The Trailblazer Podcast celebrates the accomplishments and milestones of notable alumni of Canada’s Military Colleges and provides a platform for them to share their stories and contribute to building future leaders for Canada and the world.
Earlier this Summer, we sat down with Michelaine Lahaie who graduated from RMC St-Jean in 1992 and obtained a Master of Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada in 2016. Michelaine retired as a Naval Captain in 2017 after a distinguished career spanning 30 years. Michelaine is the Past President and a board member of the Canadian Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, and Chairperson of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Michelaine has acquired multiple perspectives in a journey that took her from Officer Cadet to Naval Captain; from the lowest rung at CMR St-Jean to Commanding Officer of the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School; from starting in one uniform (RCAF) and switching to another (RCN), in the period of time where all operational occupations were being opened to women; from seeking out mentors (that were in short supply when she started her journey) to becoming one.
In a wide-ranging conversation, Michelaine shares her thoughts on integrating a previously all-male domain, going to sea and seeing the world, leadership by walking about, partying with her classmates in the Commanding Officer’s residence, the importance of mentorship, and the future of the CMCs.
When asked about her early career, Michelaine reminisces about being among the first cohort of women from the regular Forces to go to sea and what it was like to assimilate an environment where she had to work extra hard to prove herself to many people that initially didn’t really want women on board. “I just put my head down and did the work. I didn’t want to stand out too much from the crowd, because I was standing out from the crowd anyway, right?”
She explains that women entering any of the previously closed occupations would have had similar experiences, but that being at sea came with its own unique challenges. “You were there 24/7, and there were superstitions about having women at sea — it was bad luck! I remember at one point, one of the sailors onboard one of my training ships was really upset because now that we [women] were on board, they could not walk through the flats of the ship without any clothes on,” she says with a laugh. “Ultimately, obviously, it all worked out. I mean, I had really good experiences with really, really good ships’ companies and, for the most part, with commanding officers that were quite supportive of me. I don’t know that I would change any of it, because I learned a lot of resilience along the way.”
Michelaine brought aspects of naval leadership with her when she was a Commanding Officer of the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School. “One of the one of the things that we’re taught early on is this concept of ‘leadership by walking around.’ When you are onboard ship, or when you are in a shore posting, you walk around and talk to the sailors and find out what’s going on and get an idea as to how they are doing. I still believe very strongly in that. When I went to the school, I was the first woman Commanding Officer, but I was also the first naval officer to command the school. So, my approach was a little bit different.” She recalls the consternation that those early walkabouts caused: “The first time that I walked into one of the staff offices… they thought something must have gone horrifically wrong… They, and everybody, were thinking somebody must be in real trouble!” Michelaine credits those walks with helping her to keep a pulse on the recruits as well and making it easier for young women and men seeking advice and mentorship to approach her. On graduation day, she found out that one of those encounters, at the CANEX, came at a pivotal moment for the Cadet (“The day that you talked to me, I had actually drafted my memo to release.”) which turned it into a pivotal moment for her, a concrete example of having made a difference in someone’s life.
Michelaine describes her decision to attend RMC St-Jean as the singular best career decision she has made, one that has fundamentally changed her life. “I’m a believer in the Colleges because I think they have an important role to play in in this country and particularly in the Canadian Armed Forces. But there definitely need to be changes so that people feel more included and, most importantly, so that everybody feels safe there.”
To listen to the RMCAA Trailblazer podcast with Michelaine Lahaie, click here: