Thank you for that.
You mentioned treatment. I can make a certain comparison with francophone service members from Quebec. I served in the Canadian Forces for 22 years. Things were certainly much easier when we worked in a purely francophone environment in Quebec. However, from the moment we had to work elsewhere in Canada or abroad, under a more English-speaking command, it created a lot of tension. For example, I saw courses have to be cancelled completely because of conflict. Francophones then had to be sent to training elsewhere. I experienced it.
Let us get back to command and control. I did my first courses with Brigadier-General Jocelyn Paul. We were 18 years old. Mr. Paul later became the commander of the Canadian Army.
I also had indigenous people under my command when I was a unit commander. Everything always went well as soon as we were integrated, in the sense that everyone was working toward the same goal. When motivations are a bit divided, that's definitely when conflicts arise. Our primary motivation was to accomplish our mission.
Earlier, we talked about the Canadian Rangers and their mission. I see that 30% of them are indigenous, but I thought there were many more indigenous people involved.
Let us look at the current security environment in the Arctic. Is there a command and control issue in the Rangers' mission? Do indigenous rangers feel a bit like people who are just there with a weapon to walk around and report information, or do they really feel like an integral part of an effective military operations unit? I know that Lieutenant-General Erick Simoneau recently told the committee that there was a lack of equipment and resources. Do you think the people there feel important, or is there a lack there?