Why hasn’t there always been a strong presence of women, Francophones and other minorities in the Canadian Forces starting from the time of its inception?
In historical terms, targeted recruitment of certain groups is usually not indicative of a changed system; it is usually an imperfect but often necessary solution to a problem, which otherwise takes a very long time to solve. Other example: In India some preferences are given to lower castes for university spots. To paraphrase you, this apparently acts in direct contravention to the hierarchical institution of the Hindu caste system. Yet, the last time I checked this institution is still very much in place.
