Rick Seymour: If we want strong national defence, we must support military families
As global instability grows and international threats evolve, Canada can no longer afford to underinvest in its national defence. The government's renewed commitment to strengthening the Canadian Armed Forces is timely — and long overdue. But as we debate where to allocate dollars, we must remember one fundamental truth: national defence isn't just about equipment or infrastructure. It's about people.
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Canada's military strength depends not only on ships, jets, and munitions — but on the human beings behind them. Recruitment, retention and readiness are impossible to achieve if we neglect the well-being of those who serve — and their families.
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In my role as CEO of the Together We Stand Foundation, one of Canada's few national charities dedicated to supporting serving military families, I've visited 15 operational bases across the country. The conversations I've had reveal a consistent, sobering reality: many military families face significant challenges — challenges that would be daunting for any Canadian household. These include inadequate housing, limited access to health care, unaffordable childcare, and even food insecurity.
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These struggles aren't the result of poor leadership within the military. They stem from decades of national complacency — a belief that our geography and global alliances would insulate us from harm. That belief no longer holds.
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We often describe our military as an insurance policy — a safeguard we hope never to use. But an insurance policy is only as strong as the people who uphold it.
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Right now, Canada's armed forces are under-resourced and stretched dangerously thin. We're more than 20,000 personnel short — and that's based on a target that's already lower than what our global commitments demand. Even more concerning, we're losing experienced members in the critical middle ranks — those essential to mentoring and training the next generation. Today, Canada has fewer troops than the Arkansas National Guard. Ammunition reserves are running low, and equipment across the Navy, Army and Air Force is aging. While much of the public conversation focuses on procurement and infrastructure — rightly so — we're still not talking enough about our most essential asset: people.
We need individuals motivated to enlist, willing to serve, and prepared to sacrifice. But they will only step forward — and stay — if their families are supported. Would you take a job knowing it meant frequent relocations, no access to a family doctor, limited child-care options and few job opportunities for your spouse? Would you agree to deploy for months on end, knowing your loved ones are left behind with rising bills and little support?
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