Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I too would like to thank all of the witnesses for being here today, especially those who have really had the courage to come to share their heartfelt life experiences with us. It's very difficult. This is the first-ever study of women veterans in this committee. It's especially difficult to hear so many stories. I believe there are more out there that we haven't heard. This is very important, especially in this week leading into Remembrance Day.
Through our previous studies, we heard about women feeling invisible. Now we want more stories to be heard, especially to find out how we can actually improve our current VAC system and the military. How are we supposed to recruit more into our military to serve our country when we're hearing so many untold stories of trauma and consequences? It's really hard, not just for everyone here in this committee but also for those who are watching this from around Canada.
I would like to thank all the guests for being here. It shows how important this study really is.
Through you, Mr. Chair, I have some questions for Ms. Smith.
Thank you again for sharing your experience. I know it's very challenging and hard. It takes a lot of bravery to share this, not just this one time but many times.
This is what caught my attention: How come those people or those who hurt you are still out there, not serving their criminal time? Have you ever thought about coming forward and really putting those who hurt you through our legal system?