Canadian Military Demographics: Who will serve next?, Montreal Gazette (February, 2008)

Shortly after the article came out, Sun News’ David Akin, a journalist I respect a great deal, wrote a blog post picking up on my work.

The full article is at the above link, an excerpt is below:

We speak of the dead.

Coming home from Afghanistan in flag-draped coffins, paraded down the highway, passing fire trucks pulled over in silent salute, each overpass overflowing with crowds waving and crying. On Hockey Night in Canada, Don Cherry shows their pictures and we learn, often for the first time, their names and backgrounds. We see the commonalities, aside from their deaths: They are white, young males from small towns.

…

While visible minorities today make up over 15 per cent of our population, they account for less than three per cent of our armed forces.

Statistics Canada projects visible minorities will make up 20 per cent of the Canadian population within 10 years. Beyond the implications for the maintenance and expansion of our armed forces, there are implications for public support of our military missions, and for the social cohesion of our nation. How far can a military diverge from the population it serves before it is seen as a mercenary force, or at least, a distinct military caste? How does the widespread lack of connection with our soldiers affect public opinion on military matters?