armed forces
Lest we forget our military
From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
By Lee Harding
An ocean of distance separates Flanders Fields from Ottawa. By now, we are separated just as much from the sentiments of the poem with the same name. In Flanders fields
An ocean of distance separates Flanders Fields from Ottawa. By now, we are separated just as much from the sentiments of the poem with the same name.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
………..If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
The author, John McCrae, was one of 61,000 Canadian soldiers killed in the Great War. Forty thousand Canadians followed them In the Second World War. Their sacrifice, competence, and accomplishments did much at home and abroad to make the world notice the once-colonial Canada had come of age.
Alas, the armed forces began to erode a generation later. In early 1968 we saw the integration of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) partially as an exercise to reduce military spending and its numbers from over 105,000 to 70,000. The military expanded to 88,000 in the 1989 under Brian Mulroney’s leadership, but eroded thereafter.
The military in recent years has been increasingly short changed especially during the most recent years a time when the federal government has massively ramped up spending most everywhere else. Whereas Pierre Trudeau wanted to pull Canada out of NATO decades ago, his son Justin simply balks at the organization’s target of two per cent of GDP-spending. Instead, the sparsely-populated, second-largest country in the world dedicates just 1.29% of its economy to defence with an effective force of only 38,000 troops. Our $36.7 billion annual expenditure is about $20 billion short.
Back to Trudeau Sr. who had some unconventional sympathies. In 1952, he joined five Canadian Communists at a Soviet-sponsored conference in Russia. In 1960, he sojourned through China for six weeks at the invitation of the Maoist state, the same year he naively attempted to canoe from Florida to Revolutionary Cuba. As prime minister, Trudeau Sr. cherished Soviet ambassador to Canada, Alexander Yakovlev as a dear friend. Visits to Chairman Mao in China in 1973 and Fidel Castro in Cuba in 1976 brought mutual praise from both.
It’s hard to rally the troops against your foes when you consider them friends, so it was perhaps for both father and son. At the beginning of his new mandate in 2015 the new PM stated his admiration for China the most of all countries for its ability to get things done quickly because of it “basic dictatorship.” Coincidentally it turned out that the Canadian military was hosting Chinese troops on Canadian soil to train them in winter warfare.
Military readiness was subverted to politics when showcasing diversity and recruiting sexual minorities became the CAF’s overwhelming obsession. Unfortunately, this was not the only political overlay to distract, if not undermine, the forces.
Lawyer Catherine Christensen, who represents 300 veterans, told the National Citizen’s Inquiry on COVID-19 that the vaccine mandate devastated the military–and for this she holds the PM primarily responsible. Divisions killed morale, objectors retired early or were dishonourably discharged, while some were vaccine-injured. She warned the already bare-bones military has been reduced to a disturbingly vulnerable state.
Recently, military chaplains were informed they could no longer pray at public ceremonies, especially to a God conceived as a “He.” One military chaplain lamented to the press that Canada had “violated” its “covenant with the dead” who fought “for God and country.”
Lest we forget? Too late, we already have. In September, all 338 MPs stood and applauded an alleged Nazi who fought against our Russian allies in WWII. If McCrae is right, Canada’s war dead are all astir while its living are fast asleep.
Author
Lee Harding is a Research Fellow at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
MxM News
Quick Hit:
The Army has already exceeded its 2025 recruiting goal of 61,000 troops—four months ahead of schedule—as the Trump administration’s rollback of woke policies draws thousands back to military service.
Key Details:
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The Army’s 2025 recruiting goal was 61,000—higher than last year’s 55,000—and has already been met with more than four months remaining in the fiscal year. Officials report a 56% increase in average daily enlistment rates over last year.
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Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll thanked Trump and Hegseth, saying their “decisive leadership” and “putting soldiers first” contributed to the record-breaking numbers.
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Hegseth has aggressively pushed to eliminate leftist cultural initiatives in the military, including moves to administratively separate transgender troops and rename a Navy ship previously dedicated to gay rights icon Harvey Milk.
Diving Deeper:
The U.S. Army has reached a major milestone ahead of schedule—signing up 61,000 new recruits in fiscal year 2025, effectively smashing its annual goal months before the September 30th deadline. The achievement marks a dramatic shift after years of underperformance and is being touted as a vindication of the Trump administration’s efforts to reorient the military away from progressive social engineering and back toward warfighting readiness.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed Tuesday, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll praised the recruiting corps, attributing their success to both boots-on-the-ground determination and high-level support. “I’m incredibly proud of our U.S. Army recruiters and drill sergeants,” he said. “Their colossal efforts and dedication to duty helped the U.S. Army accomplish our FY25 annual recruiting goal a full four months ahead of schedule.” Driscoll continued, “I want to thank the commander in chief, President Trump, and Secretary of Defense Hegseth for their decisive leadership and support.”
The Army’s target of 61,000 recruits was a notable jump from last year’s 55,000 goal. Officials say that as of this month, daily enlistment figures are tracking 56% higher than the previous year.
Driving the increase, many believe, is the sweeping overhaul of military culture underway under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth has made no secret of his intent to steer the armed forces away from what he calls “woke and weak” policies. That includes the Pentagon’s past focus on gender identity politics, climate initiatives, and mandatory diversity training—priorities Hegseth sees as incompatible with combat readiness.
“We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind,” Hegseth declared during remarks last month at the Special Operations Forces Week convention in Tampa. “No more pronouns, no more climate change obsession, no more emergency vaccine mandates. No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that s***.”
Hegseth emphasized a military rooted in “lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness,” and added pointedly, “Our combat formations don’t need to look like Harvard University—they need to look like killers.”
In line with that shift, Hegseth also this week ordered the Navy to remove Harvey Milk’s name from a replenishment ship. The vessel had been named in honor of Milk, a gay rights activist and former Navy officer who was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 before being assassinated a year later.
The directive aligns with what Hegseth calls “warrior culture” and the broader mission to reflect Trump administration priorities across the military’s assets and institutions. The Pentagon has yet to confirm a new name for the USNS Harvey Milk, and a spokesperson said reviews are ongoing.
The Army is set to mark its 250th anniversary on June 14th—a symbolic moment, officials say, as it reclaims its footing and begins to rebuild the force from a position of strength.
Quick Hit:
The Pentagon released a dramatic new ad Sunday featuring President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, highlighting the end of woke policies in the military and a renewed focus on strength, discipline, and warfighting.
Key Details:
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The ad, titled Peace through Strength, features intense training and combat scenes, underscored by speeches from Trump and Hegseth.
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“No more distraction, no more electric tanks, no more gender confusion, no more climate change worship,” Hegseth proclaims, signaling a sharp pivot from recent Pentagon policies.
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Trump promises that under his leadership, U.S. military success will be defined “not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars we end,” calling for peace built on American strength.
NEW U.S. MILITARY AD HITS HARD🇺🇸
"We are laser focused on our mission of warfighting… Our friends will respect us, our enemies will fear us, and the whole world will admire the unrivaled greatness of the United States Military" pic.twitter.com/jdm3MikswO
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 27, 2025
Diving Deeper:
The Pentagon launched a forceful new recruitment and branding campaign over Memorial Day weekend, spotlighting the military’s return to fundamentals under the leadership of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump. The minute-long ad, titled Peace through Strength, premiered Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR event and was simultaneously posted to the Department of Defense’s social media accounts.
Using fast-paced training footage and dramatic music, the ad showcases troops in battlefield simulations and highlights a no-nonsense message from the Trump administration. Hegseth opens with a clear declaration: “No more distraction, no more electric tanks, no more gender confusion, no more climate change worship. We are laser-focused on our mission of warfighting.”
The video includes remarks from Trump affirming his vision for a military built on discipline and deterrence. “Through our power and might, we will lead the world to peace,” he says. “Our friends will respect us. Our enemies will fear us. And the whole world will admire the unrivaled greatness of the United States military.”
The ad was produced using previously recorded training footage, according to a Pentagon spokesperson who spoke to The New York Post.
Hegseth also makes a direct appeal to America’s youth, praising “incredible” young men and women “giving up the best years of their lives” to defend the country. He closes the ad with a quote that underscores the values behind the mission: “We don’t fight because we hate what’s in front of us. We fight because we love what’s behind us.”
The backdrop to the ad is a recruiting crisis that had plagued the military under Biden. In fiscal year 2022, the U.S. Army fell short by roughly 25% of its enlistment target. Similar gaps were recorded across other branches in 2023, with both the Navy and Air Force reporting thousands fewer recruits than needed.
Reversing that trend has been a key objective for Hegseth. He has made it clear that returning to a warrior culture—and scrapping the distractions of social experimentation—is central to solving the problem.
The ad’s release comes just days after the House passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which adds $150 billion in new military funding. That package includes investments in shipbuilding, defense modernization, and Trump’s space-based Golden Dome missile defense initiative.
Together, the new ad and the legislation serve as a one-two punch from the Trump administration, signaling a full-spectrum push to rebuild, rearm, and reinspire the U.S. Armed Forces.
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