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Some on Twitter pointed to the ad as further evidence the Canadian Forces is out of touch when it comes to recruiting women. Others, however, explained that the question about makeup was a legitimate one, similar to questions asked by men about whether they are allowed facial hair if they join the military.

Vance also faced some pushback on his Twitter account, with an individual questioning why he was apologizing for the Facebook advertisement.

Photo by Patrick Doyle / THE CANADIAN PRESS

The rotating Facebook ads are based on frequently asked questions the military deals with from recruits. Those questions are outlined on a Canadian Forces webpage called “Women in the Forces – You Ask. We answer.”

That webpage with the questions is still up. But the Facebook ad campaign, which pushed the questions out to Facebook users, has been temporarily stopped, Department of National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier said Tuesday.

“While these types of questions tested well with our target audience, we recognize that the ad in question did not resonate with everyone the same way,” Le Bouthillier said. “We have received significant and diverse feedback that allows for the refinement and improvement of our recruitment advertising efforts.”

He did not know how long the campaign would be put on hold.

The Canadian military has been struggling for years to boost the numbers of women and visible minorities in the ranks.

Vance acknowledged in a recent interview with The Canadian Press that there has been only a small increase in the number of women in the ranks over the past two years.

He stated three years ago that his goal was to have women comprise 25 per cent of all military personnel by 2026. At that point the number of females was around 15 per cent.