Canada’s new East Coast navy commander says people and training are his priority

HALIFAX – The new commander of the Royal Canadian Navy on the East Coast says training and taking care of his people are among his top priorities. 

Rear Admiral Pascal Belhumeur was installed as the commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic and Joint Task Force Atlantic aboard HMCS William Hall in Halifax on Tuesday. Along with the navy, he’s also in charge of defending the Atlantic provinces from threats as well as search and rescue missions and leading the response of the armed forces when called upon during natural disasters. 

He replaced Rear Admiral Josée Kurtz who was appointed to the role in June 2023.

Belhumeur said recruitment has historically been a challenge, but the navy has actually surpassed its targets over the last couple years. Now he says the challenge is training up those new recruits, and the navy is making sure it provides opportunities every time it goes to sea.

“My priorities here are…our people, developing our people, taking care of our people, because people are our capability,” Belhumeur told reporters Tuesday.

Defence Minister David McGuinty said in April that the Canadian Armed Forces brought in 7,310 new members in the prior year, the highest recruitment level in 30 years. The military enrolled 1,400 permanent residents, the highest number since it started allowing them to join in 2022.

McGuinty said there were 44,000 applications to join the regular force, which was 62 per cent more than the year before. He credited a pay hike and changes to medical requirements for the turnaround.  

The numbers mark an improvement since 2024, when the previous defence minister, Bill Blair, said the forces were locked in a personnel “death spiral.”  

Canada has been making unprecedented investments in its armed forces as it ramps up spending as part of its NATO commitments. Belhumeur said the navy needs to be ready to use those new capabilities.

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In March, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced $3 billion in infrastructure and defence spending for Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In June, Halifax’s Irving Shipbuilding began construction on the first of Canada’s 15 new River-class destroyers. Total cost of the new destroyers is estimated between $60 billion and $80 billion. 

Carney was back in Halifax last month to announce German defence manufacturer TKMS as the preferred bidder to supply Canada’s next fleet of submarines, calling it the largest procurement in Canadian history. 

“I see all the investment that’s coming with the River-class destroyers and the submarines. I know the impact that (they) will continue to have for the community here, a community that has always supported the navy,” said Belhumeur.  

There are about 10,700 military and civilian personnel in the Maritime Forces Atlantic defence team.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2026.