Statement made on 28 January 2009 by Senator Lucie Pépin (retired)
Hon. Lucie Pépin:
Honourable senators, the Canadian Forces take it as their duty to support the families of our men and women in uniform. As an employer, the chain of command recognizes the unique nature of military life and the contribution military families make to the operational effectiveness of our armed forces. To lighten the load on soldiers' families, the high command recently made a commitment to a new dynamic to give these families better quality of life.
One of the most significant aspects of this new initiative, which I commend, is the official signing of the Canadian Forces Family Covenant. In signing this covenant, the Chief of the Defence Staff committed Canadian Forces leadership to improving the military lifestyle and families' quality of life. This commitment has translated into a complete overhaul of the Military Family Services Program. Begun in 2008, work to improve the program continued last weekend at a meeting in Ottawa of military leaders, service providers and military wives. This meeting, which I attended, followed on the consultation forum and the preparatory work done by advisory committees and task forces.
These consultations led to a series of recommendations designed to improve health care, child care, mental health care, social support, deployment support and education and employment services for military wives.
I am convinced that with the implementation of these recommendations, military family resource centres will be better equipped to address families' needs appropriately. This commitment by military leadership to support military families more effectively can also be seen in recent changes to the regulations governing the Memorial Cross. Since 1919, this decoration had been presented to the mothers of soldiers who died while serving overseas. The eligibility criteria were broadened in 2007 to include parents, widows or widowers and individuals designated by soldiers who die while serving in combat missions, taking training or responding to an incident or flood.
This initiative is to be commended, as are all the other measures designed to honour the resilience of military families and recognize the sacrifices they make for Canada.
I congratulate our military leaders and encourage them to continue their efforts, and I invite you, honourable senators, to take every opportunity to support our military wives. They keep a low profile, but remember that our soldiers do an excellent job because their wives hold the fort while they are away.