PoliticsCanada’s auditor general found serious problems with the military’s aging living quarters, including deteriorating exterior walls, toilets that don’t work and a lack of safe drinking water. No Wi-Fi, crowded quarters, communal showers also flagged as issuesAshley Burke · CBC News · Posted: Oct 21, 2025 1:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoAuditor General of Canada Karen Hogan speaks at a press conference after tabling performance audit reports in Parliament, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)Canada’s auditor general found serious problems with the military’s aging living quarters, including deteriorating exterior walls, toilets that don’t flush and a lack of safe drinking water. There are 227 high-priority repairs needed across 32 buildings, according to Karen Hogan’s latest report released Tuesday. But out of a sample audited, only five per cent of repairs had been completed. “It’s the kind of conditions you and I wouldn’t want to live in, and the kind of conditions I don’t think we should let our Canadian Armed Forces live in,” Hogan said at a news conference.While examining furnished quarters at three bases, Hogan’s team found poor conditions, including that there wasn’t enough living space per person, which could lead to overcrowding; communal showers instead of the required individual stalls; and not enough modern amenities, including Wi-Fi access. The report lays out the depth of the problem the federal government is facing in trying to rebuild Canada’s Armed Forces. There isn’t nearly enough military housing available and the government’s plan to build more still includes a shortfall, it found. The blunt assessment comes at a time when the military is trying to recruit more new members. WATCH | Auditor general describes poor conditions of military housing:Auditor general describes poor conditions of military housing Auditor General Karen Hogan says her team visited three military bases and found the housing situation included ‘the kind of conditions that you and I wouldn’t want to live in, and the kind of conditions I don’t think we should expect members of the Canadian Armed Forces to live in.’Hogan also found that while recruitment improved over the past three years, the Forces still didn’t bring in enough new military members to make up for the number of people who left.The lack of affordable housing has long been cited as a reason for low morale and why some people quit. “It is important for their morale and well-being that they can access affordable housing in good condition with sufficient living space for their needs,” Hogan wrote. Do you have a story about living in military housing? You can reach Ashley Burke confidentially at ashley.burke@cbc.caThe auditor general’s team found the average age of the buildings housing military members is 60 years old, and most required at least one high-priority repair. Along with the lack of maintenance, the Canadian Forces Housing Agency, which manages military housing units at bases, is also failing to meet the current demand, Hogan found. Her audit found there were 3,706 military members on a waitlist for residential housing units at bases this spring, but only 205 units available. The federal government plans on spending $2.2 billion between 2024 and 2043 to build 1,400 new residential housing units and renovate another 2,500 units, the report said. But Hogan found that’s not nearly enough, saying the government’s plan is using outdated data and short about 3,800 to 5,800 units. WATCH | ‘We’re working actively to improve all of that,’ says defence minister:‘We’re working actively to improve all of that,’ says minister on military housing conditions National Defence Minister David McGuinty thanked the auditor general for pointing out the areas where the government can improve the condition of military living quarters. Defence Minister David McGuinty said he’s been visiting bases and walked through military residences. “We have work to do,” McGuinty said. “We’ve conducted a major assessment of the needs, and we’re beginning to operationalize those.”He pointed to the government recently buying an apartment building in Esquimalt on Vancouver Island to house troops as a new solution to the housing problem. Military didn’t meet recruitment goalsHogan also delivered a blunt assessment laying out how the military is still failing to recruit and train enough members to meet its operational needs. “The audit found that the CAF planned to recruit just over 19,700 new members between 2022 and 2025 but recruited only around 15,000,” Hogan’s report said.The number of people applying to join the military grew every year between 2022-2025, but only one out of 13 were enrolled. It’s often taking twice as long to recruit people as the military’s target time, and the Forces don’t always know why people are dropping out of the process, the report said. When Canada’s chief of defence staff Gen. Jennie Carignan took over in 2024, she said addressing the military’s recruitment gap was her top priority. The military rolled out a series of changes to its recruitment process, including removing an aptitude test, changing some medical standards and allowing people to start training while waiting for their security clearance. But Hogan’s report said these changes haven’t been in place long enough for her audit to assess if it’s making a difference. WATCH | Military relaxes rules to try and increase recruits:Canadian military relaxes rules to try and increase recruitsThe Canadian Armed Forces has introduced relaxed rules for service terms and appearance — allowing longer hair and facial hair — as strategies it hopes will help recruit and retain members.The military’s own internal analysis showed many new members were likely to leave within the first four years after finishing their training for a military occupation because of training delays, job dissatisfaction or issues getting used to the military’s culture, Hogan wrote.Many of the issues around a bottleneck in training and some occupations facing staffing shortages have been previously reported on. Hogan wrote that staffing gaps could hurt the country’s response to threats, conflicts and emergencies. The Department of Defence agreed to all of the auditor general’s recommendations.”We’re working actively to improve all of that,” McGuinty said. “We made the single largest investment in the Armed Forces in defence in a generation. We’ve made major pay increases and remuneration now part of the package to recruit and retain young soldiers.”ABOUT THE AUTHORAshley Burke is a senior reporter with the CBC’s Parliamentary Bureau in Ottawa. She was recognized with the Charles Lynch Award and was a finalist for the Michener Award for her exclusive reporting on the toxic workplace at Rideau Hall. She has also uncovered allegations of sexual misconduct in the Canadian military. You can reach her confidentially by email: ashley.burke@cbc.ca
AG uncovers unsafe drinking water, toilets that don’t work in military housing
