Desperate to boost recruitment in an alarmingly undermanned military, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) decided to clear applicants with pre-existing medical conditions.

Apparently, a fellow with cerebral palsy, a serious neurological condition, at Quebec’s Saint-Jean’s recruit school fits this rule: An applicant’s “medical condition must not prevent the recruit from the physical demands of the trade they are applying for.”

How is this fair to him, no matter what capacity he serves in, or members he serves beside?

“They’re trying things that are really not going to work,” said retired Lt.-Gen. Michel Maisonneuve who served 35 years.

He commented on the relaxed medical requirements and failing recruitment efforts.

“First of all, reducing the medical requirements means that people will not be necessarily universally able to serve. It’s always been the thing, universality of service.”

This cerebral palsy recruit was exposed on a recent The Hard To Kill podcast with CAF veteran Dave Morrow. Independent sources have verified this to the Western Standard.

“We cannot discuss specific details of a member's training status, health, treatment and personal situation because those details are confidential and cannot be disclosed under the Privacy Act,” said senior National Defence communications spokesman Derek Abma.

But he didn’t deny it.

“There were too many sources saying ‘Yeah, this is true, and it isn’t the first time,’” Morrow told the Western Standard. “This goes a lot further than we think.”

One platoon commander at Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School (CFLRS) said “they had guys that literally couldn’t do their buttons up.”

“Not because they were injured but because they had severe neurological disorders. Guys that had full-on autism. I don’t know how these guys get through,” said Morrow. “This shocked me and I’ve seen and heard a lot. To me it’s abuse. How can you possibly let someone like that in? I’m convinced there are people who clearly don’t have the cognitive capacity to be in the forces.”

“This was before they dropped the standards.”

The Department of National Defence (DND) “will be moving toward a modernized enrollment standard allowing applicants with pre-existing medical conditions to enrol.” This move from a “one-size-fits-all” medical requirement will “commence by late spring/early summer 2024” with decisions made on a “case-by-case basis.”

Medical conditions “may” result in someone being ineligible, but wink wink apply anyway, said the website.

They include: Visual impairments such as glaucoma and double vision; deafness or perforated eardrums; asthma, chronic pulmonary disease (COPD); chronic bronchitis, emphysema and cystic fibrosis; history of myocardial infarction or coronary artery disease; blood disorder histories including hemophilia; chronic digestive and kidney disorders; diabetes types 1 and 2; neurological conditions including multiple sclerosis and seizure disorders; mental health issues such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), recurrent depression; anxiety and/or panic disorders; bipolar, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and Rheumatoid arthritis.

So much for the “lean, mean fighting machine” Canada needs, veteran Mike Meilleur told the Western Standard’s Cory Morgan.

“When someone has been injured or has a disease or they’re sick or disabled, unfortunately, they’ve been released out of the military,” said Maisonneuve.

“Now you’re talking about taking those who have already got existing conditions. Look, if its asthma a little bit, or something that’s not necessarily going to affect their service, I could see it.”

There are better ways to draw people in at a time when the “ground is pretty fertile” because, according to polls, “60% of Canadians think we’re not paying enough attention to the military.”

“If you’re going to improve recruitment writ large you need to have somebody who is going to talk about the importance of service to your country, who is going to talk about the honour of being in the military, who is going to say this is really important and we need to make Canadians understand that,” he said.

“That has to be the prime minister. Did you notice when the DPU ((Defence Policy Update) was unveiled, he never talked about service in his remarks? There was no talk about the importance of service to Canada, the honour of being of service to your country.”

Maissoneuve pointed to the US Marine Corps having no problem meeting recruitment quotas because “they talk about the importance of national service.”

Two things have been the “real holdup” in CAF recruiting.

“One is the medical assessment. When we had military doctors that was a pretty quick thing. Now they go to civilian doctors. They line up like the rest of them and it takes time.”

“The second thing is security classification. They need to have a security background check done. Of course, permanent residents don’t have all the documentation that full-fledged Canadians would have. So, it’s difficult sometimes to get the security classifications done.”

When the Armed Forces allowed permanent residents to apply in 2022, of 21,000 applications only 100 were accepted a year later.

Priority has been on relaxing dress, identity and gender standards.

“They thought that was going to help. It has not.”

Word is the gender-identity issues, the clothing, the long hair is “going to change soon,” he said.

“They’re backtracking on some of those regulations. I haven’t seen anything official.”

Do employment equity quotas serve Canadians well?

“Let’s look back on history. Who has fought for Canada? Yes, we have outstanding indigenous, we’ve had outstanding multi-racial Canadians fight, but let’s go with meritocracy, the best candidates get in. That’s it. Let’s make an effort to recruit everybody and have a diverse force by making it open and no barriers to anyone.”

Back to medical conditions.

“It would not be just or appropriate for the person who has now been told you can join, but all of a sudden, you’ve got cerebral palsy, my God.”

“But the people standing beside him, they’re the ones that have to pick up the load when the person can’t do it. That is the whole issue here, these accommodations sometimes force those that don’t have accommodations to do more than they would normally have to.”

“If someone is a little bit weak — in a platoon you’ll have strong people, weak people, you’ll have women and you’ll have men — if their partners can’t pick up their rifle and carry it, well, of course you’re going to help.”

How about a female perspective? Retired Maj. Barbara Maissoneuve served 21 years and on some difficult foreign missions.

Targetting minorities has expanded to targetting people by removing the medical restrictions, she said.

“Then they throw that caveat in ‘as long as you can meet the standard.’ Well, the whole time you’ve got this person who isn’t going to meet the standard. While that’s happening a dozen, two dozen, how many are waiting in line for his chance?”

“The white guy, the farmer’s son who is going to be a great warrior, he’s waiting three months to get his medical appointment and the rest because we’re virtue-signalling and saying ‘Oh, we’re going to take this kid with mental issues or gender issues. We’re going to try to figure out where to find another bathroom for whatever gender they’re identifying with.’”

“While that’s happening, our warriors are waiting in line and going to get a job at McDonald’s or something because they can’t wait anymore.”

Trails to let more women in encountered obstacles.

“They couldn’t meet the standards. So, reduce the backpack now to 40 pounds from 60 pounds. That means my partner is going to have to carry the extra rope and the radio because I can’t do it. That’s not fair to him and it’s not fair to me either.”

“When push comes to shove, ask any mother, ‘Who do you want to pull your son out of the trench, me or my warrior husband?’ I’m not going to be offended by your answer, because that’s just the way it is.”

Another veteran who confirmed the cerebral palsy recruit pointed to the culling of members who refused the COVID-19 jab.

“They released thousands of competent, experienced trained people. Now they can’t hire enough people,” he said.

“In 2022, we lost 12,000 people. People left. A portion of that was the jab. The remaining soldiers that refused the jab got released by summer 2022. Last year we lost 6,000 and only hired 1,500. Regular force is down to 21,000.”

“The rest are leaving because of woke policies. CAF has become a sh*t show like I’ve never seen before.”

Abma said 906 recruits are now at CFLRS. Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre, told the CBC that to meet the new defence policy and NORAD demands, the military must recruit and retain another 30,000 members to meet a goal of 71,000 regular and 30,000 reserve forces.

Brig.-Gen. Krista Brodie, in charge of overseeing military recruitment has repeatedly emphasized the CAF must maintain a “combat capable force.”

“If you're letting in people with severe disabilities, is that combat capable?” said Morrow.

LETTER: Triggered by Pipeline

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