Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, everyone, including the witnesses who are joining us today for this very important study.
I have to say, being brought up mostly by women, that I have full respect for them. There are a lot of things that women can do much better than men, I have to admit, and I think this makes no difference anywhere, including in our veterans.
I also want to acknowledge that I just learned of the passing of a long-term veteran in my constituency, Rene Orris, who passed away just last year, in her 98th year. Her birthday was on Christmas, and she passed away on December 26. It's really sad to know that we can't share her story of how she contributed and served our country in her air force years.
It's very important in the discussion we're having today in terms of how we recognize women serving for us, protecting our country and allowing Canadians across our nation to enjoy what we have today. We need to recognize that. It's sad to have that stigma of how people interpret a medal being worn by a woman veteran and who say something silly like, “Oh, was that your husband or your grandparent who served?” I think there is a lot more awareness that we need to create.
I'd like to ask the following question. It's really a simple question: How can we change this gender culture in the armed forces and in our veterans?
The question is for all of you. Thank you.