Auditor general to release reports on military recruitment, cybersecurity today

By Canadian Press on October 21, 2025.

OTTAWA — Canada’s auditor general is taking a deep dive into military recruitment and cybersecurity as her office releases a new round of reports today.

Auditor General of Canada Karen Hogan is set to table six reports in Parliament mid-morning on Tuesday.

One report will focus on whether the Canadian military has recruited and trained enough members to meet its operational requirements.

In August, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his government was hiking entry-level pay for Canadian Armed Forces privates by 20 per cent for the regular force and 13 per cent for reservists. He said other military members would also receive pay raises, with smaller increases for higher ranks — part of a broader plan to boost recruitment and operational readiness.

Ottawa also announced it was creating new military allowances and enhancing existing ones in a bid to help retain personnel and drive up recruitment in a competitive job market.

Those measures were announced as staffing levels in 53 of 116 critical military occupations, including vehicle and maritime technicians, were stuck below 75 per cent.

The auditor general is also releasing a report on whether the Department of National Defence has managed housing to meet operational requirements and respond to the needs of Canadian Armed Forces members.

Another report being released Tuesday looks at whether federal departments and agencies have the tools they need to protect and defend government networks and systems from cyberattacks.

The audit will look more closely at whether the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the Communications Security Establishment Canada and Shared Services Canada have the tools to protect and defend networks and systems in a “co-ordinated manner.”

Last week, password manager NordPass and threat exposure management platform NordStellar reported hundreds of passwords belonging to Canadian civil servants had been exposed in publicly available sources since the beginning of 2024.

Their research said Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence were among the institutions most affected.

Another study being released today by the auditor general looks at Canada’s early learning and child care system. A news release said the audit focuses on whether Employment and Social Development Canada fulfilled its duty to support early learning and child care across Canada.

It comes four years after the federal government began moving on its $10 a day childcare program, signing agreements with every province to lower fees and expand capacity, but to mixed results.

Hogan’s office will also table a report on programs for First Nations. This document assesses whether Indigenous Services Canada has made progress on addressing recommendations from six previous audits conducted between 2015 and 2022.

And the auditor will deliver a final report today on the efficiency of Canada Revenue Agency call centres. That report will state whether the agency’s call centres provided callers with accurate information about taxes and benefits in a timely manner.

On Sept. 2, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne set a 100-day timeline for the CRA to fix call centre delays, with a deadline of Dec. 11. The CRA said it wanted to answer at least 70 per cent of calls by mid-October.

Two senior officials working at the Canada Revenue Agency said last week the agency surpassed its target ahead of schedule. The reported that between Sept. 29 and Oct. 3, the CRA’s call centres answered 77 per cent of incoming calls.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2025.

— With files from Kyle Duggan

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press