His childhood, as reflected in this opinion piece, is an artificial social construct as apparently Canada would consider him not so childish.

Consider:

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/caf-jobs/application-process/apply-now.html

"You can apply for the Regular Officer Training Plan if you are 16 years old
but to apply to join the Regular Force, you must:  be 18 years old (17 years old with parental consent)