I think I'm still in transition, to be honest with you, but thank you. That's a good question.
I think we have to understand cultures. In institutions like the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP, this is our family. This is our world. The hardest part of transition is going on to nothing. You lose purpose. You get called “Ms.” or “Mrs”. We lose a lot of pieces.
That is not an issue in and of itself, but what can happen with the improvement of services is that, if you have a community of people who are used to having structure around them—not because we're automatons and can't think for ourselves but because it's the world we come from—it makes transition smoother. This is why that cinch between VAC, the RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces is so important and you don't leave people struggling with “Who am I?” Connection and making people feel like they're put together are going to be quite important.
I would recommend that, as a committee, you look at transition services. Name this for what it is and remember that women veterans are less likely to seek follow-on VAC services than men are because we don't always see ourselves in them. If you can, make recommendations surrounding transition services, naming this for what it is and having a push system for veterans rather than having them chase you down.