For Tristan Patterson, Ottawa’s promise to boost compensation for Canadian soldiers gets mixed reviews.
The former infantry officer says pay was not a major factor in his own decision to join the military in 2009 — or to leave it in 2020.
“I didn’t join the army to make a bunch of money,” said Patterson, who is today a lawyer in Edmonton. Rather, the job seemed fun, the military covered most of his education costs, and he received a decent salary — and pension.
“I came to realize that I actually had a really great job as a young person … Here I was making good money, bought my first house with my wife when I was 24 years old. … [It] provided me great financial security.”
As the Canadian Armed Forces looks to boost recruitment and retention of its members, compensation should be just one factor in the equation, sources say.
“Money is an issue; that’s the reality for all Canadians,” said Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute who specializes in military culture.
“ [But] I do think that as long as the military doesn’t fix some of its issues regarding housing, access to child care and access to health care from military families, the direct raise of compensation will only have a limited effect,” she said.
‘Very vague’
Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised a $9-billion boost in funding for the Canadian Armed Forces this fiscal year — a target that would enable Canada to meet its NATO spending target.
About one-quarter — or $2.6 billion — of this funding will be dedicated to boosting recruitment and retention, according to the Department of National Defence. The Canadian Armed Forces is aiming to add 13,000 new personnel by 2030, which would increase the regular forces to 71,500 people, and the reserve forces to 30,000.
CAF members’ salaries are set by the Treasury Board and are benchmarked against other federal public servant salaries, the defence department told Canadian Affairs in an email.
A new army recruit, called a private, earns $39,000 annually. A corporal — a rank typically achieved three years after enlistment — earns $72,000. Higher ranking officials, such as a lieutenant-general or colonel, can earn between $300,000 and $400,000.
In addition to their base salary, CAF members receive various housing, education, pension and health-care benefits. As part of their salary, members receive a “military factor” premium, which is meant to compensate for unique aspects of military life, such as frequent relocations and loss of liberties.
On June 10, Minister of Defence David McGuinty told reporters that the government plans to increase compensation for Canadian soldiers by a further 20 per cent.
“We saw yesterday, I think, probably one of the most important investments in national defence in the last 75 years,” McGuinty said in a post-cabinet scrum.
“We’re going to get down to the very brass tacks, working with our brave women and men in the Canadian Armed Forces. That’s where a lot of the initial investment will be, of course, including a 20 per cent pay increase.”
The defence department has not specified when these increases would come into effect, or whether they would be distributed evenly.
The announcement “has been very vague,” said Duval-Lantoine. “ At this stage, there is not much detail on what these [increases] are going to look like.”
Retention problem
Ottawa’s increased compensation for Canadian soldiers is also aimed at boosting retention of existing members.
A 2022 report by the defence department puts the Canadian Armed Forces’ attrition rate at between eight and nine per cent — considerably higher than the 4.7 per cent attrition rate in other public sector jobs, but comparable to a private sector rate of 10 per cent.
Eddie Kamps, who served in the CAF from 2003 to 2013, says that for many soldiers, compensation is not the primary reason they serve in the military. But it can tip the balance for those already considering leaving.
“Compensation in the private sector facilitated my exit,” said Kamps, a veteran of the Afghanistan war who has spent the past decade working in the natural resource sector. “It gave me options.”
The CAF’s retention problem is especially pronounced in high-skill trades. Technicians, mechanics and engineers often find better compensation and working conditions in the private sector, where demand is high.
“You look at technicians, what we would consider ‘trades’ in civilian society — electricians, plumbers — they would make a lot more money in the civilian economy than in the military,” said Duval-Lantoine.
Colonel (Ret’d) Charles Davies, a senior fellow with the Conference of Defence Associations Institute think tank, says increased compensation may matter more for retaining experienced members of the military than for attracting new recruits.
“Especially if you have a family, then all the family support issues and relocations start to have a bigger impact on military members,” he said.
Beyond the paycheck
Patterson worries that by simply boosting members’ compensation, CAF leadership will not need to do the hard work of understanding the cultural factors that are undermining recruitment and retention.
“[Compensation is] presented as a silver bullet without doing the hard work of looking internally and assessing,” he said.
“It would be no small feat for the generals or admirals to overcome their bias towards the status quo and say, ‘How could this be better’? Because it’s a system that worked for them,” he said.
One factor that can drive members away is the struggle to access some of the benefits included in their existing compensation, such as child care, health care and especially housing.
“ The issue with military housing is that, number one, there are not enough units,” said Duval-Lantoine. “Two, most units are studio or one-bedroom apartments, which cannot accommodate families. Number three, some of those units… have been in need of renovation for years at this point, if not decades.”
Members living off-base also face housing challenges.
”I have heard many stories about non-commissioned members actually living from their cars because that’s their best option,” said Duval-Lantoine.
‘Lack of autonomy’
The frequent relocations that are a part of military life are another key reason members leave.
This was Patterson’s experience. When he was posted to CFB Wainwright, Alta., he was a two-hour drive from his wife and child in Edmonton.
“I would get up at 4:00 a.m. on Monday morning to drive [from Edmonton] to Wainwright, leave work Friday, then spend weekends at home, which over time ends up being more time away from home than during a deployment.”
Patterson says he had requested to be moved to a base where his wife could have worked nearby, but his request was denied. The military could do a better job of accommodating the members who have spouses with civilian careers, he says.
“That lack of autonomy in my life that the system provides was ultimately something that drove me away,” he said.
He is also concerned that an across-the-board bump in compensation for Canadian soldiers could encourage some members who are simply after a “cushy desk job” to stick around, though they are not really committed to military service.
“It’s really all of those types of people who are not the retention and recruitment problem. They’re great for retention,” he said.
When workers in comfortable bureaucratic roles opt out of military life — such as by getting exemptions from undesirable postings — it increases the burden on the members who are operationally focused, he says.
“And then organizational issues persist. Because it becomes a bit of a jobs program, instead of having the necessary incentives to produce [a] modern, war-fighting organization.”
Correction, June 23, 2025 3:44 pm: A previous version of this article stated that CAF members are paid a "military factor" premium in addition to their base pay, as per an inaccurate statement sent by DND to Canadian Affairs. In reality, the "military factor" is included in base pay.
Rebuttal: “It’s Not About the Money”? That’s Easy to Say When You Bought a House at 24
Samuel Forster’s article on military compensation (“No ‘silver bullet’: Ottawa’s pledge to boost soldiers’ compensation draws mixed reviews”) leans heavily on the perspective of a former infantry officer who left the CAF five years ago, bought his first house at 24, and now practices law in Edmonton. It’s a perspective as outdated as the housing market he benefited from — and one that ignores the financial realities facing today’s troops.
1. Out of Touch with 2025 Reality
Captain Patterson’s claim that “it’s not about the money” might have been true for him in 2009, when base pay was relatively competitive, housing prices were sane, and the CAF had just received a major raise during the Afghan mission. But in 2025, new privates earn around $39,000 — while average rent in major military hubs often exceeds $2,000 a month. Home ownership is a fantasy for most junior members. Pension contributions have increased, inflation has soared, and CAF salaries haven’t kept up. What was financially viable in 2009 is economically punishing now.
This isn’t about nostalgia — it’s about affordability. One former officer’s experience during a relatively stable economic period doesn’t reflect the storm the current generation is enduring.
2. Yes, Culture and Support Matter — But Money Still Talks
The article rightly notes that housing, child care, and spousal employment are critical to retention — but it wrongly implies that pay isn’t equally important. These issues are not mutually exclusive. A 20% pay increase is not a silver bullet, but it’s a critical tool in a broader fix. Better compensation helps members shoulder the burden of broken support systems — whether it’s covering sky-high rent due to a lack of PMQs, bridging gaps in child care, or absorbing income losses during repeated relocations.
CAF members aren’t asking for luxury — they’re asking for fairness. If police officers are making over $100K with overtime, why should soldiers — who can be sent into combat, separated from family for months, and ordered to move with 30 days’ notice — be expected to do it for half that?
3. The Desk Job Argument is Divisive and Misleading
Patterson’s implication that higher pay might keep “the wrong people” in “cushy desk jobs” is a tired and cynical trope. First, many of those so-called desk jobs are mission-critical — intelligence, logistics, planning. Second, the vast majority of personnel do not have the luxury of dodging postings or cherry-picking positions. And third, suggesting that POGs (Personnel Other than Grunts) are freeloaders undermines the professionalism and sacrifice of the entire force. A raise should be across-the-board because the burden is shared across the organization.
4. Pay Gaps Drive the Attrition Crisis
The article correctly notes that skilled trades — mechanics, techs, engineers — are being lost to the private sector. That’s the headline. Retention bonuses, competitive wages, and housing support aren’t luxuries — they’re the bare minimum if the CAF wants to stop bleeding talent.
You can’t ask a marine technician earning $72K to stay when the oil and gas industry offers $120K+ with less stress and no deployments. You can’t expect a signals tech with two kids to stay in when every posting leaves their spouse unemployed for a year and their rent climbing faster than their pay.
5. Conclusion: The Pay Raise is Late, Necessary, and Welcome
Nobody is pretending that a 20% raise will fix everything — but saying it doesn’t matter is insulting to the thousands of CAF members who are one unexpected expense away from financial crisis. If former officers and think tank analysts want to offer perspective, they should start by acknowledging that the baseline economic reality for troops in 2025 is dramatically worse than it was in 2009.
This raise is not about luxury — it’s about survival, dignity, and retention. Anyone suggesting otherwise is ignoring the lived experience of today’s enlisted ranks.
Bottom line: The military is no longer the economic springboard it once was — and it won’t be again unless compensation reflects the reality of military life in modern Canada.
That’s a great breakdown.
Nailed it.
Patterson is a relic of a bygone era and his lived experience is very different today.
It’s a classic junior officer who only saw unit level activities’ take.
He joined the military, got a free education and pulled pin to go make more money. He is literally an example of the retention problem.
I would suggest that you look at the pay scales a little closer. If you’re quoting $300,000 for a lieutenant-colonel, you’re actually looking at Medical Officers. I.e doctors. A regular lt colonel or general doesn’t make anywhere close to that
By stating “ In addition to their base salary, members receive various housing, education, pension and health-care benefits. And they receive a “military factor” premium, which is meant to compensate for unique aspects of military life, such as frequent relocations and loss of liberties. This factor can lead to a compensation bump of up to 15 per cent.” after publishing the base salaries you may have incorrectly implied that CAF members get an additional 15% in military factor pay which is actually already in the base pay you quoted.
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/benefits-military/pay-pension-benefits/pay/overview.html
I also enrolled in 2009 and am still serving.
In 2009, I made 8.75 an hour on civi street (minimum wage) so like 87 bucks a day. A Regular Force private in 2009 made 2624 a month or 87 dollars a day if you divide by 30. That same Private today is making 3614 a month or 120 a day divided by 30 BUT the current Ontario minimum wage is 17.20 an hour which is 137 a day. So that CAF private today is making 10% less than minimum wage AND less relative to the 2009 rates when compared.
CAF members make less money comparatively to our civilian counterparts than we used to in 2009.
https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/ceb1ab5a-7d7c-4491-a2f7-560c47c4e22f/resource/648f0b3b-8d21-4373-94b4-72847dbf79a1
Hi Rebecca,
Thank you for reading. A spokesperson from DND informed Canadian Affairs that “In addition to this base pay, the Government of Canada recognizes that being in the CAF means that certain sacrifices are made by members and their families every day that aren’t required of most public servants. This is compensated for by what is known as the ‘military factor,’ which is a percentage added to the base salaries of CAF members, calculated using three military considerations and two additional elements.”
That additional amount was the (PLD) posting living differential which they took away and replaced with CFHD a worse version that is constantly held over our heads as not part of the pay can be taken away at any time. It is not a straight 15% and it is only for 7 years unless you are posted to a new geographic region. So for the navy it is temporary for the most part.
Our family is in our 26th year of service. My husband is not commissioned and in years when he sailed over 60 percent of it I worked out his hourly wage based on his actual duty hours. Not only was he making less than minimum wage nobody has even considered overtime. He worked 12 hours a day every day unless he had a 24 hour duty watch with only a day or two off if they were in a port. I did not factor it in because I already had enough on my list of complaints the actual number would have put me over the edge.
Hahaha, not about the money says a captain lol.
Not only that he bought a house when he was 24… I think that’s where the article should of stopped. Living the past is great but this is the present. I’m a soldier for 20 years now and sorry but I need the money so I can buy a house and feed my family.
“money is not important” says the guy who bought a house at the age of 24. It’s basically a big FU to everyone who can’t buy a house now because housing is so expensive and the CAF doesn’t pay enough. Money is ALWAYS important.
Served from 90 to 06 as a “tech”. Aside from other morale issues that still plague the CAF, i believe the issue of housing is of primary importance for a number of reasons. The “transfer” of pmq to CFHA in the 90s led to the idea of parity in rent with the local economy and the destruction of many PMQs such as my old PMQ in Gagetown as “surplus”. Add in maintenance issues and the continued raising of rent that, surprise, matched the meager pay raises of that time, has led to less housing on bases with higher rents for substandard housing ( my old Edmonton PMQ shower walls would literally frost up in winter after my morning shower). So, given that you can’t win or even get ahead a little by staying in, does it surprise anyone that people with training and confidence, leave for greener pastures? Housing, true pay raises and respect for families need to be a focus for retention.
There is no plan, no budget for this. Liberals have promised a lot of things and not delivered. Will believe it when I see it
I joined the CAF in 1983 because I loved my country and wanted to protect it. (I still love Canada). Now that many if not most of our young people have been taught to believe that Canada is a genocidal nation on stolen land it’s not hard to understand why many would never join the military. I agree that compensation is very important but I wanted to point out another factor that I believe is a big issue when it comes to recruitment and retention.
It’s hilariously ironic for Mr. Patterson to say that money isn’t a retention factor when he left the military as an officer to go to law school and then make even more money.
Sir, you got out to go make more money. You are proof that money is an effective recruitment and retention tool.
WHATEVER THEY ARE REQUESTING, THESE MEN AN WOMEN ONE DAY MIGHT HAVE TO SAVE OUR LIVES. THEY SHOULD GET WHATEVER THEY NEED, INCLUDING CRUCIAL BENEFITS!! THEY SACRAFICE THEIR LIVES FOR US!!!
Find me a general service officer making $300k per year… The CDS maybe?
Let’s be real, pay is the biggest factor. Our spouses are chronically un/under-employed so we are running our households on one income. This is the reality as we don’t have access to childcare with moves. If we increase every regular force members’ pay by 50% this would be a reasonable start to help address extreme housing and childcare costs.
What good is paying them more while still hanging them out to dry when they get injured or as they age and hard service catches up to them.
Find a way to reverse the mental health damage effectively
No one ever talk about the real price of being in the canadian military, moving across country with little to no help to your family, trying to get job or 8nterprovincial recognition for trade and studies. Trying to find medical specialist getting file translated. The fact that you can loterally work 24h/7 and infinite overtime without compensation. Its not a job for everyone but it can be a very rewarding experience bit there is a big cost.
I joined in 2010 as Reg force the pay was great starting out as a young person. But as time went on and my skill as a Vehicle Technician improved I felt under valued and under appreciated for the value my work provided. 2022 I think I made around 80k a year and I was working hard because it’s a rat race trying to get promoted to get some kind of pay increase. Coc always wanting more and encouraging me to take on more duties and responsibilities for a better PER/PAR score. I was often coming in early or taking work home with me such as doing required online training after hours at home. I came to realize why??? Why was I burning myself out for such low wage, why am I giving away my best working years of my life for an organization that does not value vehicle Technicians. I often worked beside DND civilian mechanics they made approximately the same pay as me why?? A reg force technician doing the same job has more responsibilities more requiremnts yet im paid the same as civilian DND mechanics. I felt my service, my trade was under valued. Honestly felt like my loyalty, work ethic and service was being taken advantage of. I left the military in 2024.
I now work a job as a Heavy duty mechanic in the Arctic often living in austere conditions for long periods of time similar to what I was doing in the military. I now make 200k+ as a technician. With less responsibility, less work hours, and much easier work, I feel valued and appreciated for putting in over time, with More time off.
I encourage other technicians or other trades if you feel the same way talk to the transition centre. Get enrolled with a resume making class, get a resume together and send it out there. Getting a 30 day release is possible, skilled trades are in demand.
My husband was in the Military for 25 years. When I met him after he changed from army to airforce, we were posted basically every two years . Our longest posting was three years eight months while he was at Borden teaching. I had a great job but that did not matter. Every two. Years we were posted and I was job hunting again.Our last posting meant he was going on ship again so he got out. Military does not care. We had a posting we loved but they would not let him stay, one minute they said it would not be a good move for you when we wanted to go for a job opening in Germany, you have not been here long enough, not good for your career to move now. Guess what two weeks later he is posted to the school. I had a great job, that did not matter. Military does not care about family. He got out.
Why is that vapid clown duval lantoine even being spoken to, as if she’s some kind of expert on military affairs? She hasn’t served a day in the military, isn’t even Canadian, and has no credible experience whatsoever.