So, is the 'clever' thinking behind this that if you can go to Afghanistan, and eat doughnuts, then more people will sign up to kill other people and be killed or horrendously maimed themselves?

Hmmmmmmm........I can't quite see that I'd do *that* for a doughnut, no matter how yummy they're supposed to be.


This guy has another idea, almost as intelligent as the doughnuts one...

Taken from here:


Rethink recruiting: Top general

Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of defence staff, says the military has to rethink its dismal recruiting practices and should consider giving preferential treatment to landed immigrants in return for them serving in the military.

By The Ottawa Citizen February 25, 2006

Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of defence staff, says the military has to rethink its dismal recruiting practices and should consider giving preferential treatment to landed immigrants in return for them serving in the military.

That possibility was one of several ideas the outspoken defence chief tossed out in a major speech to a largely military audience yesterday, in which he also said that despite some big spending promises by successive governments, the Canadian Forces are running a $750-million yearly shortfall and also need additional "billions with a capital B" to replace rusting-out equipment and to bring on new recruits.

"We need money to sustain ourselves, then to increase our numbers to flesh out the skeletal units that we have in some places across the CF," Gen. Hillier said.

Gen. Hillier said the Forces need to do a better job of explaining to young people why military careers are desirable and why its missions, especially in Afghanistan, are crucial to Canada's national interest.

Gen. Hillier made some drastic suggestions, including giving military personnel extra holiday time if they bring in new recruits and another novel proposal for the Citizenship and Immigration Department to consider.

"Maybe we want to go and seek with them an agreement that if landed immigrants join the Canadian Forces they have an accelerated route to citizenship in our great country," Gen. Hillier mused.

Meanwhile, Gen. Hillier is prepared to personally escort the boss of Tim Hortons to visit Canadian troops in Afghanistan if it will help get a Tim's running over there.

"I invite the CEO of Tim Hortons to come with me to Afghanistan and see the powerful implications that would come from that."

The company said in a statement that it's working with the Forces on having its products available in Afghanistan.

Despite a promise to increase spending by $13 billion over five years in the last Liberal budget, the Forces received only $500 million in new funds, $150 million of which was clawed back by the government for other spending.

Gen. Hillier said current defence spending remains at the 1991 level. "We remain short about three quarters of a billion dollars just to sustain the present Canadian Forces ... to march, fly or sail," including shortages of everything from bullets to housing, spare parts and gas for vehicles.

The Force's top new equipment priority, said Gen. Hillier, is a fleet of transport aircraft to replace the aging C130 Hercules transports. The Liberals announced a $5-billion plan to fast-track 16 new planes to replace the Hercules shortly before the election call last November.

The Conservatives have not said whether they will pursue the Hercules replacement, through their campaign platform suggested they would. Gen. Hillier announced yesterday a second Hercules aircraft in the 32-plane fleet has been permanently retired because it is too old to fly. The fleet is the oldest in NATO. "Without the replacement of the C130 Hercules in the very near future, we run a risk that that fleet will end up grounded, our ability to conduct operations significantly strained or stopped, internationally or domestically," he said.

© (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.


Of course, it could just be that people aren't wanting to be in the army anymore because they don't want to kill, be killed or maimed, but....what do I know?