Ottawa Should Heed Machiavelli's Warning
In February 2026, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced a program under which members of foreign armies can get Permanent Residence in Canada.
On February 18, 2026, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced a program under which people who served in foreign armies and have a job offer from the Canadian Armed Forces can apply to become permanent residents.
Machiavelli warned in The Prince about mercenaries:
"Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous; and if one holds his state based on these arms, he will stand neither firm nor safe...
The fact is, they have no other attraction or reason for keeping the field than a trifle of stipend, which is not sufficient to make them willing to die for you.
❗They are ready enough to be your soldiers whilst you do not make war, but if war comes they take themselves off or run from the foe;"
The "stipend" in this case is a pathway to PR status. That is what will drive the decision to join the CAF — not allegiance, nor the desire to serve this country.
I know quite a few people who are desperately looking for legal ways to stay in Canada, so this might be attractive. However, what happens when their status is secured and/or there is an actual conflict the CAF is involved in? Will those who joined for economic/immigration reasons stay when the possibility of serious bodily harm or death becomes likely?
The 2025 report of the Auditor General of Canada, titled "Recruiting for Canada's Military," had a nice graphic (see report link and image below) illustrating the fact that our recruiting problem is not caused by lack of interest from Canadians. Our problem is bureaucracy.
⏳ Personal example: it took me two years to join the CAF.
In that amount of time:
- My application was lost.
- My recruiter changed.
- Some documents I sent were lost, and I was blamed for not submitting them, so I had to forward emails to prove otherwise, including confirmations that they were received.
- My fitness test and medical expired, so I had to redo them.
- I moved to a different city.
🤔 Why would people not walk away and do something else with their life?
If we already have tens of thousands of motivated citizens stuck in administrative limbo, shouldn’t we fix that system before creating new immigration pipelines?
2025 AG Report: https://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_202510_07_e_44723.html
