Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you very much, MP Blaney, for your support on the Merlo Davidson report in question period. I really appreciate that. I think transition is key. I think what this committee is looking at are veterans in particular. We need some sort of information at transition, but we need to start it at depot to make people aware that there is VAC.

Veterans Affairs committee  The red wall, originally, was such a proud.... The RCMP is an amazing organization. Do not ever think that I'm.... If it wasn't for the RCMP, we may not have a Canada. It's one of our founding institutions. We all realize we're part of a wall that was there to support Canadian society.

Veterans Affairs committee  It has changed. It has improved, but the culture broke. I recorded it in the last chapter of my book. It's been identified as a broken culture right now, which it is, and that's for members—male and female. It's a leadership deficit. They need an approach where there's accountability.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's an excellent question. I'm sorry. It's so faint, and I have two hearing aids. One of my VAC things is a hearing injury that happened at the depot. When it was released, Commissioner Zaccardelli resigned. Here was an unknown female—I was a corporal when I left—writing a book that's questioning whether there are some issues in an organization that is the Canadian identity.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's a large police force and it's a large country. There are so many different divisions. I was so fortunate. It was the luck of the draw that I ended up in B.C., which is E division, and happened into a detachment where the superintendent was a great leader and was very open to this idea.

Veterans Affairs committee  The first time I encountered it, it was just absent leadership. It was a section I went into that really wasn't busy. When you're in a detachment and the call is coming in and you're in general duty, you answer the call. Either you can do the work or you can't, so that's all well and good.

Veterans Affairs committee  On Thursday, my colleague Vivienne Stewart will be here. She attended that conference too, and she can probably answer that more fulsomely. As for the transition, women make up 51% of the population. If it is good for women, it's going to be good for men too, and that's what we found.

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely. We will start with the elephant in the room. First, we would like from Veterans Affairs a clear written statement that all clawbacks from Merlo Davidson awards have been reversed and that no further clawbacks will be instituted. That's number one. Number two is to be proactive.

Veterans Affairs committee  It is a great benefit, and I've asked them to take a look at it, historically, if they could. I don't really have a full working knowledge of exactly how it works. I think it's a great tool, but I can't really answer that. I'm sorry.

Veterans Affairs committee  I love Canadian history—I'm a student of history—and that's a great question. Thank you very much for it. As I understand, the reason the Government of Canada took that brave...and it was brave. It was a very controversial decision to direct the RCMP, which is not just any police agency.

Veterans Affairs committee  What mechanisms were in place to protect the women? There were none. We were the most studied group—speaking just for the women in the RCMP—starting in the mid-1970s. Report after report flagged the problems. We had a toxic leadership issue—it always comes down to leadership—and the organizational response wasn't there.

Veterans Affairs committee  I talk too much. I'm a storyteller.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. On behalf of the RCMP Veteran Women's Council, I appreciate each and every one of you for being here in a collegial environment to uncover uncomfortable truths and seek remedies. As honoured members of Parliament, you have not only the power but a duty to ensure your recommendations are acted upon.