As I said before, it's important to first admit that these are good programs, which also serve to attract indigenous youth to the Canadian Armed Forces, or CAF.
The programs are successful just because they already exist. However, there are challenges. One of those challenges, which is the same for all the various programs, is the inability to fill all the positions available for each program. There's also difficulty retaining participants once they have completed the programs.
We talked about the fact that indigenous people who are in the CAF are also experiencing certain challenges. I think that the young people who complete these programs face the same challenges. In particular, there are cultural problems that persist, which creates barriers for young people who want to continue in the CAF.
I think a study should really be conducted to examine all the programs and look at the successes, challenges, gaps and areas for improvement for each program.
As I said earlier, there's a program missing for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Adding such a program would be a way to attract people, because some participants will join the CAF after completing their programs. That's for sure.