Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs

Comité permanent des anciens combattants

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 12, 2024 -

Entitled Invisible No More. The Experiences of Canadian Women Veterans, this report is the result of the largest study ever carried out by the Committee since its creation in 2006. 23 meetings were devoted to it. Nearly a hundred individuals came to testify, not including briefs and other communications received. Many of the Veterans recounted their often harrowing experiences, the sexual abuse of which they are survivors, the abuse of authority and the discrimination to which they were subjected. They also described how they struggle to have the physical, mental and professional after-effects of these experiences recognised when applying to Veterans Affairs Canada for compensation or rehabilitation.

Among its 42 recommendations, the Committee calls on the Government of Canada to:

• Implement a robust, structured and long-term research program on military women and Veterans, in particular to address the causes of the alarming proportion of military women who are released for medical reasons;
• Apologise to the women who have served and continue to serve in a culture where sexual trauma has gone unpunished for decades;
• Provide all military personnel with a copy of their medical records prior to their release date;
• Ensure that military women and Veterans have access to health professionals specialised in treating women;
• Inform the Veteran community and the public when a new compensable condition has been recognized by Veterans Affairs Canada;
• Train all military medical personnel on the medical conditions that specifically affect women, and ensure that women's health specialists are available on every military base;
• Renew military equipment contracts only if suppliers can guarantee that the equipment is adapted to women's physiology;
• Draw up a list of medical conditions to which a presumptive link with military service would be granted when studies show a higher prevalence of these conditions among female Veterans;
• Draw up a complete historical inventory of everything that may have had an impact on the medical conditions for which Veterans have filed compensation claims, and ensure that this inventory makes it possible to grant a presumptive link to military service when there is no other documentation;
• Accelerate the updating of the Entitlement Eligibility Guidelines and the Table of Disabilities by applying a more transparent gender-based analysis;
• Make releasing military members eligible for the various career transition programs currently available to Veterans;
• Offer, in compliance with provincial jurisdictions, flexible daycare services adapted to the needs of military personnel;
• Contribute financially to the construction of community housing for women Veterans;
• Exempt Veterans from having to recount more than once the circumstances of the traumatic events that led to the medical conditions for which a claim has been filed;
• Publish gender-based analyses of Veterans Affairs Canada programs;
• Create a ministerial advisory group on women Veterans;
• Offer peer support programs exclusively for women Veterans.

The members of the Committee salute the remarkable courage of the women who have come to share their pride and their suffering. We also acknowledge with deep respect those who chose to remain silent and those who were never able to speak. The purpose of this report is to ensure that the growing role of women in the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Veteran community is fully recognized and that the needs and concerns of women Veterans are better reflected in Veterans Affairs Canada's programs and services. By committing to implementing these recommendations, the Government of Canada will ensure that military women and Veterans are never again invisible.

QUOTES

"I am very happy to have led the work of this important study whose issues are both sensitive and heartbreaking. I salute the courage of the veterans who testified. I thank the committee members for their exemplary collaboration and for acting without showing partisanship." Emmanuel Dubourg, Chair of the Committee.

“Conservative members of the committee would like to thank everyone who contributed to this historic study. It took immense courage to share their experiences for the benefit of future generations of Canadian women who will serve. Common-sense Conservatives want to stress to the government, the importance of action. These veterans didn’t share their stories for a day of photos and a pat on the back. They expect more than just lip service and Conservatives will continue to stand with them in demanding real action.” Blake Richards, Vice-Chair of the Committee.

“We've heard from women Veterans, organizations and experts from across the country about their experiences and issues. They have courageously shared their stories with our committee, and it is our duty to carry them forward. We must do better and we will do better. To these Veterans, who have proudly worn the maple leaf on their shoulders, thank you for your service.” Randeep Sarai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs.

“I am particularly proud to have initiated, with my colleague Rachel Blaney, this major study on the living conditions of these women who have chosen to pursue a career in the Canadian Armed Forces. The work accomplished by the Veterans Affairs Committee was deeply disturbing to all its members. I hope that this report will mark the beginning of a great change for all women who have decided to wear the military uniform. For the Bloc Québécois, equality between women and men is one of the fundamental values of the Quebec nation.” Luc Désilets, Second Vice-Chair of the Committee.

“Women who’ve served our country deserve to be represented and reflected in the conversations about veterans’ services. I co-moved the motion with Luc Désilets to launch the first-ever study in Canada on the experiences of Women Veterans and how they’re treated to ensure that trauma informed practices and gender-based analysis become core components of services for Veterans. Getting the study completed and now tabled in Parliament has been a real labour of love, and I, along with the NDP, will be fighting to make sure all the recommendations come into place.” Rachel Blaney, Member of Parliament representing the New Democratic Party.