Good afternoon to all the participants and all Canadians who will be able to watch these proceedings across our nation.
Welcome to my brothers and sisters who have decided to dial in as best they can across this country—because this is about you. You have served our nation.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
We remember Andrew, Corporal Cathy; Carr, Sergeant Brian; Chan, Kenneth; Desmond, Lionel; Gunn, Robbie; Hutchison, Kenneth; Mogus, Mike; Oliver, Jason; Ouellet, Jérémie; Tabor, Richard. These 10 Canadians have fallen, not in distant battles in faraway lands, save one, but here at home with family, friends and loved ones, who perhaps could not have seen the invisible wounds, or if they did, were not equipped with the mental health first aid skill sets to deal with the most tragic of outcomes—suicide.
As a service officer, I am dealing with our veterans and families on a regular basis, and as a director of the Veterans Association Food Bank in the Calgary region, I'm dealing with yet another mental health issue that results in our veterans losing families and friends as they spiral into homelessness. Perhaps the feelings of hopelessness have led to substance abuse and attempts in vain to shut off the video and audio images of war, combat, conflict and the loss of battle buddies, brothers and sisters who have paid the ultimate price for their service to our nation.
My mission today is to speak to the actions, abilities, programs and services, and perhaps shortcomings of Veterans Affairs and the Canadian Armed Forces, and to help offer constructive suggestions to save the lives of our veterans and families. Being an advocate for one of the participants today, Captain Sean Bruyea, retired, I would also like to share some of the journeys I've been part of with him and his family, and the mental health challenges and battles they've had to endure from a system that is supposed to be compassionate, caring and servant-hearted. In many cases, it becomes the biggest detriment to the mental and physical well-being of our veterans.
Lionel Desmond was the tragic consequence of a magnitude of failures on many fronts, as evidenced in the Desmond inquiry. Jérémie Ouellet took his own life in Afghanistan. I'm currently working with a battle buddy of his who has been severely impacted by his death.
Jason Oliver was perhaps the one who most personally impacted me in my more than 10 years of advocacy, as I attended the funeral and watched six of his seven children carry his casket out to the waiting hearse as his widow held the hand of the youngest with unrelenting sobs and tears.... My apologies, Mr. Chairman. That, in January of this year, stopped me in my tracks. I can tell you I was an emotional wreckage for quite some time. We are, with the veterans association in Calgary, supporting the widow and her kids as they try to move on without a husband, father and hero.
It is my duty to share and answer any questions as the committee deems pertinent to the hearings.
In a recent development from today, women veterans who have served our nation from coast to coast have reached out to me regarding the recent decision to shut down the committee on sexual assault. These women believed that #MeToo had finally come to Canada, but now they've seen, by the actions of the government, that the #MeToo movement is dead. I'm absolutely flabbergasted by the outreach I've had across the country from women. I've been told that 99% of women who serve in the military have faced some form of sexual harassment, and this piece is going to set us back substantially in treating mental health.
I challenge all of us. Put your parties aside, and let's look after the people, the men and women, who've put their lives on the line. Let's quit losing them to suicide.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.