More than 100 Canadian Armed Forces reserve members train for combat in Labrador

In February, Canadian Armed Forces reserve members learned how to survive in cold weather, conduct a raid, manage injuries and casualties, and take a dip in cold water while in training for arctic warfare in Labrador.

The military operation called Exercise Maroon Sojourn brings together the Arctic Response Company Group that includes people from across the Atlantic provinces, and a few American military personnel.

The reserve forces are typically focused on sovereignty operations, but there is an increased push toward warfare training.

"We're getting back into what we call kinetic operations, the use of weapons in order to deliver an effect," said Colonel Ray Dufour.

"The global situation across the world is deteriorating," Dufour said. "For us, it is one of these things we're training for in case there's a requirement for the Canadian Armed Forces to deploy."

Dufour is the Commandant of the 37 Canadian Brigade out of Moncton, New Brunswick. Reservists are primarily dispatched to local operations, such as cleaning up after Hurricane Fiona, but they need to be prepared for more, Dufour said

The Canadian Armed Forces reserve members held a mock raid at Mosquito Range on 5 Wing Goose Bay on February 22, 2024. The mock raid included smoke bombs and blank ammunition to simulate live fire. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

It's not the first time they're doing this type of cold weather operations for reserve forces, but Dufour said there is more of an emphasis toward it from the federal government.

The reserve members conducted a mock raid at Mosquito Range, on the 5 Wing Goose Bay Base. The exercise ended with two military personnel being mock casualties with other members practicing giving medical attention.

More than 105 Canadian Armed Forces reserve members were training in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in February, to learn arctic warfare. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

"Everything is more complicated in cold weather environment," Dufour said. "Communication is big, you also have transportation that's bigger and also survival."

"Once you're below -20°C, it becomes very, very easy to make small errors that's going to have huge consequences."

Utilizing local rangers for military training 

Battling Labrador's soft snow, freezing temperatures and becoming used to snowshoes are some of the things the reserve members learn. The reserve members also rely on local and Indigenous knowledge to learn how to manage the land.

"Indigenous people bring much more than just culture. They're bringing a skill set and a way of communicating to the land," Defour said. "They have a wealth of experience and we ought to listen to what they're recommending because it's really survival skills."

The Canadian Armed Forces reserves were trained in what to do if someone has an injury during an exercise on February 22, 2024 at 5 Wing Goose Bay. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

Master Corporal Madalynn Allaby is a signal operator with the 37 regiment out of New Brunswick. She said being here is also a way to learn effective communication in a challenging environment. Allaby works to make sure troops and commanders can communicate effectively with each other, regardless of what's happening.

"Up here in the Arctic, communications are a little bit different," Allaby said.

They typically use satellite communications but they face challenges with cloud cover and weather, Allaby said. High-frequency radios are what work better in the arctic, she said.

Five American Military personnel were part of the training for Canadian Armed Forces reserve members on 5 Wing Goose Bay in February. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

Allaby said it's a lot of troubleshooting but a nice place to do it in.

"I really love it up here. I think the weather is a little chilly, but it's really beautiful and the scenery is beautiful and it's very quiet and peaceful up here," Allaby said.

Dufour said on the last day the troops plunged into Labrador's freezing water to prepare in case it happened in real life in the future, before heading back to their respective provinces. He hopes to continue to come back each year for future exercises.

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