Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Thank you to our witnesses.
I would like to take a moment to assure you that many of us on this committee and the defence committee recognize that we are the last line of defence. We are the elected officials, and in a democracy it is our responsibility to ensure that our institutions and those who honourably serve in them are protected and are a reflection of our values. We will do our very best [Technical difficulty—Editor] and we have failed. We have known about this, as you so aptly pointed out, for 25 years. When I was a recruit, when I was at military college, we knew. The fact that we haven't done what it takes to fix it is unconscionable.
I thank you nonetheless for still pursuing, coming forward and making sure that we know what we need to know. As you put it, Lieutenant Macdonald, this is far too important to get wrong, and if we don't get it right this time, it will affect everything, our Canadian Forces and our ability to protect the values of our nation and embody them ourselves. It took great courage, and I sincerely thank you.
First, Ms. Tulloch, what bravery, what courage and what an attitude you have to come forward, so right on ya, girl! Don't back down. You deserve this career. Stay with it.
Can you give me some understanding of why it's a joke? Why is sexual harassment not taken seriously? Why do you believe they think it's okay to do what they do?