I've publicly stated that the culture of the Canadian Armed Forces when I joined.... Let's remember that I joined in 1982, almost 39 years ago. The culture then was a little different from now. I joined an occupation that had only just allowed women into the ranks, and they were ill-prepared, to be honest, in allowing women to come, but I can't say I experienced all the heartache that Major Brennan has expressed.
It would be no secret to say that it wasn't easy in the first number of years. The introspection I have done of late tells me that perhaps in those early years I could have done a little more, but I didn't, and we can get into that if you're really interested.
Throughout my 38 years of service, I have seen a change in the grander number of Canadian Armed Forces men and women who now work in uniform across the country and internationally. I honestly believe that the great majority of military folks are integrity-based and want to do the best job they can. That doesn't alleviate the fact that there are still problems. These problems need to be addressed, and they need to be addressed quickly and as effectively and efficiently as possible. Also, we need to take really great care and really listen to those who have been affected by this insidious behaviour. I think that's the only way we can go forward.