I sometimes wonder why we don’t just establish a foreign legion like France, or at least permit foreigners to join as enlisted (not officer ranks) like other countries as a pathway to Canadian citizenship. The risk in active service is a far greater display of commitment to Canada than the average study permit holder, and expanding our recruitment pool to Francophone nations in Africa, and states in the Caribbean would at least help greatly in finding non-specialized enlisted.
I’ve thought the same — at least from the commonwealth. The US Marines do this, as do the UK Royal Marines. However, any Liberal government in Canada has a track record of underfunding and basic neglect of our military. It started with the Liberals in the late 60s when all service members wore the same uniform. We need to get rid of officers too — we’re far too heavy with top brass (generals).