Prime Minister Mark Carney was at 8 Wing/CFB Trenton Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, announcing a pay raise for the Canadian Armed Forces. /Sarah Hyatt/MBC
Surrounded by men and women in uniform at 8 Wing/CFB Trenton, and standing alongside Bay of Quinte MP Chris Malette, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan and Minister of National Defence David J. McGuinty, Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Trenton Friday to announce “the largest pay raise for Canadian Armed Forces members in a generation.”
“The women and men of our Canadian Armed Forces make Canada strong, and today we are investing in that strength,” said the Rt. Hon. Carney, on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. “With a pay raise for every single CAF member, we are strengthening our military, recognizing their sacrifice and giving service members the resources, confidence and certainty they need to serve.”
Carney also vowed his new government will continue rebuilding, rearming and reinvesting in the CAF, while highlighting his government’s historic June announcement involving the investment of more than $9 billion in support of the CAF.
While inside a hangar at Canada’s largest air base, Carney spoke of a home to generations of service members whose dedication and courage represents the very best of our country – a hub for airlift operations in Canada and abroad – and service members’ contributions to missions and deployments around the world in defence of peace and security.
“You, in Trenton, take on immense responsibilities knowing it will require extraordinary personal sacrifice to protect Canada’s peace and security – and the calls (for) your dedication have only been growing,” said Carney. “We’re living in an increasingly dangerous and divided world.
“The international order built after the Second World War – and reshaped following the Cold War – is under pressure. Russia is emboldened (and) China is more assertive …” he noted, while going to acknowledge some of the complexities the nation continues to face globally.
Climate change, Carney continued, is also making Canada more vulnerable – “the arctic’s melting.”
“Our wildfires and floods are more frequent and devastating and these are all threats to which the Canadian Armed Forces responds.”
Just looking to this summer, Carney pointed to CAF members keeping people and communities safe through major disasters in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, to name just a few – and how just this week, life-saving humanitarian aid was airdropped in Gaza.
“When a crisis breaks, or Canada’s safety is threatened anywhere in the world, this base is the first to spring into action,” continued Carney, while emphasizing that in these times of crisis, the Maple Leaf remains a symbol of hope, and that help is here or coming.
He described CFB as so much than an air base – and noted here, service isn’t just lived by those in uniform, but also reflected in the strength, support and sacrifice of every military family.
“Their service is grounded in values and a love for our country that makes those sacrifices possible – commitments that keep Canada strong.”
But just like Canada has taken certain securities for granted too long, Carney said the nation has relied too heavily on the dedication of the women and men who serve to keep us secure – and despite increasing demands on personnel, their resources and salaries have not kept pace.
“And these are the men and women we trust to wear the Maple Leaf – the Canadian Flag – and risk their lives for it. Their pay should reflect the weight of their responsibilities,” he said, while going on to highlight new measures, including increases in pay and incentives, which the government is rolling out.
These measures will also help Canada revitalize and transform recruitment and retention, and bolster force readiness, said Canada’s leader.
The government has promised increases on top of base pay, retroactive to April 1, 2025. The increases include an eight per cent increase for colonels and above in rank, a 13 per cent jump for lieutenant-colonels and below, and a 20 per cent hike in starting pay for privates in the regular force.
In addition, a new military service pay benefit was announced, which will be specifically tied to time in service, “so paycheques also honour the years in uniform.”
“We have seen time and time again, no matter the situation, no matter the danger, the Canadian Armed Forces will always answer the call,” added McGuinty. “Our forces members are second to none and they deserve a pay raise to recognize their service in defending Canadians and asserting our sovereignty.”
Meanwhile, Carney also announced additional compensation initiatives set to be rolled out over the next year, inclusive of support for frequent moves and separation from families to help attract and retain the best instructors at training schools; raises to help CAF members training for combat and high-risk exercises and additional pay for CAF members who serve in natural disasters, as also detailed in a recent release from Carney’s office.
The PM also vowed to target extra support for critical trades where personnel are needed most to keep armed forces members ready at all times. Further, he shared this isn’t just about recognizing members, but their families serving alongside them and strengthening those families – spouses who pack up on short notice and build new lives from scratch; kids who have to leave schools and friends behind, and parents who sit at empty tables hoping the child they raised will make it home safely.
These investments are part of the nation’s plan to protect Canada’s sovereignty, bolster industrial capacity and create new careers, as well as part of strategic investments to meet NATO’s 2 per cent defence spending target this year – translating to half-a-decade ahead of schedule – and to further accelerate investments in years to come, attendees also heard.
To put this into context, Carney said this will quadruple total spending on defence and security by the end of this decade and relative to 2023-24 levels. What’s more, he said the government remains laser-focused on ensuring spending has the maximum impact on behalf of all Canadians, while also driving innovation and creating good careers and new opportunities for Canadian businesses.
Carney also reiterated his pledge to continue modernizing military equipment, to build up Canada’s defence industry – including with the use of Canadian materials – as well as its security presence around the world, while also diversifying international partnerships and investing in dual-use infrastructure like airports, ports, telecom, and emergency systems, all of which support defence and civilian readiness, reiterated officials.
According to the Government of Canada, the measures announced Friday will benefit regular force and reserve force members, including Canadian Rangers and the cadet organizations administration and training service.
For Carignan, the announcement was welcome news, as recruitment and retention are at the top of the priority list.
“Enhanced compensation and benefits will help lower the impact of military lifestyle on military families, bring some financial stability to our members and incentivize Canadians and permanent residents to serve our country,” explained Carignan. “Our military needs well-trained, motivated and dedicated people to deliver on our mandate to defend Canada and Canadians.”
Officials noted that the CAF is actively recruiting qualified individuals to fill more than 100 full- and part-time roles currently. More information is available at Forces.ca.
Malette – who is also one of 10 Members of Parliament appointed to Canada’s Standing Committee on National Defence – introduced Carney in Trenton on Friday, while reflecting on his work at the base and through deployments and journalism over the years prior to his shift to politics.
Malette spoke of a deep love for the base, and the 5,000-plus men and women who serve Canada at 8 Wing/CFB Trenton, which he described as one of the most critical pillars of the nation’s defence system, and a vital economic and cultural hub of the riding.
“This base and the people who serve here play an essential role not only in the Bay of Quinte region, but across our country and around the world – and we thank you deeply for your commitment,” said Malette, who also added that he’s proud to have a leader who understands the weight of service not only in government, but in piloting our nation through some of its most turbulent and complex global challenges.
Support for Canadian Armed Forces members is a critical part of this equation, and stabilizing affairs domestically and internationally, said Malette.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
