By Military Woman
Question:
How can we help improve fairness, inclusivity and resilience in the military related community while remaining financially prudent?
Answer:
That’s a great question, especially right now when the global pandemic has highlighted the ongoing existence of so many systemic inequities – both at work and at home. As a result, many Canadians are now re-imagining how society could be more equitable and effective moving forward.
Because the pandemic has disrupted many previously unquestioned ways of how we did things, including at defence, we all have an opportunity to help Canada “build back better”. The “lazy hazy crazy days of summer “ (that hopefully everyone can have at least one or two of) can be a great source of creative thinking and brainstorming on how things could be, versus how they are.
Some summertime ponderings about how Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) could be re-imagined.
· Become a Veteran-centric and Veteran-accountable organization
· Automatically recognize all illnesses and injuries occurring during service as “service related”
· Base service and program eligibility on Veterans’ needs not complex eligibility formulas
· Become a federal crown corporation with long-term budgets and permanent specialized staff
· Provide research, services, programs, and benefits equitable for all types of Veterans
· Work closer together with other government departments to best serve the needs of Veterans
· Tie executive salary performance bonuses to Veterans’ satisfaction levels and health outcomes
· State publicly why any Veteran Ombuds Office report recommendations are not actioned
· Offer a program similar to the US’s “Veterans Experience Office”
· Offer a capability similar to the US’s “Office of Health Equity”
· Offer a service similar to the US’s “Women Veterans Call Center”
· Communicate effectively about all new Veteran related research, services, programs, and benefits
· Quality assure VAC funded third-party providers to ensure safe, effective, and inclusive services
· Provide access to VAC employed life coaches for VAC clients, with Veterans as priority hires
· Educate, identify and risk mitigate conflicts of interest within the Veteran ecosystem
· Include the input of primary health care providers on all Veteran health-impacting issues
· Formalize ways for women, Indigenous, racialized, and sexual minority Veterans to have a voice
· Facilitate and enable Veteran advocacy groups to work together collaboratively and effectively
Some musings about a re-imagined Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
· Offer quality, affordable 24/7/365 daycare access nationally
· Provide members the option to have their sperm/eggs stored prior to a deployment
· Educate all CAF members about operational military women’s health support issues
· Offer all releasing members barrier-free access to mental health wellbeing supports
· Maintain responsibility for primary medical care until provincial medical care acquired
· Barrier free transfer to government employment if wanted upon military retirement
Some suggestions about re-imagined roles of Canadians.
· Taxpayers holding government accountable for preventable military illness and injuries
· Women, as equal citizens, be considered part of any future calls for conscription
· Citizens, aged 18-25, complete a short but mandatory period of “national service”
· Citizens learn about what their military is and does in Canada
· Citizens understand the importance of welcoming Veterans into civilian community life
· Citizens hold their elected federal politicians accountable for civilian oversight of the military
· Canadians clearly declare to their elected officials what “military culture” they want CAF to have
· Media stops mislabelling military sexual misconduct as a “women’s” issue”
· Media empowers and supports men impacted by military sexual misconduct to be heard
· Researchers co-create all Veteran related research with Veteran lived-experience members
· Research ethics boards include Veteran members when reviewing Veteran related research
· Federal politicians all have first-hand exposure to the military
· Federal politicians stop referring to Canada as a “peacekeeping” nation and force
· Federal government self-generates its own health care providers (versus outsourcing)
· Federal government develops an equivalent to the “US Public Health Services Corps”
· Government fund defence with more gender-based analysis money and expertise
· All federal parties agree to make Veteran health and wellbeing topics off limits for politicking
What are your summer daydreaming ideas of how government could best “build back” and achieve a more equitable military-related community for all?
