Editing Canadian Armed Forces (section)

==History==
{{main|Military history of Canada}}
{{see also|History of the Canadian Army|History of the Royal Canadian Navy|l2=Royal Canadian Navy|History of the Royal Canadian Air Force|l3=Royal Canadian Air Force|Monarchy of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces#History}}

===Origins and establishment===
{{more citations needed section|date=January 2017}}
[[File:The Canadian Militia, 1898.jpg|thumb|Uniforms of the [[Canadian militia]] in 1898. The Canadian Army traces its roots to the militia.]]
Prior to [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]] in 1867, residents of the colonies in what is now Canada served as regular members of French and British forces and in [[Colonial militia in Canada|local militia groups]]. The latter aided in the defence of their respective territories against attacks by other European powers, [[Aboriginal peoples in Canada|Indigenous peoples]], and later [[United States Armed Forces|American forces]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]] and [[War of 1812]], as well as in the [[Fenian raids]], [[Red River Rebellion]], and [[North-West Rebellion]]. Consequently, the lineages of some Canadian Army units stretch back to the late 18th century, when militia units were formed to assist in the defence of [[British North America]] against invasion by the United States.

The responsibility for military command remained with the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|British Crown]]-[[Queen-in-Council|in-Council]], with a [[Commander-in-Chief, North America|commander-in-chief for North America]] stationed in [[City of Halifax|Halifax]] until the final withdrawal of [[British Army]] and [[Royal Navy]] units from the city in 1906. Thereafter, the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] was formed, and, with the advent of military aviation, the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]]. These forces were organized under the [[Department of Militia and Defence (Canada)|Department of Militia and Defence]], and split into the [[Permanent Active Militia|Permanent]] and [[Non-Permanent Active Militia]]s{{mdash}}frequently shortened to simply ''[[Canadian militia|The Militia]].'' By 1923, the department was merged into the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]].
[[File:Canadian tank and soldiers Vimy 1917.jpg|thumb|Soldiers of the [[2nd Canadian Division]] behind a [[Mark II tank|Mark II]] [[female tank]] during the [[Battle of Vimy Ridge]]]]
The first significant overseas deployment of Canadian military forces occurred during the [[Second Boer War]] when several units were raised to serve under British command. Similarly, when the United Kingdom entered into conflict with Germany in the [[First World War]], Canadian troops were called to participate in European theatres. Battles that are particularly notable to the Canadian military include the [[Second Battle of Ypres]], the [[Battle of the Somme]], the [[Battle of Vimy Ridge]], the [[Second Battle of Passchendaele]], as well as a [[Canada's Hundred Days|series of attacks undertaken]] by the [[Canadian Corps]] during the [[Hundred Days Offensive]].

During this period, a distinctly Canadian army and navy were established, followed by an air force, that, because of the constitutional arrangements at the time, remained effectively under the control of the [[{{ucfirst:{{Canadian monarch, current|genderp=~}}}} Majesty's Government|British government]] until Canada gained [[Statute of Westminster 1931|legislative independence]] from the United Kingdom in 1931, in part due to the distinguished achievement and sacrifice of the Canadian Corps in the First World War.<ref>{{cite news |last=Nersessian |first=Mary |title=Vimy battle marks birth of Canadian nationalism |publisher=CTV |date=9 April 2007 |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070402/vimy_90years_070402 |access-date=20 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215182932/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070402/vimy_90years_070402 |archive-date=15 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book| last=Cook| first=Tim| publication-date=2008| title=Shock troops: Canadians fighting the Great War, 1917–1918| location=Toronto| publisher=Viking| isbn=978-0-670-06735-0| year=2008}}</ref> In November 1940, the Canadian militia was formally renamed the Canadian Army. However, in the 1950s, Reserve Army forces were once again referred to in official documentation as "Militia", which, although rare, is still used to refer to part-time members.

Canadian Forces entered the [[Second World War]] in September 1939, after the [[Monarchy of Canada|Canadian Crown-in-Council]] declared war on [[Nazi Germany]]. Battles and campaigns during the Second World War that was particularly notable to the Canadian military include the [[Battle of the Atlantic]], the [[Battle of Britain]], the [[Battle of Hong Kong]], the [[Dieppe Raid]], the [[Allied invasion of Sicily|invasion of Sicily]] and [[Allied invasion of Italy|Italy]], [[Operation Overlord]], the [[Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine|Siegfried Line Campaign]], [[Operation Veritable]], as well as the [[Strategic bombing during World War II|strategic bombing of German cities]].
[[File:RCAF Typhoon Holland 1944 IWM CL 1598.jpg|thumb|Two armourers of [[440 Transport Squadron|No. 440 Squadron RCAF]], re-arming a [[Hawker Typhoon]]. By the end of the [[Second World War]], Canada possessed the fourth-largest air force in the world.]]
At the end of the Second World War, Canada possessed the fourth-largest air force and fifth-largest naval surface fleet in the world.<ref>World War – Willmott, H.P. et al.; Dorling Kindersley Limited, London, 2004, Page 168</ref> [[Conscription]] for overseas service was [[Conscription Crisis of 1944|introduced only near the end of the war]], and only 2,400 conscripts made it into battle. Originally, Canada was thought to have had the third-largest navy in the world, but with the fall of the [[Soviet Union]], new data based on Japanese and Soviet sources found that to be incorrect.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Rob |last=Stuart |title=Was the RCN ever the Third Largest Navy? |journal=Canadian Naval Review |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=4–9 |date=Fall 2009 |url=https://www.navalreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/CNR_pdf_full/cnr_vol5_3.pdf |access-date=12 November 2019}}</ref>

Since 1947, Canadian military units have participated in more than 200 operations worldwide, and [[List of Canadian military operations|completed 72 international operations]]. Canadian soldiers, sailors, and aviators came to be considered world-class professionals through conspicuous service during these conflicts and the country's integral participation in [[NATO]] during the [[Korean War]], [[Gulf War|First Gulf War]], [[Kosovo War]], and in United Nations [[Peacekeeping]] operations, such as the [[Suez Crisis]], [[Golan Heights]], Cyprus, Croatia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Libya. Canada maintained an aircraft carrier from 1957 to 1970 during the Cold War, which never saw combat but participated in patrols during the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]].

===Since unification===
{{See also|Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces|Structure of the Canadian Armed Forces in 1989}}
The current iteration of the Canadian Armed Forces dates from 1 February 1968,<ref name=ML>{{Cite journal| last=Gilmour| first=Sarah| title=Navy celebrates 96 years| journal=The Maple Leaf| volume=9| page=10| date=17 May 2006| url=http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/community/MapleLeaf/vol_9/vol9_19/919_10.pdf| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206081112/http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/community/MapleLeaf/vol_9/vol9_19/919_10.pdf| archive-date=6 February 2009}}</ref> when the [[Royal Canadian Navy]], [[Canadian Army]], and [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] were merged into a unified structure and superseded by elemental commands, known as Air Command, Land Force, and Maritime Command. On 16 August 2011, the names for the three elemental commands were reverted to their historical predecessor, although the unified structure of the Canadian Armed Forces was maintained.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14546579 |work=BBC News |title=Canadian armed forces to be 'royal' once again |date=16 August 2011 |access-date=20 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/N-5/page-3.html#h-12 |title=National Defence Act |publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=25 August 2016}}</ref>
[[File:GuardKandahar.jpg|thumb|Soldiers from the [[Canadian Grenadier Guards]] in [[Afghanistan]]. The Canadian Forces were in Afghanistan as a part of the [[NATO]]-led United Nations [[International Security Assistance Force]] until 2011.]]
Deployment of Land Forces during this period has included NATO efforts in Europe, peacekeeping operations within United Nations-sanctioned conflicts and combat missions. The Canadian Forces deployed in Afghanistan until 2011, under the NATO-led United Nations [[International Security Assistance Force]] (ISAF), at the request of the Government of Afghanistan.

The Forces have also deployed domestically to provide aid during emergencies and natural disasters. Over 8,500 military personnel were sent to Manitoba after the [[1997 Red River flood]] to help with evacuation, building dikes, and other flood-fighting efforts.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/environment/extreme-weather/red-river-rising-manitoba-floods/canadian-military-to-the-rescue.html|access-date=2 August 2012|title=Canadian military rush to Manitoba flood zone|publisher=CBC}}</ref> The operation was considered a "public relations bonanza" for the military.<ref>{{cite book|title=Canada through the Decades: the 1990s|last=Lauri Seidlitz|publisher=[[Weigl Educational Publishers Limited]]|year=2000|isbn=978-1-896990-38-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/1990s0000seid/page/8 8]|url=https://archive.org/details/1990s0000seid/page/8}}</ref><ref name="B.)Head2009"/><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|title=Thank-you!|author=Kevin Rolleson; Catherine Mitchell|page=A1|date=14 May 1997}}</ref> The Forces were also deployed after the [[North American ice storm of 1998]], with relief efforts beginning on 8 January, after the provinces of New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec requested aid.<ref name="Draper2011">{{cite book|author=Penny Draper|title=Ice Storm|url=https://archive.org/details/icestorm0000drap/page/192|year=2011|publisher=Coteau Books|isbn=978-1-55050-451-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/icestorm0000drap/page/192 192]}}</ref> Over 16,000 troops were deployed, making it the largest deployment of troops ever to serve on Canadian soil in response to a [[natural disaster]],<ref name="B.)Head2009">{{cite book|author1=Michael Head|author2=Scott Mann|title=Domestic deployment of the armed forces: military powers, law and human rights|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OcaQ341m4PEC&pg=PA72|year=2009|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|isbn=978-0-7546-7346-0|page=72}}</ref> and the largest operational deployment of Canadian military personnel since the [[Korean War]].<ref name="Miskel2008">{{cite book|author=James F. Miskel|title=Disaster Response and Homeland Security: What Works, What Doesn't|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yISaAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA39|year=2008|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-0-8047-5972-4|page=39}}</ref> The Forces were also deployed to British Columbia from 3 August to 16 September 2003, as a part of [[Operation Peregrine]]. The operation was conducted after the province was overwhelmed by 800 separate forest fires, and the provincial government requested federal aid. Over 2,200 soldiers were mobilized, and at its height, more than 2,600 military personnel participated in the 45-day operation.<ref name=Peregrine>{{cite web|url=http://www.army.gc.ca/lfwa/Op_Peregrine-eng.asp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101015133/http://www.army.gc.ca/lfwa/Op_Peregrine-eng.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 January 2013 |title=Operation Peregrine: Canadian Forces Personnel Fighting B.C. Forest Fires |year=2009 |publisher=Land Force Western Area |access-date=19 February 2011 }}</ref>

====Early 2000s modernization efforts====
The Constitution of Canada gives the federal government exclusive responsibility for national defence, and expenditures are thus outlined in the [[Canadian federal budget|federal budget]]. For the 2007–2010 [[fiscal year]], the amount allocated for defence spending was [[Canadian dollar|CA$]]6.15 billion which is 1.4 percent of the country's GDP.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dspace.dsto.defence.gov.au/dspace/bitstream/1947/9994/1/DSTO-TN-0888%20PR.pdf|title=Science and Technology Support for National Security: An International Review|publisher=Defence Science and Technology Organisation |year=2007|access-date=25 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rpp/2008-2009/inst/dnd/images/sec1f-table1-lg-eng.jpg| last=Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat| author-link=Treasury Board Secretariat| title=Departmental Planned Spending and Full-Time Equivalents| publisher=Queen's Printer| access-date= 2 February 2008}}</ref> This regular funding was augmented in 2005 with an additional CA$12.5 billion over five years, as well as a commitment to increasing regular force troop levels by 5,000 persons, and the primary reserve by 4,500 over the same period.<ref>{{Cite book| last=Department of Finance| author-link=Department of Finance Canada| date=2005| title=The Budget Speech 2005| series=Canada in the World| publisher=Queen's Printer| page=20| url=http://www.fin.gc.ca/budget05/pdf/speeche.pdf| access-date= 2 February 2009}}</ref> It was further augmented in 2010, with another CA$5.3 billion over five years being provided to allow for 13,000 more regular force members, and 10,000 more primary reserve personnel, as well as {{CAD|17.1 billion}} for the purchase of new trucks for the Canadian Army, transport aircraft and helicopters for the Royal Canadian Air Force, and [[Joint Support Ship Project|joint support ships]] for the Royal Canadian Navy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-eng.asp?cat=00&?cat=00&id=2647 |last=Department of National Defence |title='Canada First' National Defence Procurement |publisher=Queen's Printer |access-date=2 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111010051106/http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-eng.asp?cat=00&%3Fcat=00&id=2647 |archive-date=10 October 2011 }}</ref>
[[File:HMCS Harry Dewolf under construction May 2018.jpg|thumb|Construction of a {{sclass|Harry DeWolf|offshore patrol vessel|1}} at [[Halifax Shipyard]] in 2018. The ship emerged from the Arctic Patrol Ship project.]]
In 2008, the Government of Canada began efforts, through the "[[Canada First Defence Strategy]]", to modernize the Forces, through the purchase of new equipment, improved training and readiness, as well as the establishment of the [[Canadian Special Operations Regiment]]. More funds were also put towards recruitment, which had been dwindling throughout the 1980s and 1990s, possibly because the Canadian populace had come to perceive the Forces as peacekeepers rather than as soldiers, as shown in a 2008 survey conducted by the Department of National Defence. The poll found that nearly two-thirds of Canadians agreed with [[Canada's role in the invasion of Afghanistan|the country's participation in the invasion of Afghanistan]], and that the military should be stronger, but also that the purpose of the forces should be different, such as more focused on responding to [[natural disaster]]s.<ref>{{cite news| last=The Canadian Press| title=Canadians still view troops as peacekeepers: DND poll| publisher=CTV| date=5 September 2005| url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canadians-still-view-troops-as-peacekeepers-dnd-poll-1.322123| access-date=5 September 2008| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906120922/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080905/dnd_poll_080905/20080905?hub=TopStories| archive-date=6 September 2008}}</ref> Then Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) [[Walter Natynczyk]] said later that year that, while recruiting has become more successful, the Forces was facing a problem with its rate of loss of existing members, which increased between 2006 and 2008 from 6% to 9.2% annually.<ref>{{cite news| last=The Canadian Press| title=Military as message for job seekers: we want you| publisher=CTV| date=21 November 2008| url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/military-has-message-for-job-seekers-we-want-you-1.344885| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120801104139/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081121/forces_canada_081121/20081121?hub=Canada| url-status=live| archive-date=1 August 2012| access-date=22 November 2008}}</ref>

Renewal and re-equipment efforts have resulted in the acquisition of specific equipment (main battle tanks, artillery, unmanned air vehicles and other systems) to support the mission in Afghanistan. It has also encompassed initiatives to renew certain so-called "core capabilities" (such as the air force's medium-range transport aircraft fleet—the [[C-130 Hercules]]—and the army's truck and armoured vehicle fleets). In addition, new systems (such as [[C-17 Globemaster III]] strategic transport aircraft and [[CH-47 Chinook]] heavy-lift helicopters) have also been acquired for the Forces.<ref name="forces.gc.ca">Department of National Defence {{cite web|title=Canada First Defence Strategy &#124; National Defence and the Canadian Forces|url=http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/focus/first-premier/defstra/summary-sommaire-eng.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407091422/http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/focus/first-premier/defstra/summary-sommaire-eng.asp|archive-date=7 April 2009|access-date=6 January 2010}}</ref>

===Peacekeeping===
{{main|Canadian peacekeeping}}
{{Excerpt|Canadian peacekeeping|hat=no|paragraph=1,2,3}}

===Role of women===
In the 1950s, the recruitment of women was open to roles in medicine, communication, logistics, and administration. The roles of women in the CAF began to expand in 1971 after the department reviewed the recommendations of the [[Royal Commission on the Status of Women]], at which time it lifted the ceiling of 1,500 women personnel, and gradually expanded employment opportunities into the non-traditional areas—vehicle drivers and mechanics, aircraft mechanics, air-traffic controllers, military police, and firefighters.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Canada|first=Veterans Affairs|date=8 August 2019|title=Canada Remembers Women in the Canadian Military - Women and War - Remembering those who served - Remembrance - Veterans Affairs Canada|url=https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/those-who-served/women-veterans/military|access-date=20 September 2021|website=www.veterans.gc.ca}}</ref>
[[File:Canadian Forces brief Vermont Army National Guard on women in combat roles 150912-Z-QI027-0003.jpg|upright|thumb|A member of the CAF briefs [[Vermont Army National Guard]] soldiers on the integration of women into the forces]]
The department further reviewed personnel policies in 1978 and 1985, after Parliament passed the ''[[Canadian Human Rights Act]]'' and the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]''. As a result of these reviews, the department changed its policies to permit women to serve at sea in replenishment ships and a diving tender, with the army service battalions, in military police platoons and field ambulance units, and most air squadrons.<ref name=cfw/>

In 1987, occupations and units with the primary role of preparing for direct involvement in combat on the ground or at sea were still closed to women: infantry, armoured corps, field artillery, air defence artillery, signals, field engineers, and naval operations. On 5 February 1987, the minister of national defence created an office to study the impact of employing men and women in combat units. These trials were called Combat-Related Employment of Women.<ref name=cfw/>

All military occupations were open to women in 1989, except submarine service, which opened in 2000. Throughout the 1990s, the introduction of women into the combat arms increased the potential recruiting pool by about 100 percent.<ref name=cfw>{{Cite web|url=http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/news/article.page?doc=women-in-the-canadian-armed-forces/hie8w7rm|title=Backgrounder &#124; Women in the Canadian Armed Forces|website= National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces |date=14 August 2018 |access-date = 9 March 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111213932/http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/news/article.page?doc=women-in-the-canadian-armed-forces/hie8w7rm |archive-date= 11 November 2020 }}</ref> Women were fully integrated into all occupations and roles by the government of [[Jean Chrétien]], and by 8 March 2000, even allowed to serve on submarines.<ref name=cfw/>

All equipment must be suitable for a mixed-gender force. Combat helmets, rucksacks, combat boots, and flak jackets are designed to ensure women have the same level of protection and comfort as their male colleagues. Women's uniforms are similar in design to men's uniforms, but conform to the female figure, and are functional and practical. Women are also provided with an annual financial entitlement for the purchase of bras.<ref name=cfw/>

In 2019, the ''[[National Post]]'' columnist [[Christie Blatchford]] reported, per an anonymous source, that the CAF had been fulfilling employment equity targets for internal job postings by secretly rejecting applications from white males, and by not requiring Indigenous candidates to either write or pass, the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test. However, Brigadier-General Virginia Tattersall (commander of military forces generation, including the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group [CFRG]) said, "There are no occupations that we restrict based on gender", though "diversity is a consideration" and near the end of the recruiting year, "We will look at diversity applicants first."<ref>{{cite news | last = Blatchford | first = Christie |author-link=Christie Blatchford | date = 22 April 2019 | title = The Canadian Forces Jobs Where Only Women Need Apply | url = https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-canadian-forces-jobs-where-only-women-need-apply | work = National Post}}</ref>

In March 2021, Lieutenant-Colonel Eleanor Taylor resigned citing sexual misconduct among the top brass.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/17/canada-eleanor-taylor-quits-military-sexual-misconduct-allegations Canada: top female soldier quits over military's failures on sexual misconduct] The Guardian, 2021</ref> Since then, the CAF has been under pressure over allegations of sexual misconduct. Former justice [[Louise Arbour]], who was tasked to lead a probe into military harassment and sexual misconduct claims in CAF in 2021, issued 48 recommendations to change the culture of the CAF. She said that she saw no basis for the CAF to retain the jurisdiction over sexual offences as it has not improved efficiency, discipline and morale.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shakil |first=Ismail |date=30 May 2022 |title=Sex crime allegations in Canadian military should be investigated externally, report says |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/sex-crime-allegations-canadian-military-should-be-investigated-externally-report-2022-05-30/ |access-date=31 May 2022}}</ref>