Editing Canadian Armed Forces (section)

===Role of women===
In the 1950s, the recruitment of women was open to roles in medicine, communication, logistics, and administration. The roles of women in the CAF began to expand in 1971 after the department reviewed the recommendations of the [[Royal Commission on the Status of Women]], at which time it lifted the ceiling of 1,500 women personnel, and gradually expanded employment opportunities into the non-traditional areas—vehicle drivers and mechanics, aircraft mechanics, air-traffic controllers, military police, and firefighters.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Canada|first=Veterans Affairs|date=8 August 2019|title=Canada Remembers Women in the Canadian Military - Women and War - Remembering those who served - Remembrance - Veterans Affairs Canada|url=https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/those-who-served/women-veterans/military|access-date=20 September 2021|website=www.veterans.gc.ca}}</ref>
[[File:Canadian Forces brief Vermont Army National Guard on women in combat roles 150912-Z-QI027-0003.jpg|upright|thumb|A member of the CAF briefs [[Vermont Army National Guard]] soldiers on the integration of women into the forces]]
The department further reviewed personnel policies in 1978 and 1985, after Parliament passed the ''[[Canadian Human Rights Act]]'' and the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]''. As a result of these reviews, the department changed its policies to permit women to serve at sea in replenishment ships and a diving tender, with the army service battalions, in military police platoons and field ambulance units, and most air squadrons.<ref name=cfw/>

In 1987, occupations and units with the primary role of preparing for direct involvement in combat on the ground or at sea were still closed to women: infantry, armoured corps, field artillery, air defence artillery, signals, field engineers, and naval operations. On 5 February 1987, the minister of national defence created an office to study the impact of employing men and women in combat units. These trials were called Combat-Related Employment of Women.<ref name=cfw/>

All military occupations were open to women in 1989, except submarine service, which opened in 2000. Throughout the 1990s, the introduction of women into the combat arms increased the potential recruiting pool by about 100 percent.<ref name=cfw>{{Cite web|url=http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/news/article.page?doc=women-in-the-canadian-armed-forces/hie8w7rm|title=Backgrounder &#124; Women in the Canadian Armed Forces|website= National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces |date=14 August 2018 |access-date = 9 March 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111213932/http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/news/article.page?doc=women-in-the-canadian-armed-forces/hie8w7rm |archive-date= 11 November 2020 }}</ref> Women were fully integrated into all occupations and roles by the government of [[Jean Chrétien]], and by 8 March 2000, even allowed to serve on submarines.<ref name=cfw/>

All equipment must be suitable for a mixed-gender force. Combat helmets, rucksacks, combat boots, and flak jackets are designed to ensure women have the same level of protection and comfort as their male colleagues. Women's uniforms are similar in design to men's uniforms, but conform to the female figure, and are functional and practical. Women are also provided with an annual financial entitlement for the purchase of bras.<ref name=cfw/>

In 2019, the ''[[National Post]]'' columnist [[Christie Blatchford]] reported, per an anonymous source, that the CAF had been fulfilling employment equity targets for internal job postings by secretly rejecting applications from white males, and by not requiring Indigenous candidates to either write or pass, the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test. However, Brigadier-General Virginia Tattersall (commander of military forces generation, including the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group [CFRG]) said, "There are no occupations that we restrict based on gender", though "diversity is a consideration" and near the end of the recruiting year, "We will look at diversity applicants first."<ref>{{cite news | last = Blatchford | first = Christie |author-link=Christie Blatchford | date = 22 April 2019 | title = The Canadian Forces Jobs Where Only Women Need Apply | url = https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-canadian-forces-jobs-where-only-women-need-apply | work = National Post}}</ref>

In March 2021, Lieutenant-Colonel Eleanor Taylor resigned citing sexual misconduct among the top brass.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/17/canada-eleanor-taylor-quits-military-sexual-misconduct-allegations Canada: top female soldier quits over military's failures on sexual misconduct] The Guardian, 2021</ref> Since then, the CAF has been under pressure over allegations of sexual misconduct. Former justice [[Louise Arbour]], who was tasked to lead a probe into military harassment and sexual misconduct claims in CAF in 2021, issued 48 recommendations to change the culture of the CAF. She said that she saw no basis for the CAF to retain the jurisdiction over sexual offences as it has not improved efficiency, discipline and morale.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shakil |first=Ismail |date=30 May 2022 |title=Sex crime allegations in Canadian military should be investigated externally, report says |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/sex-crime-allegations-canadian-military-should-be-investigated-externally-report-2022-05-30/ |access-date=31 May 2022}}</ref>