By Military Woman
Question:
What is the Women Veterans Council (WVC), and why is it important?
Answer:
For the first time, women Veterans now have a formal, national platform to advocate for issues that uniquely affect them.
After years of advocacy, Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor announced on December 12, 2023, the government’s intention to create a “women’s advisory ministerial committee”. A national call for applicants was held throughout June 2024. An assessment board of women Veterans finished reviewing the over 200 applications in September 2024. The minister announced December 2, 2024, the names of the twelve serving and retired CAF and RCMP women to serve on the Women Veterans Council (WVC) which had its first in-person meeting on January 29, 2025.
One Veteran, One Standard - Aren’t Veteran Issues the Same for Everyone ?
Yes and no. While many challenges are shared by all Veterans, VAC’s research, disability assessments, and benefits were originally designed with the male Veteran in mind, often overlooking the differences specific to women Veteran’s service experiences and health needs.
VAC’s “One Veteran, One Standard” approach may sound fair, but in practice, women Veterans have been getting “added and stirred” into systems that don’t always include the research, benefits and services for their needs.
As noted by the 42 recommendations made from the report Invisible No More: Experiences of Canadian Women Veterans (tabled in parliament on June 12, 2024) –– many women Veterans’ issues continue to feel invisible within VAC and the broader society, including the Veteran community. The WVC’s mission is simple: to ensure serving and retired women Veterans (CAF and RCMP) receive equitable levels of research, benefits, and other supports compared to their male peers and civilian spouses. For example:
· Medical Knowledge: Many VAC programs lack evidence-based research on service-related conditions that disproportionately impact women Veterans, including uterine prolapse, urinary incontinence, pregnancy complications, autoimmune disorders, musculoskeletal injuries, breast cancer, mental health conditions, and dementia.
· Benefits and Supports: Women Veterans are less likely than men to self-identify as Veterans, apply for VAC benefits or have their claims approved. Many women Veterans don’t realize their health conditions may be service-related, while others avoid VAC due to past institutional failures that eroded their trust. Many women struggle to find Veteran culturally aware service providers, while VAC’s claim adjudicators and case managers often still are lacking in the training and tools to fairly assess women-specific service-related injury and illness.
· Transition & Identity: Many women Veterans feel invisible as Veterans in Canadian society at large and the Veteran community in specific, worsening their risks for social isolation and discouraging them from help-seeking behaviours.
· Misconceptions: Advocacy for women Veterans is often still misunderstood and mistakenly lumped in with related, but separate issues. Women Veteran advocacy goes beyond military sexual trauma (MST) or 2SLGBTQI+ issues, which impact all sexes and genders –– not just women.
How Can You Support Women Veterans?
If you’re wondering, “What does this have to do with me?”—the answer is simple: Identifying and rectifying women Veteran challenges will ultimately lead to better support for all Veterans. A strong, united Veteran community will benefit everyone.
In the 1970s and 80s women fought for the right to serve alongside men in all military roles and environments. In the 90s they fought through the initial waves of gender and sexual orientation integration challenges. In the 2000s they fought for workplaces free from sexual violence and for more sex-specific equipment to decrease preventable injuries. Today, women Veterans are fighting for fair treatment and recognition in their post-service lives– an effort that will strengthen the entire Veteran community.
You can help by:
· Encouraging women Veterans to self-identify and engage with VAC, the WVC and the annual Women Veterans Forums - the next one being in Ottawa March 6-7, 2025.
· Advocating for VAC policies to support all Veterans—including Indigenous, racialized, disabled, and women Veterans.
· Recognizing that equity isn’t about division or competition—it’s about making sure no Veteran is left behind.
The work of the WVC will hopefully fix some of the past mistakes, while also ensuring a better future for all who are serving today and tomorrow.
When we know better—we can do better for all Veterans, together.
