Political scientist Andy Knight says his research suggests current attitudes within the Armed Forces favour white, male and Christian cultures and put groups like women, people of colour, newcomers and the 2SLGBTQ+ community at a disadvantage.

“It’s a long-standing historical problem that has to do with the military’s mindset on who should be in the military and how they’re going to be treated once they’re in,” Knight said in an interview.

He said the research became all the more intriguing after it was revealed that some military members were involved in the 2022 “Freedom Convoy” protests against COVID-19 rules that shut down much of downtown Ottawa for weeks.

A former Manitoba reservist Patrik Mathews was also sentenced in 2021 to nine years in the U.S. for his role in what the FBI called a violent plot to trigger a “race war.”