Women are a growing group of Canadian military veterans, but services are lagging
Halifax artist Jessica Wiebe served eight years in the Canadian Armed Forces as an artillery gunner, often the lone woman in a male-dominated environment. Now she draws on that experience, and her mental and physical struggles after leaving the military, to create her art.
"I really want to bring awareness to the fact that female narratives of war have been largely omitted from dominant discourse historically," Wiebe said in a recent interview.
"Bringing female narratives to the forefront is really important to understand the needs of female vets as they transition out of the military."
Maya Eichler, a professor at Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax and Canada Research Chair in social innovation and community engagement, echoed that sentiment in testimony this week before a Nova Scotia legislature committee.
She said women are the fastest-growing segment of veterans in Canada, but support systems have historically been designed around men.
Eichler told the standing committee on veterans affairs there's a lack of support and services for women veterans and others, including gender diverse and LGBTQ veterans, as well as veterans who suffered sexual trauma while serving in the military.
While information about under-represented groups in the military and veteran community is scarce, she said the data available shows women are more likely to leave the military with medical releases, and they experience steeper declines in income.
"We face gaps in knowledge about women veterans. We face gaps in services specifically tailored for women veterans. All of this can lead to increased rates of injury and illness and decrease the well-being of women veterans," Eichler said Tuesday.
Women veterans are also more likely to have complex trauma histories that health providers struggle to understand, Eichler told the committee. She added that there is potential for unintended "discriminatory and inequitable outcomes" for women, gender diverse and LBGTQ vets.
"`A veteran is a veteran is a veteran' is kind of the old way of how we've thought about veteran issues," Eichler said in an interview after her testimony. "And we're now beginning to recognize that there are distinct and unique veteran experiences and needs based on things like gender or sexual orientation or race, Indigeneity and so on."
Wiebe said she struggled to get a diagnosis for PTSD when she developed an eating disorder after she was medically released from service in 2014.
"It was very hard to get any diagnosis that was connected to my military experience," she said, adding that her symptoms didn't line up with what doctors knew about the mental health disorder, which was based on the experience of male veterans.
"As a female in the combat arms, there's not as many of us, and often we're the only woman with a larger group of men," Wiebe said.
"I felt very alone in the things that I struggled with when I was medically released from the military, and it wasn't until I started going to group therapy with other female veterans with very similar experiences that I realized I was definitely far from alone."
The federal government is taking steps to address the needs of women veterans. In 2019, Veterans Affairs Canada opened the Office of Women and LGBTQ2 Veterans with a mandate of addressing issues specific to sex, gender identity and expression and sexual orientation.
The office's senior director, Christina Hutchins, said in an interview that there are some key differences between the needs of women, LGBTQ veterans and their male counterparts. Hutchins said these groups tend to leave the military with more mental health conditions and may face more difficulty in the transition to civilian life.
"They want to be recognized for their service equally to their male counterparts and make sure that the services and programs that we offer are equitably accessible to meet their needs," she said.
Rebuilding trust between Veterans Affairs Canada and these groups will involve becoming more alert to the trauma they have experienced, Hutchins added.
In Nova Scotia, Eichler said the province's standing committee can start by being mindful of the differences in veteran populations and considering them in future discussions.
"The committee can, moving forward, really pay more attention to issues such as sex, gender and sexual orientation and diversity more generally," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2022.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Iran fires at suspected Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
Iran fired air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones, which were suspected to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
In his new book 'As Long as You Need', hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.