediate and relevant,” she said.
“Historically, CAF recruitment has tended to rise during periods of heightened insecurity, with the most notable example being the immediate aftermath of 9/11.”
Where does Canada stand on defence strategy? What about the global context?
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Industry Minister Melanie Joly arrive at Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE) on Montreal on Tuesday. Ms. Joly said the government’s new strategy is about building industrial sovereignty.ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP/Getty Images
The defence industrial strategy announced on Tuesday aims to more than triple Canadian defence-industry revenue, increase defence exports by 50 per cent and create 125,000 jobs over the next decade.
Ottawa is also shaking up its main economic immigration program to facilitate the entry of high-skilled military recruits. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced new categories for selecting immigrants on Wednesday, including a change to bring in “highly skilled foreign military applicants” for roles such as doctors, nurses and pilots.
This follows the Prime Minister’s commitment last June to the biggest increase in military spending since the Second World War. And in November, Canada’s General Jennie Carignan, who is Chief of the Defence Staff, announced her intention to recruit 400,000 volunteers to join a reserve force within the next five to 10 years.
In other strategy news, The Globe and Mail recently reported that the Forces modelled a hypothetical U.S. military invasion of Canada. The imagined response relied heavily on irregular military and armed civilians.
Since the beginning of his second presidential term, Mr. Trump has increasingly hurled threats of tariffs, annexation and more at Canada. His rhetoric regarding Greenland and his interest in the Arctic for national security purposes have also drawn attention.
Elsewhere, conflicts in Gaza, Iran, Ukraine, Sudan and Venezuela have added to a sense of global instability.
With reports from Steven Chase, Robert Fife, Gavin John, Pippa Norman, Vanmala Subramaniam and Stephanie Levitz.