Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Veterans Affairs Ginette Petitpas Taylor
Photo Credit: Government of Canada
Esprit de Corps Magazine October 2024 // Volume 31 Issue 9
Let's Talk About Women in the Military – Column 67
By Military Woman
Question:
What can we hope to see in the government’s response to the “Invisible No More. The Experiences of Canadian Women Veterans” study that was tabled by the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs (ACVA) on June 12, 2024?
Answer:
Many of us are still digesting this powerful 150-page parliamentary report. The challenge not being the report’s length as much as the gut-kicking testimonials used throughout the report in support of the 42 recommendations. It’s a report best read in small portions to allow for the time required to absorb the full gravity of the information presented.
Besides accepting all the recommendations, a few other key hopes to be part of the government’s response, due no later than October 10, 2024, include:
Clarify the Ministerial Lead.
Over half of the report’s recommendations require collaboration between Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), and the Department of National Defence (DND). Hopefully, the Minister of Veterans Affairs takes clear charge for the recommendation’s implementation plan and uses this opportunity to formalise her already standing, but undefined, role as Associate Minister of National Defence. Using these dual roles is likely to be crucial for the successful navigation and collaboration required between VAC and CAF/DND.Hopefully, the experiences and lessons learned from this report will be openly shared by VAC with CAF/DND (and RCMP) to prevent similar Veteran experiences for those women still serving.
Collaboration also with both the Minister of Mental Health and Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) would also be valuable, particularly in developing and formalising training practices for frontline workers that interact with trauma and violence-exposed Veterans (Recommendations 30-31).
Assign Department Leads.
It will be likewise crucial for department leads to also be able to freely liaise both within and outside of CAF/DND/RCMP/VAC. Christine McDowell, the new Associate Deputy Minister at VAC, seems like a natural fit for this role, supported by LGen Lise Bourgon, CAF’s Champion for Women and Chief of Military Personnel. Together, they can ensure all work through the women’s subcommittee of the CAF/VAC Joint Steering Committee is well coordinated. (Recommendation 37).Define “Successful Implementation”.
A key takeaway from the infamous Deschamps report is the importance of seeking the input from those most affected before declaring any recommendation as being “successfully implemented”. It is hoped that the new “Women Veterans Council” or ministerial advisory group will ensure that impacted women Veterans agree before the government lists any recommendation as being “implemented”. (Recommendation 36).Ensure Implementation Plan Resources are Available.
It is essential that resources needed for recommendation implementation are identified and included within next year’s budget and all parties’ election platforms. Occupational and environmental hazard related issues in particular will likely require new resources. Despite this topic being on the Prime Minister’s Mandate Letter for the MND since 2021, to date, it has largely been ignored. (Recommendations 1,16, 17,20 and 22).Enhanced Government Accountability to Veterans and Canadians.
Sadly, many parliamentary reports end up gathering dust, with their recommendations often left systemically unaddressed. To prevent this ACVA report from suffering the same fate, it is hoped that a special committee combining National Defence (NDDN) and ACVA together is established to ensure the cross-departmental recommendations in the report remain on government’s radar.
Canadians need to hold their parliamentarians and public servants accountable for following through on the report’s recommendations. It is hoped that advocacy groups representing CAF, RCMP and Veteran members, including the soon to be announced “Women Veterans Council”, will prioritize the report’s recommendations.
When the fall 2024 parliamentary session begins again, it is hoped that all parliamentarians take a moment to reflect on their individual and collective responsibilities to provide civilian oversight of the military. Ensuring the health and well-being of military and RCMP Veterans is an entrusted sacred duty to the Members of Parliament by those that elected them.
Let’s work together to get these ACVA report recommendations implemented!
