Thank you very much.
Let me start by saying that I'm very proud of the incredible work that our brave men and women do in the Canadian Armed Forces. I'm so pleased that we're all here today to talk about how we can build a force that is more inclusive, that is the best qualified to carry out the work.
I want to start off with a little pet peeve. I did hear one of the witnesses earlier, in referring to new applicants, talk about “his“ application. I think it's very important for you, as leaders of the department, especially in the context of talking about achieving gender equality, to avoid pronouns that create the atmosphere of it being a male-dominated force. As much as it currently is, we want to move away from that.
With that said, Mr. Forster, you mentioned that the Canadian Armed Forces grew last year. Can you be specific? Were you speaking of the 2016-17 financial year? If you were, what are the total numbers for that year?