I would say that institutions become a problem when they forget their primary mission, which is to protect, support and remedy when necessary. They cease to fulfill this role when procedure takes precedence over people, when there is more concern for administrative issues than compassion.
As I said earlier, responsibility is too often placed on the person who is suffering. Where does the institution’s responsibility lie in these situations? There are a great many administrative hurdles, as Ms. Thompson mentioned in her testimony. There are threats to cut benefits and a failure to assess the real impact of policies. All of this leads to a breakdown in support, which becomes a moral injury.
What I have observed over the past several years is a lack of accountability and oversight with regard to practices. Programs are funded and partnerships are announced, but there is very little in the way of monitoring, impact assessment or even accountability to determine whether these initiatives are actually improving the lives of veterans. When there is no oversight, transparency or corrective mechanisms, trust is eroded, which relates directly to suicide. How can we hope to prevent suicide if the system itself is contributing to this suffering?
Women veterans, who are still too often overlooked in public policy, are doubly excluded. They face both a male-dominated military institutional culture and a lack of measures tailored to their specific physical, psychological and social health needs. Suicide prevention has to go beyond simply offering clinical services. It also requires institutional remedy: The institution must acknowledge wrongdoing, take accountability for its mistakes, assess the consequences and, above all, implement best practices. I don’t think any best practices are in place.
On this topic, I would like to go back to the issue of the two permanent memorials that affect me and several other people. On December 2, 2024, two clear requests were made by Mr. Luc Desilets, a former vice-chair of this committee, to Mr. Steven Harris. First, he asked that the apology our group requested be issued. Second, he asked him to provide this committee with information about the decision-making process that led to this list of erroneous names that appears on these memorials being approved. My question here is simple: As of today, October 9, 2025, what is the status of these two requests?
This kind of mistake is not only embarrassing, it is deeply traumatic. This could all have been avoided had there been simple validation mechanisms in place and respect for those who truly made the ultimate sacrifice. Institutions become a problem when they fail in their role as guardians of collective well-being.
It is often said that if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
If an institution chooses not to actively engage in remediation, trauma prevention and ethical vigilance, it becomes an aggravating factor in suicide risk. The responsibility for bringing about change should not fall on vulnerable individuals; it must be assumed and championed by organizations that have a moral and societal duty to protect those they serve, including women veterans, which the system still too often overlooks.
Thank you.