Thank you, Mr. Chair and members, for having us here today.
In the spirit of reconciliation, I'd like to begin by acknowledging that the land upon which I testify today is unceded Mi'kmaq territory. Epekwitk is covered by the historic treaties of peace and friendship, and we pay our respects to the indigenous Mi'kmaq people who have occupied this island for over 12,000 years.
Women from all backgrounds have been key contributors to the Canadian Armed Forces, proving their equal commitment through sheer dedication and bravery. Of the 461,000 veterans of the CAF today, 15% are women. They represent the fastest-growing cohort within the veteran population. As of February 2023, women represented 13% of VAC veteran clients.
As we've heard, many women veterans experience difficulty adjusting to post-service life and can find losing their military identity a challenge. They can face difficulties, such as needing assistance with the activities of daily life, periods of homelessness and significantly lower levels of social support.
This means focusing on how we can adjust our processes to ensure that women veterans get the services and support they need, when and where they need it, and how they need it.
In 2019, the then minister of veterans affairs made a commitment to host an annual forum to discuss the specific challenges women face after service, with the most recent forum taking place earlier this year. VAC has continued to listen to and elevate the lived experiences of women veterans to strengthen our understanding.
In addition, Veterans Affairs Canada, or VAC, continues to work to implement more inclusive transition services for women veterans, in collaboration with our colleagues in the Canadian Armed Forces, or CAF, and those in the Department of National Defence.
In fact, this week the CAF-VAC joint steering committee met and agreed to make support for women in uniform and women veterans a permanent item on the agenda.