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During the first face-to-face interview that she has given in the Middle East, she said that she was “responsible for the aircraft in theatre, where they go and the conduct of operations.”

The Canadian air boss is right now mostly overseeing air strikes in support of a recently launched counter-offensive by Iraqi security forces to retake the strategically important towns of Baiji and Ramadi from Islamic radicals.

Bourgon was among the first generation of women pilots after that military trade was opened to them by the Canadian Forces in the 1980s. She was the first female pilot to command a squadron, and the first to be promoted to lieutenant colonel, colonel and general.

“There are not that many firsts left and that is a good thing,” she said. “When you say first in a way it means yesterday we weren’t as good as we are today. I think this is kind of wrong to say because gender for me is not a question of firsts or statistics or numbers. Gender is about opportunity and chances being provided. At this point I can honestly say there is no longer a difference between women and men in the Canadian Armed Forces. Everyone is given the same chance to succeed.”

Wearing a khaki flight suit, the smart, engaging and undoubtedly brave Quebecer — who flew Sea King helicopters off the pitching decks of Canadian warships for more than two decades — reflected at length on her weighty duties, which include ensuring that steps are always taken to avoid civilian casualties and factoring in the recent arrival of Russian fighter jets and missile systems in Syria. She also discussed what her task force must do if it receives formal orders from Justin Trudeau’s new government to end the combat mission that Stephen Harper’s government joined last year.