Canada Wants 300,000 Troops Can This Even Work

Canada wants 300000 troops across the Regular Force, Primary Reserve, and a Supplementary Reserve that could include civil servants. On paper it sounds bold. In real life it raises a question nobody is answering clearly:Can this even work?In this episode of Unwritten Chapters, I break down Canada’s military recruitment plan in plain language from the perspective of a CAF veteran and paramedic who’s lived inside institutions and watched how trust is built… and how it breaks.This isn’t fear porn. It’s a reality check.We talk about what a Supplementary Reserve actually is, what it would take to build a volunteer force at that scale, and why the biggest obstacle isn’t gear, money, or paperwork. It’s belief. When Canadians are constantly told our institutions are morally bankrupt or systemically broken, how do you ask the same people to volunteer their lives to defend them?If you’re a first responder, veteran, trauma-literate listener, or just someone exhausted by performative politics and allergic to bullshit, this one’s for you. No yelling. No spin. Just honest questions, hard truths, and the kind of dark humour you need to get through it.In this episodeCanada’s 300000 troop target explainedWhat the Supplementary Reserve is and why it mattersUsing civil servants to bolster readinessRecruiting realities in 2025 and what Canada is up againstTrust, identity politics, and why messaging mattersWhy good people hesitate to serve when they feel blamedIf this hit a nerve, drop a comment with your take: Would you volunteer right now? Why or why not?