Ombudsman Recognizes Extraordinary Members of Canada’s Defence Community with the 22nd Liz Hoffman Memorial Commendation

Ombudsman Message | October 20, 2023

During a 19 October 2023 ceremony held in Ottawa, I was honoured to award the Liz Hoffman Memorial Commendation to four dedicated members of the Defence community.

The Liz Hoffman Memorial Commendation recognizes members for their hard work and dedication to make significant contributions to promote fairness in the Defence community.

Many distinguished guests attended the ceremony to highlight the extraordinary dedication and inspiration put forth by the recipients. These guests included Dr. Andrea Hoffman, daughter of Liz Hoffman as well as representatives from the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence. I was also pleased to welcome many members of the Senate and House of Commons.

It was an honour to recognize this year’s recipients of the Liz Hoffman Memorial Commendation:

Sailor First Class Matthew Raniowski

In recognition of exceptional community development, resolving conflict, and contributing to the well-being of the Defence community, Sailor First Class Matthew Raniowski is awarded the Liz Hoffman Memorial Commendation.

As the National Military Co-Chair of the Defense Advisory Group for Persons with Disabilities (DAGPwD) at CFB Halifax, S1 Matthew Raniowski works tirelessly to support persons with disabilities in the Canadian Armed Forces. He promotes positive change within the CAF and DND by ensuring the voices of every member are heard with respect to policy developments. Matthew helps policy leaders understand the importance of neurodiversity and regularly advises the senior Defence team leadership, including the Deputy Minister and the Chief of the Defence staff.

S1 Raniowski contributed substantially to the recently published DND Accessibility Plan by volunteering significant personal time to engage with the DAGPwD community. He also provided critical advice to ensure DND and CAF compliance with the Accessible Canada Act.

S1 Raniowski has a passionate commitment to serving and supporting members with disabilities. His courage in identifying unfairness in the organization, his confidence to speak up and his commitment to finding innovative solutions are just a few of the ways he demonstrates this endless devotion. By supporting the community of persons with disabilities in the CAF, S1 Raniowski raises important voices that often go unheard.

I commend Sailor First Class Matthew Raniowski’s exceptional dedication.

Ms. Lana Costello

In recognition of exceptional community development, resolving conflict and contributing to the well-being of the Defence community Ms. Lana Costello is awarded the Liz Hoffman Memorial Commendation.

As the National Civilian Co-Chair of the Defense Advisory Group for Persons with Disabilities (DAGPwD) at CFB Halifax, Lana Costello has dedicated countless hours to promoting accessibility and inclusion in support of persons with disabilities. Ms. Costello tirelessly advocates for employment equity by identifying and addressing issues of unfairness and inequity in the workplace. She regularly advises the senior Defence team leaders to raise the voices of members with disabilities during meetings and policy formulations.

Ms. Costello has been a key collaborator in the development of the Accessibility Action Plan which was formed in response to legislation with the purpose of identifying, removing, and preventing barriers for all persons by 2040. Many of the listed action items in the plan are directly related to the advice provided by Ms. Costello and the DAGPwD community.

Ms. Costello has been involved in planning events to bring awareness and to actively recruit committee members. She meets quarterly with the leaders in the chain of command to promote employment equity, diversity, and inclusion. Lana is a subject matter expert who is often consulted for planning events, such as the DND Career Fair in 2019, to ensure accessible options were considered.

Ms. Costello has demonstrated courage and continues to exceed expectations to ensure that all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Her dedication to providing support, promoting awareness, and advocating for positive change within the Defence community demonstrates the core values of the Liz Hoffman commendation. 

I commend Lana Costello’s exceptional dedication.

Mrs. Alyssa Truong

In recognition of exceptional community development, resolving conflict, and contributing to the well-being of the Defence community, Mrs. Alyssa Truong is awarded the Liz Hoffman Memorial Commendation.

Mrs. Truong is a leader in the Canadian Armed Forces Spousal community who embodies its first ethical principle of “Respecting the Dignity of All Persons”. Since she became a member of the Defence community in 2017, Alyssa has used her leadership skills to help others through her countless volunteer hours and talents to mentor and build community.

Alyssa was an integral part of the Borden Military Family Resource Center Board of Directors where she identified needs and found unique solutions to improve the quality of life for community members and their families. In addition, she helped to create a local support network by finding solutions for families struggling with food insecurity. She established and staffed a food pantry, coordinated volunteers to help with deployment supports, and facilitated community events to build resiliency.

As an entrepreneur, she has mentored CAF spouses in how to start-up a successful business in the community. Her students have since opened businesses that positively contribute to the Defence community and the city of Borden. She has studied CAF policies and uses social media to share her voice to help guide others in navigating postings, the recruitment process, and to share employment and mental health resources.

Alyssa is a passionate leader with a proven record of going the extra mile to make lasting and positive changes. She contributes not only to the community but has also provided one on one support to those in need. As an example, in 2021, Alyssa met a community member who was experiencing mental health, addiction, and homelessness challenges. After all the CAF and CFMWS resources were exhausted, Alyssa encouraged her to seek mental health and addiction treatment at a local women’s shelter. Months later the person now has a stable and thriving life and has reconnected with her family.

Alyssa is an ambassador to the Canadian Armed Forces spouse community. She demonstrates courage to identify the supports needed within her community, confidence to speak up, and commitment by gifting her time and talents to find innovative solutions to make lasting and positive change.

I commend Alyssa Truong’s exceptional dedication.

Ms. Alli Jones

In recognition of exceptional community development, resolving conflict and contributing to the well-being of the Defence community, Ms. Alli Jones is awarded the Liz Hoffman Memorial Commendation.

Ms. Jones is an “outside-the-box” thinker who never fails to step into challenging situations, particularly where injustice or unfairness exist. She is courageous, articulate, and disrupts systems with integrity when necessary to achieve desired outcomes. One example is the Positive Space initiative in Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC) which aims to foster a safe and inclusive workplace environment and generate awareness of 2SLGBTQI+ communities to assist members of the Defence Team who seek information and support.

Since 2019, Alli has been an integral part of the Positive Space Working Group. Through this project, she has contributed her time and talents to the creation of a robust social justice program as well as to an overall culture change in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. Her creative approach to confronting systems of oppression has resulted in the creation of the Positive Space Ambassador and Facilitator Training programs. She also created three videos for briefs, training, and program promotion. In addition, she continues to successfully manage the overall coordination of the Positive Space program nationally.

Alli’s expertise and experience in leading the Positive Space Program in one of the most active and productive locations across the Defence Team is a testament of her character and leadership strength. Alli is a distinguished role model and agent of positive change throughout the National Defence Community.

The success of the program under the care of Alli was recognized by the Director Human Rights and Diversity (DHRD) who in turn has asked her to help to improve the program at a national level. As the National Positive Space program began its evolution in 2022, Alli was the program subject matter expert and incorporated the MARPAC resources as the starting point for the new National level program.

I commend Alli Jones’s exceptional dedication.

Again, I would like to express my gratitude towards these outstanding individuals for going the extra mile to bring about positive and lasting change to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces.

Gregory A. Lick
Ombudsman