Maybe if the mandatory service were installing fiber to rural areas the way we managed to get copper out there or dealing with infrastructure (especially water and schools) in Indigenous and remote communities. Maybe health care or emergency response.

But guns and bombs? No thanks.

Also, I'm old enough to be exempt by any rational measure. If it came to a vote, my vote shouldn't be counted.

Decent article but senseless headline. Nobody ever positioned mandatory service as a method to make Canadians love their country...

Nobody is seriously talking about mandatory service in Canada are they? The draft and conscription have been political suicide in Canada for basically the country's entire history as an independent nation. To my knowledge, the only countries where national service has any political traction are countries with a threatening neighbour right on their doorstep like Korea and Israel

I thought it was the UK Conservative party suggesting that, it's happening at the same time in Canada too?

How about we just tax the hell out of the rich people and billionaires in the country and use their money to pay for all our problems?

Then we can talk about national service after if that doesn't work

As an American this is depressing, Canada was always me mental escape hatch. “Well I’ll just move to Canada if shit gets to bad here”

Which I know is hella reductive and not nearly as simple as it sounds, but who needs logic

Does the mandatory national service pay $30+/hour, with raises if you stay voluntarily after the mandatory period is finished? That might do it.

Canadian government just wants mindless drones. They care about the general population as a resource.

If they cared, they wouldn't have let things get like this, and they would actively be pursuing ways to make things better.

Edit: I should add voting reform would have been massive if the liberals followed through with that. As it stands now from my personal perspective, it's the wealthy and powerful vs the general population.

Who said anything about love? The government just wants them to shut up and obey orders.

What, you mean people wouldn't want to potentially for for a country that abandoned them before service and had a history of doing so after?

"Mandatory national service". Sure, and I'm certain that the same Conservative governments that famously underfund everything in the military will surely fund this adequately.

After all, nothing's going to make you love your country like being conscripted and having to take a year off when you're on the verge of incurring massive amounts of debt, with no chance of owning a home and no employment prospects. Does this "Mandatory national service" include paying conscripts? Because I'll bet it doesn't.

Tell you what, let's conscript the Boomers. After all, they've already made out like bandits, have a fuck-on of equity and significantly less debt and a ton of time on their hands. Hell, it'd even free up jobs that Boomers are clinging to like fucking limpets to a rock. Let's see how much they "Love Canada" then when they have to take an unpaid year off for it.