OTTAWA — When it comes to choosing a career, the military isn’t top-of-mind for the majority of black Canadians and those of Filipino and Latin American descent, a new poll says.
The survey, commissioned by the Department of National Defence, shows an overall lack of interest in the Canadian Armed Forces among those three ethnic communities. In fact, the military ranked dead last among a list of possible career options, which also included health care, teaching and law enforcement.
However, the poll of 1,838 people from the three communities conducted by Ipsos Reid from April 22 to May 14 also found that respondents were less likely to completely close the door on a career in the military than the general public.
The findings come as National Defence has been looking to cut legally mandated recruitment targets for women, visible minorities and aboriginals in uniform, a move that has prompted sharp debate in military circles.
While the military is expected to aim to have 11.7% of those in uniform be visible minorities, the actual number is 4.2%.
While that represents an increase from previous years, documents obtained by the Citizen show defence officials have been pushing to cut the target to 8.2%.
Those lobbying for a change will point to the survey of black, Filipino and Latin American Canadians as proof the current employment equity goals are unrealistic. Others, however, will say the report proves recruiting efforts need to change.
The survey saw less than 1% of respondents from the three ethnic groups cite the military from a list of careers they would be interested in pursuing, or which they would recommend to a young person.
Similarly, about 20% of respondents from each of the three groups said the military was the career they would be least interested in pursuing or recommending to someone else.
Those other fields included health care, business, information technology, engineering, banking, skilled trades, education, sports or entertainment and law enforcement.
The survey found “an overall lack of interest in the CAF as a career option among Filipino-Canadian, Black-Canadian and Latin American-Canadian youth as well as a strong sense by their parents and communities that it is an unsafe occupation.”
Respondents from the three ethnic communities were also far less likely than the general public to know someone in the military, or be otherwise familiar with the Canadian Armed Forces.
Yet the military was also seen as a good way to gain experience for work in another field such as medicine or information technology. It was also described “as an honourable, even heroic role that helps protect people and offers a good way to help others,” according to the report.
Perhaps more importantly, “the proportion of general public youth (57%) who say they are not at all likely to join the CAF is significantly higher than Filipino-Canadian youth (34%), black-Canadian youth (45%) and Latin American-Canadian youth (41%).”
Promoting the academic and professional benefits of a military career as well as the intellectual challenges and respect Canadians have for the Canadian Armed Forces were identified in the report as opportunities for increasing recruitment of the three communities.
Having current military personnel reach out to their respective ethnic communities and working to better involve the Canadian Armed Forces in cultural events were also seen as ways to engage and increase recruitment, said Ipsos Reid.
But the survey report also says the military will face “considerable challenges” recruiting members of black-Canadian, Filipino-Canadian and Latin American-Canadian populations. Meeting the visible minority recruiting targets will be “a difficult and a complex issue for the CAF,” it adds.
National Defence spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier said in an email Tuesday that the military “recognizes that cultural beliefs and career preferences of the black-, Filipino- and Latin American-Canadians impact their decision of becoming CAF members.”
“The findings of this study will allow the Department of National Defence and the CAF to better understand the needs of minority populations in Canada, and will contribute to the evaluation of its programs, services and the adaptation of its recruiting efforts and outreach activities.”
Source:: National Post
