Transcript

(S) Welcome back to Defence Team News, I’m Shelley Van Hoof.

(J) And I’m Lt(N) Jeff Lura. Here are the headlines at Defence.

(S) October is Women’s History Month. A month where we celebrate the contributions and achievements of women across the country and here at Defence.

This year’s theme is ‘Make An Impact’, in honour of the women and girls who’ve made a lasting impact as pioneers in their field.

We recently spoke with Defence Champion for Women, Cmdre Rebecca Patterson, to learn more.

(S) As Defence Champion for Women, what changes have you seen at Defence?

(Cmdre) Well, as you know, women have been involved in Defence for over a hundred years. And I have to say, in the last three decades, there have been quite significant advances for women. Women are now accepted into every classification within the public service and also within the Canadian Armed Forces in every single occupation. So I think women are now being truly recognized for the skill set that we actually bring. And the Department of National Defence and the CAF are striving to be inclusive and take into consideration the needs of supporting a truly diverse work force. And I think that’s really important and a significant change.

(S) As Champion, what are your goals?

(Cmdre) My goals as Champion for women in Defence are to continue to help support the development of an equitable and fair workplace. In order to create an environment that is welcoming to women within Defence, it’s very important that we have a structure that’s supportive to their needs. I think one of the key initiatives that has come up time and time again is the requirement for a mentorship program for women. And that is certainly something I’d like to achieve.

(S) And why is it important to recognize and explore women’s history?

(Cmdre) Because Canadian women have made significant contributions to the forming of our country today. And very often… no, most times, they go unrecognized. And it’s very important that we celebrate our successes in the domains of science and medicine and government. And as role models for the world. And in order for us to really understand where we’re going from, we have to know where we’re coming from. And if you forget 50% of that history, I don’t think you’re going in the right direction.

(S) Thank you very much.

(Cmdre) You’re welcome.

(J) The 2018 Invictus Games are taking place this week in Sydney, Australia.

Team Canada members were selected from across the country and are competing in all of the 11 sports that will be featured at this year’s Games.

Best of luck to all athletes representing Canada. Be sure to check out the CAF’s social media accounts for the latest updates and stay tuned for an upcoming episode where we’ll profile the results.

(S) That’s it for us. Thank you so much for watching. See you next time…

(J)…for Defence Team News!