Canadian Military Plans Mobilisation to Boost Reserves to 400,000 Personnel

The Canadian Armed Forces have initiated a major mobilisation initiative aimed at increasing the number of reservists — currently at 28,000 — to 400,000.

According to a directive signed on May 30, 2025, by Chief of the Defence Staff General Jennie Carignan and Deputy Minister of Defence Stefanie Beck, the number of operational reserves is to be raised to 100,000 and the supplementary and other reserves to 300,000.

A special “tiger team” has been formed at the Department of National Defence’s Ottawa campus to prepare the Defence Mobilisation Plan (DMP). Its task is to identify the legislative and structural changes required to bring in such a large number of Canadians into the military.

The initiative’s authors stressed that the plan will require a “whole-of-society” effort — involving the government, all departments, and citizens alike. The plan is designed to enable a rapid, scalable response to crises ranging from natural disasters to large-scale combat operations.

The team will also draw on the experience of other countries, notably Finland, which has a compulsory military service system.

However, experts note that the plan’s execution is complicated by current recruitment and training shortfalls. A recent report by Auditor General Karen Hogan found that the Canadian Forces are struggling to recruit and train enough skilled personnel, and that the recruitment process currently takes twice as long as intended.

Nevertheless, Defence leadership maintains that the mobilisation plan is essential to ensure Canada’s security and independence amid rising global tensions.