The Reconciliation is Canada's tribute to peacekeepers.

But questions are being raised about the future of the reserves, how they are funded, and what they mean in wartime. 

Being in the reserves is like having a part-time job. Members meet one weekend each month for military training. An Army reserve member might learn how to handle weapons and explosives, drive military vehicles, and administer first aid. Most people in the reserves go to school or hold a full-time job.

As in the rest of the military, funding for the reserves has been cut back in recent years. However, in light of the Sept. 11 attacks, military personnel are hoping there will be more money for them in the next federal budget.

“Of course we’d like for that to happen,” says army spokesperson Kelly Kilrey. “But we cannot say what will happen in such uncertain times.”

Funding the reserves

Richard Wong, who spent more than five years in the reserves, hopes to see more money going to the Armed Forces.

“They are under funded, I mean, many times we were using equipment left over from the Korean War."

Still, he says, reservists are better off than most full-time military personnel.

"There was a time when guys in the regular forces had to take part-time jobs because they were living below the poverty line.”

But using outdated equipment has made the Canadian Forces stronger in some ways, Wong says. 

“The only way to make up for bad equipment is superior training.” 

Members of the reserves acquire useful skills outside the military, which helps on peacekeeping missions. The reserves were deployed in Bosnia and Rwanda for those reasons, Wong says.

New reality for reserves 

The reserves are not immune to the military actions taken by Canada, says sub-Lieutenant Pierrette Ledrew of the Department of National Defence.

“It’s a part-time job, yes, but when you choose to join the reserves you take on certain responsibilities. And you should be aware of that.”

Alex Metson is ready for weekend training.

Alex Metson, 19, a member of the Army Reserve, agrees.

 “Sure the Sept. 11 attacks scared me, they scared everyone,” he says. “But I know I have made a commitment, and I can’t treat that as if it meant nothing.”

Metson is not involved in Operation Apollo (the name given to the anti-terrorist mission by the defence department). He is in the infantry, and Canada has not committed ground troops. 

Like many others in the reserves, Metson has a life outside of the army. He is in his first year of criminology at Ottawa's Carleton University. 

He says he takes his commitment to the reserves very seriously.

“You don’t have to be fearful, you just have to know what you’re doing and what you’re getting into.”

“The meaning behind being in the reserves has changed for me,” says Andrew Mitchell, a 22-year-old from Orillia, Ont. “It isn’t just a part-time job any more.”

Mitchell applied to join the reserves early in September but changed his mind after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. Like many others, he was interested in the reserves as a well-paying part-time job that would look good on a resumé. He never had any plans for a military career.

"Not just a lot has changed — everything has changed,” Mitchell says. “I think that there is realistic ground to be concerned for my safety and I had never even thought about that possibility until that first plane hit the World Trade Center.

"I don’t know if any Canadians did.”  

Related Links Updates from the Department of National Defence on Operation Apollo  List of Canadian Forces reserves What the Canadian government is doing to fight terrorism