‘Woke’ military jab from Poilievre misses the mark

“We will ensure that military spending goes to enhance capabilities to protect our country and support our troops. It will enhance war fighting. It will not fund bureaucracy or defence lobbyists. And we will re-instil a warrior culture, not a woke culture.”

— Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, July 4

Nearly two years ago this month at CFB Shilo, I sat across the table from the new commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Lt.-Col. Chelsea Braybrook.

She was just one month into her new command, one that she had wanted ever since her first deployment with 2PPCLI years earlier.

She was unique — but not in the sense you might think. She had been chief of staff for Task Force Middle East for a year based out of Kuwait and then in Amman, Jordan. Her new post at Shilo marked the third time with 2PPCLI — this time in a command position.

Braybrook had made history by becoming the first woman CO in the battalion’s then-73-year history — but that, too, wasn’t what made her stand out.

What was most interesting about Braybrook was the fact that, in spite of her accomplishment as the first woman CO, she didn’t really believe in glass ceilings.

“I also believe very much that we are a diverse enough regiment that just because someone looks different, I don’t believe that they’re treated differently,” she said during our interview. “No one’s ever used kid gloves on me. So, I don’t think there’s any sort of difference. And no one’s ever given me easier jobs or anything like that.”

A recent article in the Shilo Stag, the base’s weekly newspaper, reminded me of that fact recently when they quoted Braybrook upon her departure following the 2PPCLI change-of-command ceremony last month at Shilo’s Kapyong Parade Square.

“I truly do not believe there is a glass ceiling in the regiment,” she said. “I think that the regiment has done and continues to do a great job of the right person for the right job at the right time.”

Earlier in my career as the Brandon Sun’s military beat reporter during this country’s military involvement in Afghanistan, I had a front-row seat to the war’s home front here in western Manitoba.

I was there when Maj. Liam McGarry, the acting commanding officer of the First Regiment Canadian Light Horse Artillery spoke of his fallen comrade, 26-year-old Capt. Nichola Goddard, during a press conference at Shilo in 2006.

Goddard, who was based in Shilo with 1RCHA, was killed in action a day earlier just west of Kandahar city, Afghanistan while on duty as a forward observation officer with the Orion Task Force.

McGarry called her a “highly proficient officer” who had been marked for “rapid future advancement” within the military.

“Her performance and dedication to the job at hand were considered outstanding. She was always looking after the soldiers in her command,” McGarry said.

I also had the opportunity some years later to interview three soldiers with 2PPCLI who were recognized for their outstanding courage, decisive action and devotion to duty under fire during operations in Afghanistan in the summer of 2006.

Master Cpl. Christopher Harding, Pte. Alex Shulaev and Master Cpl. Tim Fletcher were given the Medal of Military Valour — Canada’s third-highest military honour on Dec. 2, 2008.

One of the three, Shulaev, recounted to me how he watched his buddy get shot in the neck in the middle of a firefight with Taliban forces parked less than 100 metres away.

“I seen him drop,” said Shulaev, who had become a corporal by the time of the interview. “I seen him actually get shot in the neck, just like somebody when they hit a wall. He sort of runs into a wall and falls back and it seems like he just got dropped with a brick.

“It’s just such an unusual experience, because you look at it, you don’t really realize what just happened and then it occurs to you. Oh man, one of your buddies just got shot. It’s a little surreal.”

All three of these soldiers told me that, in spite of their citations, they didn’t believe they were doing anything particularly special — just doing what “had to be done.”

“It’s a hell of an adrenalin rush,” Fletcher said. “It’s like driving down a highway and a deer jumps out in front of you. You get that heart rate going up and you start sweating. And the only thing that really keeps you going is ‘cause you know what you’re supposed to do.”

I’m not exactly sure what Poilievre was hoping to accomplish when he spoke of “ending woke culture” while dressed in his lily-white shirt and cowboy hat while standing before supporters at the Calgary Stampede on Monday.

His words, of course, were designed to echo those of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who also pledged to abolish “woke” policies in the military and replace them with a “warrior” culture. Hegseth said those words while calling for a return “to the highest male standard only.”

Certainly no military is perfect, and there is always room for growth. But I sincerely doubt the families of the soldiers I have mentioned above would suggest our military lacks a “warrior” culture, or that we’re “too woke.”

Based on the example of CFB Shilo and the soldiers based there who have fought — and died — for this country, I’d argue we have a highly professional, well-trained military force that is deserving of our support.

For a man who has never earned a military rank and never spent any time in uniform, Poilievre should think twice before making such a statement.

» Matt Goerzen, editor