A long and detailed report by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbor on sexual assault and misconduct in the Canadian military is set for release today.
The Minister of National Defense, Anita Anand, has had reports for more than a week and is holding a news conference with Arbor and Chief of Defense Staff General Wayne Eyre at 12:30 p.m. ET.
on Monday I @NationalDefence And @CanadianForces,
More than a year ago, the government tasked Arbor with leading an external review to provide recommendations for establishing an independent reporting system that would allow complainants to report their cases without fear of retaliation. Will give
Critics have accused the military of thwarting sexual misconduct complainants for decades.
Former Navy member Don McIlmoyle went public on the cover of McLean’s magazine in 1998 and said that she was sexually assaulted when she was 19, didn’t believe it when she reported it, and then again after 11 p.m. The men were fined $250 by the force for being in the barracks. General Maurice Baril, the top soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces at the time, was quoted as saying that “society is telling us to be better.”
Mcllmoyle said she is still waiting for the military’s culture to change and would like to see an action plan announced today.
“Next year will be 25 years since all this happened,” she said. “What happened? Nothing but the report being written. It’s depressing. … Words without action have no meaning.”
series of scams
Since January 2021, the credibility of the forces has been pushed by an incredible series of sexual misconduct scandals.
Experts have said that they cannot think of any other army anywhere in the world that has seen so many senior leaders getting mired in scandal at the same time.
From the beginning of February 2021, 13 current and former senior Canadian military officers Have been sidelined, scrutinized or forced into retirement from some of the most powerful and coveted positions in the defense establishment.
Retired General Jonathan Vance, the former Chief of Defense Staff, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in March. Major Kelly Brennan, a staff officer at Army Headquarters, told Global News that she and Vance had an intimate relationship once again. She later testified before a parliamentary committee and claimed that Vance had fathered two of their eight children.
Provincial court documents state that Vance “deliberately” attempted to obstruct justice by repeatedly contacting Brennan and attempting to persuade investigators to make false statements.
Vance’s former HR chief, Vice Admiral Hayden Edmondson, will face 13 days of criminal prosecution for next year. He was charged with sexual harassment and obscene acts in December 2021. Edmondson has denied any wrongdoing.
Vance’s replacement, Admiral Art McDonald, resigned from the top post in 2021 following allegations of misconduct.
Other senior military leaders have been criticized for being accused of supporting criminals and failing to help survivors of military sexual trauma.
Anand and Ayre last year tendered a long-awaited and historic apology to women and men whose lives were affected by sexual harassment, misconduct and discrimination in the military.
In her first assignment as Canada’s new defense minister, Anand announced last fall that she would act on Arbor’s interim recommendation and move the investigation and prosecution of sexual misconduct cases within the Canadian military to the civil justice system. .
Attempt to hide cases of misconduct
Over the past year, Nation World News has documented cases of alleged misconduct and attempts to cover up the traumatic impact of a flawed reporting process on complainants again.
One of the most prominent women in the Canadian military resigned in March 2021, saying she was “disgusted” by the ongoing reports of sexual misconduct in the armed forces.
Two other senior women officers said in March that they would leave the Navy after they claimed that senior leaders failed to hold their subordinates accountable for sexual misconduct.
Arbor’s report is the second independent review of its kind in the past seven years.
In 2015, a landmark report by former Supreme Court Justice Mary Deschamps found that sexual harassment, harassment and bullying were endemic in Canada’s armed forces – and tolerated by senior leaders.
The Deschamps report has criticized the Canadian Armed Forces for not fully implementing the recommendations.
‘Stop telling the military they don’t know’
Charlotte Lantoin-Duval of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute studies culture change in the Canadian Armed Forces. She attended a consultation with Arbor in the fall of 2021.
She said that a copy of this report was “not needed” as the previous reports still needed to be implemented properly. It still has value, she said.
“It’s going to provide us with additional information as to what the problems are,” Lantoin-Duval said. “And it can deter the military from saying they don’t know.”
Lt. General Professionalism and Conduct Chief Jenny Carignan has also been tasked with changing the army’s culture and has said she plans a five-year campaign.
Watch: The then Defense Minister Sajjan was asked why a second review is needed:
Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan spoke with reporters on Thursday about plans to change the way sexual misconduct is tackled.
