National Defence committee  Yes, I agree completely that we need to expand what we do in terms of women's health. As we conduct the listening phase of our approach, we are hearing over and over that we need to increase the spectrum of care, of the medical support that we provide to our women in uniform. We

National Defence committee  First of all, the money part of the equation belongs to the deputy minister, but what I'll say is that the purchase of uniforms and equipment comes out of a national budget for national procurement, about which there is some stress, but we are continually making a case to ensure

National Defence committee  I think the important thing here is the effect to be created. Right now, the overarching effect that we need is trust and confidence from the perspective of the victims in the system. You'll note that a quarter of a century ago, in the Somalia report, an independent inspector ge

National Defence committee  Trust takes years to build, but can be destroyed in one incident. That's one of my biggest concerns now. Trust in senior leadership is challenged at this point. To re-establish that trust and re-establish trust in the reporting system for misconduct, if that means bringing in a

National Defence committee  Madam Chair, thank you for the question. This one could take some time in unpacking. The first thing I have to say is that we don't have all of the answers. I think having that realization up front will help shape our response here. The framework we have adopted is one of list

National Defence committee  I thank the member for his excellent question. As the army commander, this was something I was seized with. We began an initiative called the soldier operational clothing and equipment modernization. We wanted to modernize, for fit and function, the next-to-body equipment, the

Status of Women committee  Madam Chair, this would be a delicate question, given privacy and the like, but very necessary that the individual's chain of command asks some delicate but probing questions. Again, this comes down to understanding the power dynamics. I'll ask General Allen whether she wants to

Status of Women committee  As we go forward with policy development, the lens we have to take is one from a victim's perspective. How do we make this better for the victim? The duty to report is one example. I'm sure there are other policies out there. Again, as we take stock of where we are, and which pol

Status of Women committee  Madam Chair, the military is founded on discipline. Given that we're the only organization in our society that is charged to apply deadly violence on behalf of the state, we absolutely have to have that discipline in place, so we expect subordinates to follow the orders of their

Status of Women committee  Madam Chair, that is an excellent question, and one for which I do not have the answer at this point. This has to be part of our deliberate plan going forward, looking at the efficacy of an external oversight committee like that, but I do not have an answer at this point.

Status of Women committee  Madam Chair, this is a very troubling issue. I had the privilege of serving with Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor. I've been in contact with her over the last few days. She's a tremendous officer. I saw her in combat in Kandahar, commanding a company of 100 to 120 plus soldiers in prob

Status of Women committee  Madam Chair, I find your committee reports of great use. That is one venue. In terms of looking for ideas, we have to take them from where they may appear. You talked about finding a way for closure. One of the challenges, and I haven't mentioned this before, is the duty to repo

Status of Women committee  Madam Chair, I think it's just that. This is a good career for them. We are seized with making a difference and making sure that they can not only see themselves in the organization, but truly feel part of it. I'll be quite frank here. One of the challenges we have is attractio

Status of Women committee  Madam Chair, anything is possible. I have not seen the individual's personnel file, so I really don't have anything more to add on that.

Status of Women committee  Madam Chair, I don't have that answer at my fingertips. I will take that question on notice.