‘An exciting time’: navy recruitment climbs in Hamilton

Navy recruitment is on the rise in Hamilton after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent funding boost for the Canadian military.

On Friday, a navy recruitment drive took place in Hamilton at the headquarters for HMCS Haida National Historic Site.

“My mom’s father was in the navy his whole life,” says Sydnee Lociceero, a student at the recruitment drive.

“The navy has been a part of my family forever before I was even born and it’s always been something that’s interested me, being on the ship, working for the government within the navy.”

With Carney announcing his government has met NATO defense targets and looking to increase military spending over the next 10 years, recruitment programs on the ground are looking to keep up.

“From Hamilton here in HMCS Star, we’ve recruited 90 sailors in the past year,” says Commanding Officer Kevin Ng.

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“It’s an exciting time for Canada’s navy as a whole. The Government of Canada is making a generational investment in all the ships and capabilities that we’ll need to be a capable fighting force into the future.”

To apply, applicants must be a Canadian citizen or a Canadian resident. They should also at least be 17 years old and in high school.

“There’s a lot more women than I’ve seen in the history books in the navy and forces in general,” says Shelly Frith, sailor first class at HMCS Hamilton.

“When I first went to basic training and saw oh this is mostly men here. That disappears really quickly because you have to work together. You have to work as a platoon, you have to work as a course, you have to work as a core.”

With a major shift and focus on Canada’s military spending and recruiting efforts, potential crews in Hamilton say they are ready for the call.

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