Karen Breeck, a retired physician and veteran as well as a member and volunteer of Federal Retirees, is leading the call to make June 12 a day of action — not just recognition — for women veterans across Canada.
This article was authored by Dr. Karen Breeck, MD, MHSc, CD, and Sayward Montague, Federal Retirees’ advocacy director. Together, they co-chair the Women Veteran Research and Engagement Network (WREN) alongside Dr. Maya Eichler, PhD, director of the Centre for Social Innovation and Community Engagement in Military Affairs. It was originally published on June 11, 2025, by National Newswatch.
There’s an idea circulating among women veterans — one that would see Canadians not only reflect on the profound experiences of women who have served in the military and RCMP, but an idea that would also put emphasis on advocacy over appreciation.
On June 12, 2024, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs (ACVA) released a pivotal report entitled Invisible No More. The Experiences of Canadian Women Veterans. This landmark initiative, the largest of its kind undertaken by the Committee, gathered the testimonies of over 50 women whose service spanned over five decades.
The report detailed systemic neglect and bias that have persisted for decades, underscoring that the challenges faced by women in uniform are not isolated incidents but embedded patterns and products of the systems that are supposed to support veterans. From inconsistent access to sex and gender-specific health care to the chronic underreporting and mishandling of military sexual trauma, the testimonies reflect institutional gaps that demand urgent reform. It is not enough to thank women veterans for their service if we continue to ignore the structural inequities they face during and after their service.
While progress has been made in recent years to better recognize and support women veterans, a long road remains for the many who continue to face systemic inequality. For far too long, women veterans have been not just overlooked but invisible — a painful reality reinforced by the systemic failures to acknowledge their value, their service and their struggles.
Despite making up a growing segment of the veteran population, women remain underrepresented in the national conversation about military service. According to the most recent census, 16.2 per cent of all Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Veterans in Canada are women — a total of 74,935 women whose contributions have too often gone unacknowledged. These figures are not just numbers; they are a call to recognize and reflect on the evolving face of Canada’s Veteran community. That number is expected to rise, with the CAF having set a target for 25 per cent female representation by 2026. While reaching that benchmark within the timeline remains uncertain, the sustained efforts to recruit, retain and support more women in uniform are an encouraging sign of progress — and a signal that change, though gradual, is underway.
As we approach one year from the report’s release, it’s become clear that June 12th is a significant date for women veterans. It’s for this reason, many women veterans are suggesting it become a day we mark. Not with a parade, instead, a day with purpose. A day women veterans go into schools and community centres and gather on Parliament Hill — not for the sake of recognition, but the validation of their experiences and advocacy for better. As retired physician and veteran, Karen Breeck aptly articulates, "I hope a day like this isn’t just about appreciation for our service — I hope it becomes a day where women veterans engage with their communities and parliamentarians to work together toward making things better for the next generation of women who wish to serve their country."
The objective of June 12th should not be lost in a haze of platitudes. This day should serve as a call for action, a reminder that we must focus on the issues that matter most: care and support, acknowledgment of sacrifice and an unwavering commitment to ending the cycle of invisibility that led to the inequities women veterans have faced. It should be a day infused with the spirit of hope for the next generation — a testament to our dedication to creating a future where women in the CAF and RCMP are respected, acknowledged and supported.
Let us ensure that their experiences shape the policies and practices of today and tomorrow. Let’s make June 12th a day to listen, learn and amplify the voices of women who have served, ensuring that their insights forge a path forward for the next generation of women stepping up to serve our nation.
Canada has an opportunity to lead by example, setting a precedent for how nations honour the full spectrum of their veterans’ experiences. By enshrining June 12th as a day of advocacy and education, we affirm not only the existence of women veterans but also our collective responsibility to ensure their voices shape the future. Visibility is not a privilege — it is a right. And it is long past time we made room for all who have served, not just in memory, but in policy, practice and purpose.
And not just a day; a movement — a movement to help ensure more Canadians, including our politicians, see women veterans so that no woman veteran feels she — or her service to the nation — is invisible ever again.