Businesswoman Danièle Henkel will soon be named honorary colonel of the Régiment de Maisonneuve, learned The Press. She will thus become the first woman of this regiment to exercise this function which, for her, has nothing of protocol.
Posted at 4:00 p.m.
The Press was attending a joint exercise between the Canadian Armed Forces and the Coast Guard on Saturday. In Saint-Hubert, near the runway from which helicopters were taking off, “the VIPs” were expected. Who were they? High military officers, it was thought.
It was rather Danièle Henkel who appeared all smiles, dressed in camouflage, helmet screwed on the head. What was the businesswoman, well known to the public for her participation in the show, doing In the eye of the dragonin a military exercise?
The only thing missing is the approval of the Minister of Defence, Anita Anand, to confirm that it is now necessary to say Colonel Henkel. The businesswoman is learning how field operations are going: last Saturday, she was on her third official outing with the Canadian army.
If the businesswoman has accepted this role, it is because she wants to “bring something more, a different perspective” to the army.
There is a parallel to be drawn between the resilience of entrepreneurs, perseverance, the fact of obeying rules and values. I see [les militaires] go: you really have to be convinced, you really have to want. It is a gift of self.
Daniele Henkel
And if “tomorrow morning, what happens”, it is the soldiers who will be called in for reinforcement. “It’s not you or me. This is what we must take into consideration. Nothing is certain, look at what is happening in Ukraine. Who do we call on? To these valiants, to these valiants, ”says Danièle Henkel.
She recalls that her father, whom she never knew, was a soldier. He deserted the German army after the Second World War to finally serve France in the Foreign Legion.
A feminist perspective
When we tell Danièle Henkel that it’s quite a surprise to see her dressed like this, in a military role, she bursts out laughing. ” For me too ! »
But women in the army, there are, she recalls. “I see them, and they are proud to be there. I’ve spoken with women who have been there for 20 years,” Ms.me Henkel.
When told that the army has had its share of sexual misconduct scandals, the businesswoman tackles the subject head on.
“That’s one of the reasons I decided to say yes. It is to understand this mentality, to bring a different perspective and approach. When it’s only men it’s hard [pour les femmes] to have a voice. Well, there is one, and it’s strong,” said M.me Henkel, who adds that she will have the opportunity to sit down “with high authorities” of the Canadian Armed Forces.
The one who has already entrusted The Press having had a depression, publicly exposing this part of his life to remind us that entrepreneurs are “not robots”, is also moved by the fate reserved for veterans.
The image we always have is that of people of a certain age who come back and who are hurt, but not at all. I discovered a whole world of veterans aged 22, 25, who come back in a lamentable state, physically, but also mentally, and who don’t have the means to recover, who are rejected by civil society.
Daniele Henkel
The honorary colonel becomes “a spokesperson for the unit”, agrees Marc-André Meunier, commander of the 34th Reserve Light Infantry Battalion.e Canadian Brigade Group, Colonel of the Maisonneuve Regiment.
It’s not a ceremonial role, then? ” No way. I don’t have time for that,” says Danièle Henkel, who adds that for her it’s about volunteering.
“When I get involved, it’s because there’s something to change,” says Mme Henkel.