You go; I'll talk after.
Evidence of meeting #125 for National Defence in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was men.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #125 for National Defence in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was men.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:15 p.m.
Senior Partner, A New Dynamic Enterprise Inc.
I don't know about the structure of the army. I think that's been tested and evolved. It needs to be very hierarchical for leadership reasons. I'm not sure I would challenge that.
Certainly, the way women fit in that environment needs to be challenged. I'll give you an example. Women are taught, when they go into the military, to adapt to the way men challenge themselves: the competition, the buddy-buddy relationships, and the “let's take it outside to fight it out and then have a few beers”.
Women aren't naturally suited for that. We do things differently. We're very suited to helping each other in different stages of our lives. Then we get into the military and become competitors and our own worst enemies, instead of being mentors to one another. We're not taught, in the military context, to help other women. When I talk to women in the military, it's like a light bulb goes on: “Oh yeah, we can be good to each other. We can promote and encourage.” We're not taught that in the military, as women.
5:20 p.m.
Senior Partner, A New Dynamic Enterprise Inc.
It's to have that as part of our discussions and just teach women to be better mentors, to be the mentors that we never had.
5:20 p.m.
Director, The WPS Group
I think that when we say we want to bring in more women, more diverse groups, it's not just about brining them in, but also about recognizing that they're bringing different perspectives and different ways of doing things. It's about being open to challenging the status quo, or the way we're doing things right now, with those new perspectives, and also being open to hearing those new perspectives.
5:20 p.m.
Davenport, Lib.
Thank you.
The only comment I would make, Major Perron, is that you're right. I used to train for half marathons, and in my first one I remember there was a guy at the top of the hill. It was at the end of my 17 kilometres, and he's at the top and he's yelling at me, “You can do it! You can do it! Run, run, you can do it.” When I got to the top of the hill, I almost killed him. I told him that's the least motivating way to actually get me to the last half kilometre up the hill.
You're right: The way we're motivated is very different.
Thank you.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Stephen Fuhr
I thank you both for coming and adding value to this important conversation.
The meeting is adjourned.