The Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Bill Blair, has appointed Michelle Douglas as the Canadian Armed Forces' first Honorary Colonel for Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture.
Ms. Douglas, a Carleton University graduate, is a veteran, retired public servant, and a survivor of the "LGBT Purge", a term applied to the Government of Canada's discriminatory practice and unjust treatment towards Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and additional sexual and gender identities (2SLGBTQI+) federal public servants, including those in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). She served as an officer in the CAF for three years (1986-1989), when she was honorably discharged, despite a distinguished service record, for being deemed "not advantageously employable due to homosexuality".
In 1992, Ms. Douglas launched a landmark legal challenge against the Department of National Defence that resulted in Canada ending its formal policy of discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ members in the CAF.
Professionally, Ms. Douglas worked in the federal public service for three decades. She retired from the Department of Justice in 2019, where she held the position of Director of International Relations. Currently, Ms. Douglas, serves as the Executive Director of the LGBT Purge Fund, an organization that supports reconciliation and memorialization projects relating the purge.
Ms. Douglas has received several awards recognizing her incredible commitment to Canadians and inclusion, notably the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Canada Pride Citation, and was the inaugural recipient of the Public Service Pride Network Pioneer Award.
Honorary Colonels may be former CAF members or distinguished Canadians who help to foster esprit de corps within the CAF and greater community. Through their established relationships and ongoing work, they build and develop community support by enhancing the public profile of the CAF.
