Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan has been promoting a plan to create a pool of 300,000 minimally trained volunteers for national emergencies, and military planners are recommending that the Canadian Forces review equipment slated for disposal and instead provide it to this new mobilization force.
Equipment divestments should be reviewed
“Current and future divestments of equipment should be reviewed and deferred if the affected equipment may be of use to enhance a pool available for training of the M Res,” planners noted in a May 2025 report. Examples include uniforms and previous generations of small arms.
The mobilization reserve force, known as M Res, was first reported by the Ottawa Citizen in October 2025. Those working on the initiative have raised concerns about whether there will be enough equipment for the 300,000 recruits and have proposed turning over surplus gear for training.
Keep equipment simple and similar to civilian systems
Another consideration is to keep equipment relatively basic. “Consideration should be given to procuring training, and potentially operational, equipment that is simple and where possible similar to civilian systems to leverage familiarity,” the planners noted. “It is also anticipated that in the case of large-scale conflict it will not be possible to produce high complexity equipment at the rate required to replace losses.”
Streamline enrollment but accept higher risk
The planners also recommended changes to streamline the military’s enrollment system to handle such a large number of new recruits. “The need for efficiency must be balanced against the risk of enrolling unsuitable candidates,” they pointed out. “However, the risk tolerance for the M Res should differ from that applied to the Regular Force or Primary Reserve. It is preferable to accept a higher volume of applicants and allow for some ineligible individuals, rather than implement an overly complex process that delays enrollment.”
Those deemed unfit to serve could be redirected to the Department of National Defence or other federal departments to support activation of the mobilization plan if required, according to the documents.
Carignan to present options in June 2026
In May 2026, Carignan told CBC she was finalizing recommendations for the new force and expected to present various options to the Liberal government in June.
Department of National Defence spokeswoman Andrée-Anne Poulin stated in an email to the Ottawa Citizen that mobilization planning was still in the early assessment stage. “As part of prudent planning, DND/CAF are conducting research and analysis, which includes examining best practices from allies and partners, while accounting for Canada’s unique circumstances, such as its vast geography and Arctic and northern realities,” she wrote. “Any mobilization framework would require sustained development and phased implementation.”
