Why Not Conscription?

Don't disguise your true intentions.

Let the delicate masses know you want them for cannon fodder:

A group of prominent Canadians is urging the federal government to support plans for a voluntary National Youth Service program that would include basic military training.

Engage Canada submitted a proposal to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance in May, seeking support to develop the program. Under the proposal, young people aged 18-25 would complete the military training before serving in areas such as emergency preparedness, climate resilience and community service.

(Sidebar: because you can go to war against the weather.) 

The proposal has attracted support from business, military, Indigenous, academic and community leaders, including former Quebec premier Jean Charest, former British Columbia premier Christy Clark, Paralympian Rick Hansen and Chief Wilton Littlechild.

Michael Burns, chair of Engage Canada, said the initiative is designed to address two challenges facing the country: helping young people transition into the workforce while strengthening Canada’s ability to respond to national needs.

(Sidebar: they used to have jobs for that. But, you know ...) 

“I think Canada is facing two significant challenges at the same time,” he said in an interview with National Post. “First, young people are entering adulthood without a clear pathway for employment. A lot of them are lacking skills, a sense of purpose, resiliency, and a sense of belonging.

(Sidebar: again, that's what schools and part-time jobs were.) 

“The second is that the country has some urgent national needs, including emergency preparedness, climate resiliency, community service, support for seniors, defence, and security issues. A modern national service program for youth could help address both those things. It would give young Canadians a meaningful paid opportunity to serve and build their future, while also strengthening Canada’s capacity to respond to national challenges that we face today.”

(Sidebar: you can't fight a tornado, we kill our elderly, and we don't fund our military.) 

Engage Canada is asking the federal government to allocate $18.75 million over two years in Budget 2026 to support the program, which would include a competitive application process and compensation for participants’ work — though Burns says the question of what would be a fair wage is yet to be determined.

(Sidebar: slave labour wages? Or is that un-Canadian?) 

The organization argues that the proposal comes at a time when Canada is “debating sovereignty, defence readiness, labour shortages, emergency preparedness, and how to better prepare the next generation for civic leadership.”

 

Twaddle.

There are already organisations that teach skills to youth.

This is a taxpayer-funded soon-to-happen debacle. 

Call it what it is: conscription for some untrained and unarmed excess teen-agers.