Veterans Affairs committee  As I said earlier, when I left the military, I sat down with Veterans Affairs, and I was approved for retraining right from the get-go. I chose not to do that at that time. There were other challenges going on in my life with my son and the challenges that he had. Yes, there are a lot of things in place.

Veterans Affairs committee  When I took the role, I knew that it would not be an easy sell because of things that happened to women veterans and the LGBTQ community in the military. It goes back to the level of trust. It's not a hard job for me, because I've worked in the recruiting sector. I am a social person.

Veterans Affairs committee  It does help.

Veterans Affairs committee  I attended the women's forum there in February. I wasn't able to attend in person because of the weather in Newfoundland, but some of the things I heard in that forum from the LGBTQ community.... The level of trust is not there, especially for the LGBTQ community, because of the purge that happened some years ago.

Veterans Affairs committee  Within the military, I worked in the recruiting sector of the military for a total of 10 years. Even when I was in there, we had things in place. We had the training, the SHARP training and the sensitivity training. Every time we interviewed a male person entering the military, we asked, “How do you feel about working with women?

Veterans Affairs committee  I was late out of the gate in starting that. I don't know if I was 100% aware of it when I got out. When I got out, I released from the regular force, so I sat down with VAC and they said that if I could amalgamate my trade into a civilian trade at a college, they would fund it, which they did and which I didn't do.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  With the education benefit, there's a big pot of money and they're saying, “If you have so many years in the military, when you get out...”. That's over and above vocational rehab if you're medically released. In my pot, because I spent 20-plus years there, there is actually $80,000 for me to retrain and do pretty much any course that I want at a college or university, which I have taken advantage of in the last two or three years.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, they counted my time. I came out with a 27-year pension, so I had 20 years-plus service.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to Veterans Affairs Canada for having us here to discuss the important topic of the experiences of women veterans. As Joe said, I was hired just over a year ago, along with Jamie McMillan, to act as an outreach specialist for women and members of the LGBTQ2+ community within the military.

Veterans Affairs committee  My son's father was also a veteran and did at least three peacekeeping tours during his 28 years of service. Not very long after his last tour—a year or so maybe—he was killed in a traffic accident. We were divorced at the time. My son was 11 years old. My son experienced a lot of trials and tribulations throughout his teenage years and wasn't able to find steady employment, but with H2H, my son—who would be considered a military dependant—is now a member of the millwright union in Calgary, Alberta and is doing amazing.