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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsForeign policyStarted 11yrs agoActive 2yrs ago

Should every 18 year old citizen be required to provide at least one year of military service?

Military Service is currently not required in Canada. Mandatory military service, or National Service, has occurred twice in modern Canada. The first period was implemented during the outbreak World War I in 1917 and the second during the beginning of World War II in 1944.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 325k Canada voters.

19%
Yes
81%
No
14%
Yes
73%
No
2%
Yes, but with less focus on military training and more focus on education and skill development
8%
No, service should be a choice instead of an obligation
2%
Yes, but only for those who do not pursue further education or employment
1%
Yes, but only for those who are starting to build a criminal record
0%
Yes, and it should be at least two years of service

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 325k Canada voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 325k Canada voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Canada voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @46CVYNSfrom Alberta  answered…6yrs6Y

Three years service to give the Molly coddled youth of today some back bone, discipline, patriotism, moral compass and respect. One year is not enough for today's generation.

 @58VSHKDfrom Ontario  answered…6yrs6Y

Only for males not attending higher education

 @5836HWRfrom Ontario  answered…6yrs6Y

Every citizen should be required to live and work in a third-world country for at least one year

 @4XM9NCCfrom Saskatchewan  answered…6yrs6Y

First send all politicians who want to vote on this topic to minimum one year of military service that only includes active duty beyond our borders. Once a full 338 mps have done that and are currently elected than they could decide what's best on this issue.

 @5BZ7RJDfrom Alberta  answered…6yrs6Y

time to make men 0ut of our privileged, entitled youth. maybe, just maybe, they would think twice of doing crime. If this were an alternative instead of jail, maybe they could grow to be productive citizens in society. please consider productive discipline for those who are lost in society. jail is an invitation to free housing, meals, health care, education and God knows what other privileges. our veterans get what? shameful how the treatment of those who protect our country are forgotten. got this in reverse folks. shouldn't have to have this pointed out if you're doing your job right.

 @5244PLPfrom British Columbia  answered…6yrs6Y

You want to collect welfare?, then mandatory 1 year in military service, earn your paycheck, or you get nothing

 @4QXVML3from Ontario  answered…6yrs6Y

NO - but offer free post-secondary education for military service.

 @588HCB5from Alberta  answered…6yrs6Y

Immigrants should be serving time up to 3 years in the military to obtain citizenship. Other wise further education and or skilled trade would also be a benefit

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Germany considers revival of compulsory national military service

Germany has unveiled the most sweeping military reforms since the cold war, including the possible revival of national service, as part of efforts to better prepare its armed forces to defend Nato territory.Speaking in Berlin on Thursday on the military alliance’s 75th anniversary, defence minister Boris Pistorius said he had signed an order to reorganise the German military from top to bottom.“It is a landmark reform . . . Our goal is to restructure the Bundeswehr in such a way that it is best positioned in the event of defence, in the event of war,” said Pistorius. “Nobody should have the idea of attacking Nato territory — this is what we [want to] convey.”The measures are part of a huge shift in Germany’s attitude towards its armed forces, reflecting what Chancellor Olaf Scholz said was a Zeitenwende or turning point in security policy after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.A single operational command will take charge of four new component forces, with cyber warfare raised to an equal footing alongside land, air and sea operations.Military officials drawing up the plans have been given six months to implement them. A key demand from the ministry is that the Bundeswehr will be made ready for compulsory national service in Germany, Pistorius said, should a decision be taken to reintroduce it. The country stopped its mandatory military service — as well as the option to serve in non-military institutions — in 2011.A defence ministry proposal on a model of national service for young adults will be put before German politicians in the coming weeks, he added.

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Taiwan ‘learning from Ukraine’ to prepare for attack

Taipei is studying the tactics being employed by the Ukrainian military against Russia in its preparations for a potential attack, the self-governing island’s new vice president, Hsiao Bi-khim, has said.Her comments come as Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has been voicing concerns that Beijing, which sees Taiwan as an inalienable part of its territory, has allegedly outlined the island’s “annexation and the elimination of the Republic of China (Taiwan) as the great rejuvenating cause of its people,” suggesting that the mainland would stop at nothing to take control of the island.Speaking at an event hosted by Chatham House, a British think-tank, in London on Tuesday, Bi-khim insisted that Taiwan must reform and decentralize its military command structure, adding that the government is actively “learning from Ukraine’s defense, where smaller combat forces have proven nimble and adaptable.”The vice president, who was elected last month, further claimed that “authoritarian regimes” were seeking to “influence and destabilize other nations through hybrid operations such as political warfare, cyber-intrusion, economic coercion and the threat of military force.”In light of this supposed threat, Bi-khim stated that the Taiwanese government has already taken a number of steps to boost its ability to react in the event of an attack. These include the doubling of the island’s defense budget, extending mandatory military service from four months to a year, the prioritization of new arms acquisitions, and other measures, some of which have been inspired by Ukraine, she said.

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 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...…2yrs2Y

Should the government incentivize the construction of affordable housing?

Yes

▲  2.7k3 replies2 agree

About This Data

Based on 325k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should every 18 year old citizen be required to provide at least one year of military service?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://canada.isidewith.com/polls/1571898179

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