Thank you for inviting the National Association of Federal Retirees to speak today. I am joining you from Ottawa, Ontario, the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe peoples.
The National Association of Federal Retirees represents 175,000 members, including 60,000 veterans. It is the largest national advocacy organization representing active and retired members of the federal public service, Canadian Armed Forces, RCMP and retired federally appointed judges, as well as their partners and survivors. We are pleased to be a co-chair and collaborating partner on the Women Veterans Research and Engagement Network, or WREN, which seeks to ensure equitable lifetime outcomes for military and veteran women and men.
My colleague Sayward Montague and I are pleased to speak with you today about the long-term view for commemoration and remembrance of all Canadian veterans.
Canada has been a leader in commemoration and remembrance thanks to the robust programs developed and maintained by Veterans Affairs Canada, both here at home and abroad, and the efforts of veterans organizations, many of them volunteer-run. Commemoration should start with a shared understanding and goal, and we should ask ourselves some questions. Who and what do we commemorate and how? Who and what have we neglected to recognize? Why has that happened? How can commemoration be more inclusive and reflective of those who have served?
Commemoration should reflect what the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP are, from the composition of those forces to their work and the challenges faced by those who have served.
All military occupations were opened to women in 1989. Women today comprise over 16% of the military. There is a goal to have 25% serving by 2026. We know that military women face inequitable health and other outcomes during and after their service. Recent months have been difficult for women veterans with the lived experience of military sexual misconduct and military sexual trauma.
How and whether individuals identify as veterans should be explored more closely. U.S. research has found that military women are less likely than men to self-identify as veterans, which means they may not seek the benefits, services and supports to which they are entitled, and they may be less visible in how we honour those who have served. On the flip side, veteran well-being is positively impacted by recognition. These realities must influence our long-term planning for commemoration. Better understanding the experience, needs and expectations of military and veteran women is important.
The department’s 10-year strategic plan for commemoration will expand the focus of commemorative programming and recognition of all those who have served, and highlight diversity in Canada’s military history, including our role in advancing peace and security globally. The department is committed to GBA+ in commemoration and to ensure that programs, policies and initiatives are unbiased. Veteran women should know what that means.
Veterans Affairs has taken steps to ensure that commemoration better reflects the role of military and veteran women through profiles, interviews, educational materials and a lesson plan. The stories of veteran women are more present in our collective consciousness. The department, through the annual women veterans forums and through other stakeholder relationships, has an opportunity to connect with military and veteran women to explore modern-day commemoration. The government must continue to be accountable for its progress on these goals, and in closing systemic biases and research gaps, which contribute to and include commemoration.
Finally, there is a connection between respect, veteran identity, and commemoration. Respect is as fundamental as ensuring every veteran receives the care, respect and dignity which they deserve and are entitled to following years of service dedicated to Canada.
Issues like institutional betrayal and moral injury contribute to a loss of trust, impact veteran health and well-being and may contribute to whether and how veterans identify as veterans.
Commemoration without those essentials, respect and well-being, will ring hollow. Canada's commemoration plans must reflect the rich diversity of our military and veteran communities, particularly during Veterans Week and Remembrance Day ceremonies. All veterans must see themselves equitably represented at these significant national events.
Engaging women veterans and women veteran organizations in this work is mission critical. Applying the GBA+ lens to commemoration, from Canadians' perceptions of who veterans are, to national or global activities, is the right thing to do.
New ways to mark and honour the contributions of Canada's military and veteran women should be explored including, perhaps, a day of recognition dedicated to military and veteran women.
We owe effective and relevant commemoration to all veterans. This is an opportunity for commemoration to reflect who we, as Canadians, truly are. The story we tell must include the military and veteran women experience, as well as honour their contributions to the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP, and to peace and security at home and around the world.
Thank you.