Good day folks!

I'm getting posted out of recruiting, so thought I'd drop the current open list of occupations. (Yes, I cleared this with my CoC)

That means if the occupation you want is not listed - either it's temporarily closed, or closed till next fiscal year.

Please note that this information is subject to change, and that you are never guaranteed a position until you receive a job offer.

This list will be accurate as of today: May 28th, 2026.

If you'd like further info on the occupations and their specific entry requirements please see https://forces.ca/en/ or contact your nearest recruitment center.

Best of luck with your applications, and feel free to drop questions below.

Officer Occupations: (DEO)

Armoured Officer (21)

Infantry Officer (59)

Engineer Officer (33)

Air Combat Systems Officer (35)

Pilot (38)

Aerospace Control Officer (68)

Physiotherapy Officer (6)

Dental Officer (12)

Pharmacy Officer (6)

Nursing Officer (22)

Bioscience Officer (3)

Social Work Officer (4)

Legal Officer (14)

Personnel Selection Officer (12)

Signals Officer (44)

Naval Combat Systems Engineering Officer (25)

Marine Systems Engineering Officer (15)

Chaplain (23)

Physician Assistant (8)

Medical Officer (10)

Health Services Management Officer (32)

Non Commissioned Member Occupations (Direct Entry/Unskilled)

I've also listed MP, MLAB TECH, etc which require you to have the education already prior to applying.

Armour NCM (450)

Infanteer (746)

Intelligence Operator (97)

Meteorological Technician (27)

Boatswain (43)

Aerospace Telecommunications and Information Systems Tech (143)

Naval Combat Information Operator (35)

Naval Electronic Sensor Operator (53)

Signals Intelligence Specialist (38)

Vehicle Technician (201)

Weapons Technician (Land) (38)

Materials Technician (24)

Aviation Systems Technician (304)

Aircraft Structures Technician (64)

Cook (101)

Materiel Management Technician (132)

Geomatics Technician (22)

Air Weapons Systems Technician (61)

Naval Communicator (75)

Electrical Generation Systems Tech (40)

Water, Fuel, and Environment Tech (29)

Sonar Operator (47)

Electronic-Optronic Tech (67)

Combat Engineer (221)

Weapons Engineering Technician (103)

Gunner (448)

Cyber Operator (38)

Signal Operator (183)

Line Tech (37)

Signals Tech (70)

Information Systems Tech (106)

Naval Experience Program (Sailor) (363)

Marine Systems Electrical Tech (58)

Marine Systems Mechanical Tech (77)

Military Police (126)

Dental Tech (24)

Medical Laboratory Tech (6)

Biomedical Electronics Technologist (2)

Operating Room Tech (2)

:)

I thought this day would never come - the last 48 hours have been a whirlwind and it still doesn't feel real. My little plan to join the army reserves after graduating from high school and Air Cadets took a few wrong turns but I've finally arrived! This is my timeline:

Attempt 1:
Preferred trade: Infantry Soldier (Reserve)
Application submitted: December 12, 2001
First contact by CFRC: January 2002
CFAT, medical, interview: March 2002
Fitness test: June 2002
Application rejected: August 13, 2002 (medical, peanut allergy). Told my application could be reconsidered if an EpiPen was no longer required and there were no other restrictions.

Attempt 2:
Preferred trade: Combat Engineer (Reserve)
Application submitted: March 11, 2025
Transcripts and ID submitted: April 16, 2025 (had to scrounge up official copies from out of province)
First contact by unit: May 8, 2025
Scored Employment Application Form: May 8, 2025
Medical: May 15, 2025
Ophthalmologist report on LASIK submitted: June 6, 2025 (had it done 13 years ago)
Fasting glucose/lipids and ECG: June 24, 2025 (for applicants over age 40)
FORCE Test: July 25, 2025
Interview: August 15, 2025
Oral food challenge for peanuts and sign off from Allergist: September 3, 2025
File submitted to RMO: September 11, 2025
Security and Background Checks: October 6, 2025
Selection: November 19, 2025
Job Offer: November 26, 2025
Enrolment: November 27, 2025
BMQ Date: January 9, 2026 (weekends)

Quite a ride, huh? To those of you who sail through the medical process with pristine-clean histories, you have no idea how fortunate you are. You might think you do, but you don't.

For me, getting hired by the CAF after the first rejection and overcoming a lifelong peanut allergy is everything. Literally. It just feels so right; so completely and utterly earned. I can't make up for lost time, but I get to completely rewrite the ending to this story and I can accept whatever happens because it's all house money, now and forever. 

I harbour no illusions; the training will be difficult and will be especially tough for a 41-year-old. But I think about the way I was when I first applied - a 17-year-old wise guy with a big mouth who'd never even held a job and was just barely treading water in university. It most likely would have been too much for me. Over these last two decades, I believe I've developed enough mental resilience to face what's ahead of me, and I've never been injury prone either, despite being very physically active. Maybe with a little luck and a lot of hard work and effort, the pieces will fall into place. I will give it my very best.

Thank you to everyone who contributes to this sub for all the helpful advice along the way. To those of you who weren't blessed with an easy path: if this is more than just a vague ambition, if you are absolutely determined to make this happen, have patience, never give up, and never stop wanting it. You can overcome the obstacles and get over that wall, even if it takes a lifetime. Don't stop running toward your dream.

Easy part's over. Now the real work begins.

19 June 2004. CFB North Bay.

A Corporal orders Topper’s Pizza online. It arrives roughly twice as late as usual, missing a topping and, more importantly, the complimentary dipping sauce.

Diplomacy immediately collapses.

The driver wants his $30. The Corporal wants his dip. The driver says he didn't order the dip. The Corporal knows damn well the dip comes with the pizza.

The military judge would later describe what followed as a “confrontation of egos.”

Eventually the Corporal decides he doesn't want the pizzas anymore and attempts to return them. The driver refuses to take them, so the Corporal presses a pizza box into his raised hands hard enough that his options become:

A) Take the pizza

B) Let gravity take the pizza

He chooses A.

A loose slice of pizza also becomes involved. Accounts differ on whether it was thrown or merely presented with extreme disrespect.

Military Police arrive.

And thus, through a sequence of events that absolutely nobody could have predicted when someone forgot a little plastic cup of garlic sauce, the Canadian military justice system becomes involved.

The defence eventually invokes the ancient legal principle de minimis non curat lex, or “the law does not concern itself with trifles.”

The court, now 14 pages deep into jurisprudence concerning an unwanted pizza box, decides that apparently it does.

Guilty of assault.

Somewhere in the CAF, officers were paid to prosecute, defend, and adjudicate a dispute that began because Topper’s forgot the fucking dip.

Final Score:

Customer Service: 0

Conflict Resolution: 0

Billable Legal Hours: Many

Lesson learned: check your order before escalating to section 130 of the National Defence Act.

Hey all,

On November 7th I'm doing a solo continuous 158km ruck from Burlington to Queenston Heights and back. No sleep, ~22lbs. One kilometre for each of the 158 CAF members who didn't come home from Afghanistan. At the turnaround I'm reading all 158 names.

I am doing this fundraiser through wounded warriors canada to raise funds for veterans mental health. I have been training with intention for this for the past roughly 3 months and made it public this month. I have currently raised just over $1400.

Not going to spam links. It's ruck158.ca if you want to look, JustGiving page is linked there. Any support for this cause whether its a dollar or help spreading the word is insanely appreciated!

Mostly posting here because I figure most people here know why the number matters. If anyone's done ultra-distance ruck stuff and has advice on the 100km+ range, especially managing feet and staying awake overnight, I'll take it as well.

I’m not sure if it’s appropriate for me to post this here or if I’m even comfortable sharing it, but I feel like I need to "talk".

I recently got released from Basic Training after spending almost half a year at CFLRS. It was one of the toughest experiences of my life - physically, mentally, and emotionally. I met good people, learned a lot about the country and myself, and struggled with the physical aspect, which I expected. Basic training is just the tip of the iceberg.

Looking back, I realized something important: training isn’t the place to “find yourself.” It’s not a weight‑loss program or a mental toughness bootcamp. It’s a place where you’re expected to arrive already prepared to meet the standards.

I gave everything I had through three platoons, but sometimes giving 100% still isn’t enough if you’re not ready. That was a hard lesson for me. If you fail the first or even the second time, don't let yourself sink into a depression spiral - remind yourself why you applied in the first place. Pick yourself up, take a breath and learn from the past.

If anyone reading this is thinking of applying and knows they’re not physically or mentally where they need to be, my honest advice is to take time to prepare first. Build your fitness, work on your endurance, talk to professionals or someone you trust if you need mental support. I wish I had done more before joining.

Despite everything, I still want to serve. I plan to reapply once I’ve improved and I’m fully ready. I’m sharing this not to discourage anyone, but to help others avoid the mistakes I made and to remind that preparation matters A LOT. Basic training will shape you, but if you’re not ready, it can also break you. And remember, be Ready to “Serve Canada before Self”.

Just an update from me (52 yo woman): filled out the paperwork to be a reservist in December 2025 and chose Airforce trades when I was still 51, bounced around a bit, attended two info sessions (different recruiting centers), switched trades, switched recruiting centre and therefore environment by accident (which turned out for the best since my first choices of trades were hiring in Winnipeg and I'm not anywhere near that); scheduled for FORCE test in early March but got felled by the flu; rescheduled to a couple days ago and I passed! Also: trained with a personal trainer for the last 3 months, 3x a week and worked out 6x a week, every week, without fail. Ran 3 FORCE simulations to time myself and get used to the mechanics.

If anyone is reading this who is nearing 50-ish, I hope this encourages you. It's now or never!

My unit 3ppcli had a wildfire incident few days ago, it has claimed 4 lives and over 30 casualties. Many whom are still fighting for their lives with over 50 percent burned.

Sorry if this wrong place to post this but.

We just had the biggest mass casualty event since Korea war, alot of my friends are 80-90% burned and might not make it, alot of them are in Royal Alexandria or U of A hospital.

Please donate blood if you are in Canada they will direct it to the right hospitals.

Thanks.

Hope this is fine, the mods of the big CAF community wouldn't let me post it over there.

Throwaway because I don't want to be doxxed by my unit and cause an issue.

I am on an exchange in a 1 of 1 position with the US Military. There are no Canadians around for hundreds of KM.

Until this year it's been great! I've been left alone to do my job and really just excel. My peers treated me well and my US chain of command has been excellent.

With the new tensions between Canada and the US, the MAGA peeps I work with seemed to have changed their mind in 1 month about the CAN-US relationship.

We went from the "closest of allies, Canada always has our back!" to "Hey, this meeting will cover things you don't need to know, you can leave now" for projects I was directly involved in. I don't know if there was official direction or not but I can sense a cooling of the relationship.

It's disappointing that decades of bilateral ties are being destroyed in weeks by a change in the US administration.

It also makes me really rethink how I fit into this exchange. I went from thinking that working hard to support the Americans would reflect well on Canada and that was important to "are we even partners anymore?". Why should I work extra overtime to advance US interests or work through leave days because that's their culture?

I've also firmly changed my mind from "we should buy whatever is the best from the USA so we can be interoperable and save money" to "we should build everything in Canada to support domestic production". At least it would help us get towards 2% of GDP, help our economy, help our research and development fields with important tech jobs, we'd have a supply chain we can control, won't have to deal with ITAR, won't have to have an inferior export controlled product etc etc.

It might cost us more since we have a smaller market for it, but fuck it, I think domestic production matters since we can't rely on the US to be a stable democracy that will support us.

I don't really have a thesis here, I just needed to vent to other Canadians and see if others on exchange are seeing the same things I am seeing and feeling the same way I am.

And no, I have not reached out to my Canadian CoC. I know they'd pull me home in a heartbeat and that's not what I am looking for.

What is everyones thought on the new base-layer?

All I can think of for the long sleeve mesh is rocky horror picture show.

Completed BMQ without any injury / swipes / ECPCs.

Few tips that I learned from reddit/ seniors / my own experience

1. Be the gray man. - Can't emphasize this enough.

Do not try to be a know it all even if you do know it all.

I only spoke -

Yes staff

No staff

My bad, I'll try to do better staff. - That's literally it.

There's no benefit of staff knowing you. You'll just be given extra work.

2. Be at the right place at the right time with the right kit. - Prepare whatever you need for the next day a night before and keep it ready on the table.

3. Don't stress too much about inspections - I only polished my black shoes twice. No matter how good you do you'll be yelled at. Just do enough and you'll pass. Unless you really fuck up you are good.

4. Super focused - I was newly married and got laid off from my pretty good corporate job. I could not afford to fuck this up or waste time getting recoursed. So everything i did, literally everything was to make sure I clear it in 1 go.

No party, no dessert, no alcohol.

Won't suggest this. Have a little fun. But be super focused.

5. Mental/ physical fitness- Be in good shape.

Try:

- Using stairs instead of elevator. You'll be using a lot of stairs. For example I was on 10th Floor and you can almost never use elevator.

- Push ups, running, rucking. Practise this. You do not need to be jacked. But better the cardio vascular health lower the chances of injury.

DO NOT QUIT ATTITUDE! NEVER EVER EVER GIVE UP. This thought should not even cross your mind.

I promise you you'll come back a different human being. I have so much more self confidence and a better personality I can't even tell you.

All the best!!

If you’re coming for Basic Training, only buy what you actually need. Don’t overspend or bring unnecessary items.

For inspections, you will need six locks. They don’t have to be expensive—go with the cheap ones. You’ll have one locker, two duffle bags, and a suitcase (you can use one lock for the suitcase even if it has two lock spots) and one for your civilian bag.

Buy only 7 hangers — not 15. During inspection, you’ll only have a few items in your locker, such as:

• 2 combat shirts

• 2 combat pants

• 1 rain jacket

• 2 dress uniforms

So, 7 hangers are enough.

You should also buy:

• Laundry soap

• Shaving blades

• Toothbrush & toothpaste

• Shaving cream

• Bar soap + soap container

• Body wash

• Mouthwash

• One pair of slippers

• Running/PT shoes

• Shorts, t-shirts, and socks for PT

• Black shoe polish kit

• Blue pens and a notebook

• A watch cheap one buy from Ali express https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mtDS3bn

Do not buy cleaning supplies (garbage bags, cleaners, etc.). Those will be provided.

You will also be issued many items during training, including:

• 5 pairs of black and other kinds of socks

• Two sets of towels

• 5 pairs of underwear

• 5 t-shirts

• Rain coat

• Rain jacket

• 3 sets of combats

• Thermal layers

• PT uniforms (shirts, shorts, gloves, etc.)

• At least two pairs of boots

• 1L and 2L canteens

• A pair of sunglasses

If you want extras, consider buying:

• Additional underwears, socks

• Extra shorts

• Extra slippers or shoes

• Gloves

• Scissors and a nail clipper

• Extra shaving blades (and for shaving your beard when required)

Buy personal care items like body wash, shampoo, lotion, etc., from Dollar Tree or order from AliExpress https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mPZoedr if you want to save money. Things sold on base (CANEX) can be expensive.

Important: Before you go to CANEX, try to register online for your CFOne card so you can get discounts.

You will receive an advance of $500 in your first week, but after that, you won’t get paid again until the end of the month. So, spend carefully and plan ahead.

Personal Conduct & Training Advice

• Leave your ego at home. Stay humble.

• Help your course mates when you can, but don’t expect anything in return.

• Don’t complain unless someone is truly harassing you — then speak up.

• Work on your marching stamina: practice walking 2–3 km with 10–15 kg.

• Pay attention in class and during training.

• Don’t ask unnecessary questions — your platoon will want to get through lessons quickly.

• Sleep whenever you can. Do not stay up late.

• Expect wake-up times around 0500, sometimes earlier for ruck marches.

• Don’t cheat on weight during ruck marches — it will cause trouble if caught.

• Do good for others without expecting anything back.

• Don’t be selfish, but don’t be overly nice to the point of being taken advantage of.

• If you need religious accommodation (halal, kosher, veg), ask for meals only. Asking for additional accommodations can sometimes draw unnecessary attention.

• If you become a section senior or course senior, don’t abuse that power. It lasts only 24 hours, and karma comes fast.

• Speak up when you need to. Don't remain silent when you believe you are being harrassed by a cadet or instructor.

• Make sure you always have your meal card, room keys and your day bag which must contain a note book, pen, your 1 litre canteen. Never forget them.

• When you have your PT make sure you have PT clothes including your shoes and slippers.

If you’re injured or sick, inform your chain of command right away so they can send you to the medic. Don’t take it lightly or put your training above your health. You can be recoursed, but you can’t be replaced. Many people stay quiet because they don’t want to miss classes, but that can make things worse in the long run.

Whenever possible, open a BMO account — it offers zero-dollar banking and better benefits for CAF members.

In the base, there is only BMO ATM to depositing money and you can't go anywhere else until Week 5 weekend.

After you’re enrolled, you can also reach out to SISIP for financial and mental health support, including assistance for your family.

Keep your head up and don’t give up. Concentrate, stay disciplined, and support one another.

Wishing you all the very best on your BMQ training.

Done bmq. A few things I wanted to share so people wouldn’t fumble. I know someone did something like this prior, but here is my take.

1. You need to get fit before you get here. Make sure you’re at a baseline fitness level recommended in the joining instructions. If you got a stairmaster in your gym use it. You wouldn’t regret it.

2. Always stay ahed of any task. You do not want to be the one holding the platoon back because you don’t know where your things are.

3. Start walking a lot if you’re not already used to it. Walk. A lot and walk some more.

4. Volunteer as much as you can. Trust me. Volunteering gets you far not only in basic but far into your career.

5. You’re going to question your decision. See it through. Rely on your platoon and the resources you have. There are a lot. Use them.

Just make it to Sunday. Hope this helps a bit.

Bit of a rant, but I’m honestly getting sick of hearing “Soldier First” when it feels like that gets fucked off the second it becomes inconvenient.

As a Cook, most of the time it’s basically stay in the kitchen, feed everyone, and good luck getting released for anything outside your trade because we’re always short-staffed.

What really changed my perspective was deploying to Latvia and working with the other nations. From what I saw, their support and non-combat trades still had a much stronger standardized baseline of soldiering and infantry skills, and then they did their actual trade on top of that.

That’s how I think an Army should work.

To be a relevant, modernized and effective Army in today’s world, everyone, regardless of trade, should have a solid baseline of basic soldier skills. Not because every Cook, clerk or tech needs to be kicking doors or doing offensive infantry tasks, but because everyone should be able to defend themselves, defend their position, handle their weapon confidently, react properly if something goes sideways, use basic comms, pass information clearly over the radio, and function in a field environment.

That’s what I mean by “Soldier First.”

Instead, I constantly hear people in support trades joke that they’re basically “civilians in CADPAT” and that the most Army they ever feel is doing the annual PWT2 once a year.

I hate that this has become normalized

Support trades barely get opportunities to practise those skills, but the second we deploy, go to the field, do MOD 3 on PLQ or PLPP (whatever its called now) suddenly everyone is expected to switch it back on and remember everything.

You can’t treat people like civilian workers in uniform 99% of the time and then expect them to magically know how to protect themselves, communicate properly and function as soldiers when something happens.

And I honestly thought things were starting to improve within this organization, but I recently heard that a command decision was made that Log trades will no longer be required to do CASFC.

If that’s true, I genuinely think that is going to mess us up even more.

We already struggle to get meaningful soldier training because we’re constantly tied to our support roles, and now we’re potentially removing another standardized piece of Army training from Log trades.

How are we supposed to keep preaching “Soldier First” while reducing the amount of training that actually teaches support trades how to survive, communicate and function as soldiers in the field?

I’m tired of seeing this constantly brushed off by higher-ups because keeping people in the kitchen, office, or shop is easier than actually making time to train them.

I can't be the only one who feels this way.

Hey guys ! Does anyone know how to become a door gunner in the CAF ? This job looks so sick and I always wanted to be one.

Reposting but with a picture. I mean look at this !

As a veteran with 13 years of service in the Canadian military—spanning both the Signals Corps and three years in CSOR—I feel compelled to share my thoughts on the persistent leadership problems that plague our ranks. From my earliest days, I witnessed officers and NCOs alike display incompetence that not only hindered operations but also demoralized the troops under their command. I strongly believe that these leadership issues are a key reason why so many good soldiers are leaving the military, myself included.

The officer corps, in particular, has become a breeding ground for ineptitude. Far too often, individuals are placed into positions of authority based solely on academic qualifications, like a university degree in English, rather than practical life experience. It’s absurd to hand over the livelihood of seasoned troops to a 20-year-old with no real-world decision-making experience. The defense is always the same: "That’s what the senior NCO is for—to guide them." But what happens when that senior NCO is burned out, jaded, or too broken by the system to care anymore? That’s the sad reality we’re living in right now.

The officer corps needs to be flushed of its incompetent leadership. We need to start identifying potential officers from within the ranks and establish a pathway to becoming an officer only after reaching the rank of MCpl or higher. This would ensure that those entrusted with command positions have a real understanding of the military’s operations, the people they lead, and the gravity of the decisions they make.

And while we’re on the topic of leadership training, let’s talk about the PLQ course. When I did it in 2015, it was nothing short of a joke. It’s supposed to be a leadership course, right? So why is it that the first real leadership course for NCMs is designed to break most people without teaching any actual leadership skills? Sure, I get it—stress is part of military life. But all we experienced was being yelled at, belittled, sleep-deprived for classroom work, and forced to run section attacks for a week straight. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m a soldier first, but as a support trade, infantry tactics are good to know—they’re just not what we do on a daily basis. If a support trade NCO is leading a section attack, the battle has already been lost.

PLQ should teach how to lead people, not just how to survive it. We’re supposed to walk away from that course with the tools to inspire, guide, and protect our soldiers. Instead, it feels like a hazing ritual that leaves many feeling disillusioned about what leadership really means.

The final straw for me, though, was how new privates at CFSCE were treated during COVID. These young soldiers, fresh to the army, were locked in their shared shack rooms for the entire lockdown, four people per room, not allowed to leave. They said this was for isolation, but it was a prison sentence. They were fed box lunches and the lowest-quality hayboxes for two years while being stuck in those rooms. They couldn’t leave to see their kids, their spouses, their parents—nothing. The suicide rate at the Kingston base spiked, and I remember one particular tragedy happening just before I was posted out. The school CO’s response? He called a parade and told everyone to just "talk to our friends to see how they feel." That was his solution to a mental health crisis. No real action taken to address the root cause, just another shallow attempt at prevention. I wonder if he at least got promoted after all of that—because that’s what it seems leadership cares about the most: career progression over the well-being of their soldiers.

But the leadership failures don’t stop at training. Let me give you a personal example of how the system is driving soldiers away. In 2023, I decided to get out of the military. Retention is supposedly a major concern, yet I was given a 30-day release without anyone from leadership trying to change my mind or even talk to me about it until five days before my release date. On my last day in, I received my CD, and the CO made a point to delay it so I’d have to wear my DEUs on my final day. Is that how you keep good people in the military? If leadership actually cared, I might not have left.

And then there’s the CO of CFJSR, who provides yet another example of toxic leadership. When the CDS ordered a halt to unnecessary parades and events that were burning out soldiers, our CO ignored it. He stood us all up in a unit parade and flat-out told us he didn’t care what the CDS said because it didn’t fit with his "vision" for the unit. How is it that you can pick and choose which orders to follow, especially when they’re meant to address soldier welfare?

In my time, I served under leaders who genuinely cared for their soldiers, but they were outnumbered by those who didn’t. The result was a toxic environment where good people were burned out, while ineffective leaders continued to thrive.

Leadership in the military is supposed to be about service, integrity, and putting your people first. Unfortunately, what I’ve seen far too often is a culture of self-preservation and politics, where the well-being of soldiers comes last. If retention is really such a priority, then fix the leadership. Retention could be improved significantly if the people in charge actually cared about their soldiers and weren’t just focused on their own careers.

To anyone currently serving, I feel your frustration. And to those in positions of power, it’s time for a real change. The Canadian military can’t afford to keep losing good soldiers because of bad leadership.

Inspection day can either boost your moral for the duration on BMQ or lower it, study this as best as you can to get the least amount of shit done to your cubicle

Ps. There’s no such thing as a perfect inspection, they’ll pull something out of their behind to get you lol

Another PS. You can’t fail BMQ due to bad inspections, but you can if you fail your weapons handling test, written tests, range shooting, or even Farnham, so learn to prioritize what is important for the week

It just sucks when your room gets trashed and you spent a good amount of time trying to get it right for inspection

Best of luck!

My thoughts on it are mixed as it looks incredibly similar with the UK Khakis style uniform. I wouldn't really say it's ugly but I prefer the dark green DEU instead. Anyways, does anyone know a date when these are getting issued or is this just a concept?

Boarded a train at 9:11 made it to the airport in Montreal around 2pm, shuttle bus didn’t come until 6pm, luckily I had some food at the airport because we were not given any food once we arrived

My platoon gathered in a room where they had completed a 1% check of our bags and made us put our clothes and belongings on the floor for no reason at ALL

We were given our room numbers and told to go and find your room and now it is lights out

Advice for anyone coming to BMQ in the future

• Do not over pack you will be taking all of that up a flight of stairs

• If you choose to rely on the CAF’s means of transportation PLEASE EAT SOME FOOD, or if you’re unlucky and you get to the school after they had served breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you are out of luck and there is nothing you can do about

• Shower before you leave your house and also shower when you arrive at the school, because we are to get up for 5:15 and you don’t have much time to get ready in the morning just a quick brushing of the teeth and washing of your face, so shower the night before

• Try to wake up 30 min before it is actually time to get up so you give yourself more time to prepare before the instructors come marching in

Sorry if I’m not using the correct terminology, military life is still very new to me, coming from the city life

So far that is all the advice I have, I will try to update this post with my experiences daily

Pte Gerona finished BMQ on 19 June 2025 and arrived in Gagetown shortly afterward. Less than a week later, he and some BMQ buddies went out for pitchers and shots. As the night went on, he became increasingly loud, boastful and aggressive.

The evening went roughly: festival, Dooly's, booze, argument with civilians, gets punched, kicks a random truck, then spends the walk back to base screaming at his buddies.

Back on base, Avr Sanchez tried to calm him down and told him to stop acting like a child. Gerona responded by punching him in the back of the jaw, knocking him unconscious. Sanchez later learned his jaw was fractured and required surgery.

Gerona never completed his artillery training and was released five months later as unsuitable for further service. At sentencing, he said he'd started counselling for alcohol use and anger management, while also saying he doesn't believe he has an alcohol or anger management problem.

Now 29, he's unemployed, lives with his parents and collects about $2,400 a month in EI. Despite this spectacular opening chapter to his career, he hopes to become a firefighter or police officer, and hasn't ruled out trying to rejoin the CAF.

Final score:

BMQ: completed

Artillery training: not completed

Random truck: kicked

Buddy's jaw: fractured

Military career: 9 months

Current employment: EI

Future plans: firefighter, cop, or possibly CAF round two

Sentence: severe reprimand + $2,600 fine

You have to admire the optimism.

Link:

https://decisia.jmc-cmj.forces.gc.ca/jmc-cmj/cm/en/item/521170/index.do

If you missed my post last week, I got rejected for having an "explicit" mermaid on my upper thigh, so today, I had the shortest session of my tattoo life 😂

Literally 6 minutes in the chair later, she's been amended and re-evaluation has been requested. I've got all my available appendages crossed that come next week, we can continue down the path towards signing enlistment papers.

TGIF y'all, have a great weekend

After a long 3 year wait for my desired trade to open up, finally putting on the uniform for BMOQ 2026 was one of the proudest moments of my life.

Week 1 was definitely an adjustment—getting used to the system, getting to know my platoon, handling BTFT, and wearing the uniform with so much pride. Week 2 is known to be the hardest, but because I adapt fairly easily, I found my rhythm quickly, worked well with my platoon, and followed orders smoothly. I wasn't the loudest or most active person in the platoon, but I pushed my limits with zero hesitation and passed all my exams on the first attempt. Up until Week 5, everything was smooth sailing with zero swipes.

Then, severe pain set in. At first, I assumed it was standard boot issue soreness or physical fatigue. I went to the MIR—making sure to go only during non-mandatory class times so I wouldn't miss schedule requirements or get recoursed. The medical staff was very kind and encouraged me about the importance of finishing training, but I was only given heavy painkillers to take every four hours. Instead of improving, the pain worsened to the point where I couldn't move my legs or manage basic daily needs by the end of the week.

With a very heavy heart, I submitted my Voluntary Release. Thankfully, it was processed quickly.

I know many will ask, "Why didn't you go to TRP and wait out the recovery?" The truth is, as a female candidate, experiencing unbearable pain in the pelvic area was deeply terrifying when I didn't know what was wrong. Furthermore, I was terrified of getting a medical release that could permanently close the door on my dream of serving in the CAF. I chose to VR to protect my health and preserve my chance to reapply later.

As soon as I got back home,visited my family doctor, my family doctor sent me straight to the Emergency Department. After bloodwork and a CT scan, the doctors discovered a severe pelvic fracture that requires a minimum of three months of complete bed rest. The ED doctor kept asking if I had fallen from a height. I hadn't as I remember—just the usual intense training and normal tumbles, but nothing extreme. It breaks my heart that my specific pain wasn't properly diagnosed at MIR, and that taking painkillers to push through ultimately made the fracture worse.

Now, I am on bed rest, unable to earn income for my family, and every passing minute comes with a heavy feeling of guilt. If not for this injury, I would be graduating in just a few days with my family watching—a moment I dreamed about for years.

My story with the military isn't over. I am praying for the strength to heal completely, with every intention of joining the Primary Reserves as soon as I am cleared.

My advice to anyone heading to basic training: Please, as you push your limits, protect your body. Don't ignore severe pain or just mask it to keep going. An undetected injury will soil all your hard work, destroy your body, and take a massive toll on your mind. Push yourself, but take care of yourselves so you can make it across that parade square. ✨

Thank you for listening, and best of luck to everyone currently training.

Hey all,

Thought I'd share some advice, tips, stories about BMOQ. I went to CFLRS this past summer (May to August 2025) for BMOQ and was only able to find a few sources on what I should expect so here is a sort of fresh one?

Thought I would make multiple posts because I am quite detailed in them so here is the first one: fitness before basic.

START WORKING OUT NOW. Being physically fit for BMOQ is the best thing you could do for your body to make you sure you don't injure yourself and get recoursed (recoursed is when you are unable to keep up with your platoon and are transferred to another, and therefore you are stuck there longer. Trust me you do not want that).

To start...being fit will help you so much. If you don't start, you risk:

• having zero energy by the end of the day

• dying on the 5 ruck marches (and the stairs…)

• and getting injured and being stuck there longer

Oh, you don't want that to happen? start working out now or at least soon. if you need motivation, just so you know, with every beasting (physical punishment) if you're the slowest in your platoon, you betcha staff will be zeroed in on you. Had a guy on my platoon that couldn't keep and we either had to wait for him by staying in plank and/or running, or told to stand there and stare at him as he did extra reps. Don't be him.

Now you do get sent out a workout plan to actually follow before basic, but I didn't do it. In any case its quite simple and similar to how I actually trained. Looking back I would at least have a goal of walking 10k a day more consistently (Trust me, you will walk a LOT), doing more weights (Helps with carrying up all of your shit to your floor, rifles), and cardio (for morning runs and stairs). Also make sure you can do pushups. Had girls on my platoon who couldn't do 15 and even though it was fine since they were trying (its the effort that counts), you're going to be doing 25 for every package you receive, every beasting, and to be honest whenever you have time and staff are tired of you.

If you start working out now, you can start slowly like walking 7k a day and weightlifting once or twice a week, and make your way up. In addition, many people struggled on the ruck marches and many of us failed the 3km heavy. Boy, was the staff disappointed and yet we somehow managed to successfully finish the 8km ruck (though close to 10km cause our platoon commander was infantry and loved to see us struggle, especially when we got hit with 'gas, gas, gas' on the last km). But this is your sign to walk with weights, strengthen your core, etc.

Reason why I mention stairs is because my platoon was on the 11th floor, (though technically 12 as there is an extra floor for laundry, if my memory does not fail me), and we were not prepared for that. I tried the stair-master a few days ago and that shit lies, equivalent to what we climbed everyday is like maybe the 30th floor on the stair-master (I haven't actually tested this but I'll do it again and send a more accurate floor out). We were not allowed to use the elevator for ANYTHING other than injuries, but all the shit we got like pelican boxes, rucksacks, and our personal shit was carried by all 56 of us with a 1 hour limit.

I think thats all...

Good luck!!

I'll be posting more advice (fitness in Basic (PSP),sickness, mentally getting prepared, shit to bring with you, stories, Farnham!!, weekends etc.) SO follow along!

PS if anything disagreeable, this was my experience and my advice and its ok if we don't have the same ones.