Friday 24 November 2017

Sandra Perron is available for comment on all matters military and sexual harassment in workplace


Sandra Perron wins the Mavis Gallant Award for NonFiction for her memoir

Out Standing in the Field

In a time when allegations of sexual misconduct about men in film, television, and politics, fill the evening newscast, Sandra Perron’s 2017 memoir, Out Standing in the Field, provides insight into these situations. Hers is not an “I was a victim” memoir. She addresses the sexual harassment, and the difficulties she had because of her gender, in clear-headed and incisive prose. If there’s one book to read on this subject, if there’s one voice to listen to right now, it’s hers.  
The citation from the Mavis Gallant Award jury reads, “This powerful and revealing memoir offers a glimpse into one woman’s harrowing experiences as the first female officer in the Canadian Infantry. Drawing on her journal entries to craft an elegant and gripping work, Perrault offers an account of her experiences in military training and subsequent deployment through the mid-1990s, both positive and negative.”

Out Standing in the Field has also been named a Globe and Mail Top 100 for the year.

In 2016, the Auditor General’s Report noted that the military had no strategy to recruit women, even though they are required to meet a target of 25% female uniformed personnel. According to Statistics Canada, 1,000 members of our military say they have been sexually assaulted in the past year. It is exactly this lack of significant progress that has inspired Sandra Perron, Canada’s first female infantry officer and a member of the Royal 22ᵉ Régiment – the legendary “Van Doos” – to tell her story in this revealing and moving memoir.
Though consistently identified as top of her class throughout her training, Perron was subject to harassment by her male colleagues, harassment which continued over two deployments to Bosnia and Croatia. Despite this, Perron served her country with courage and compassion, and forged lasting friendships with the men and women she served alongside. Her story is a testament to the strength and determination of all women working towards full inclusivity in the Canadian Forces.

Sandra is available for comment on all matters military and sexual harassment in workplace.


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