Thank you.
When I presented last April, I spoke about the invisibility of servicewomen and the separation and marginalization of servicewomen. When they were in the military over the past decades, they did not necessarily have the opportunity to be seen together and work together. Now, as civilians, there are a few opportunities for them to be able to feel like they are part of that group, those who have not had that sense of belonging, and to find a new group and place for that.
The Pepper Pod is a very good example of where it comes together. It's here in Ottawa. We have one other non-profit in the Healing Garden, which is also here in Ottawa. There's another non-profit in Nova Scotia. Other than that, there is none.
The sense of connection is found in private Facebook groups. That's the method right now. There are a few others, such as RCAF service airwomen.
Lacking what was not available during their service suggests there is this opportunity now, as veterans, to see themselves with that sense of purpose, but there is not necessarily a mobilizing mechanism to do that.