A long and detailed report by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbor on sexual harassment and misconduct in the Canadian military will be released today.
National Secretary of Defense Anita Anand has had the report for more than a week and is holding a press conference at 12:30 pm ET with Arbor and Chief of Defense Staff General Wayne Eyre.
On Monday, I will join the Honorable Louise Arbor, General Eyre and Deputy Minister Matthews in launching the final report of the Independent External Comprehensive Review of Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment in @CanadianForces.
– @ AnitaAnandMP
More than a year ago, the government commissioned Arbor to conduct an external review to provide it with recommendations for setting up an independent reporting system that would allow complainants to report their cases without fear of reprisals.
Critics have accused the military of failing to crack down on complainants for decades of sexual misconduct.
Former Navy member Dawn McLemoil went public on the cover of Maclean’s magazine in 1998 and said she was sexually assaulted when she was 19, disbelieved when she reported it and then charged and fined 250 dollars from the forces for being in the men’s barracks after 11 pm The best soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces at the time, General Maurice Barill, was quoted as saying that “society wants us to be better”.
McLemoil said he was still waiting for the military to change its culture and wanted to see an action plan announced today.
“Next year will be the 25th anniversary of all this,” she said. “What happened? Nothing but writing reports. It’s disappointing … Words without deeds mean nothing.”
Dawn McIlmoil went public with his sexual assault case on the cover of Maclean’s in 1998, hoping it would change the culture. Decades later, McMolle said he was still waiting for that to happen. (Submitted by Dawn McIlmoyle)
A series of scandals
Since January 2021, the trust in the Forces has been destroyed by a ruthless series of scandals of sexual misconduct.
Experts say they can’t think of another army anywhere else in the world that has seen so many senior leaders involved in a scandal at the same time.
From the beginning of February 2021 13 current and former senior Canadian military officers have been isolated, investigated or forced to retire from some of the most powerful and prestigious positions in defense.
Former Chief of Defense Staff, retired General Jonathan Vance, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in March. Major Kelly Brennan, an officer at Army Staff, told Global News that she and Vance had an intimate relationship again without it happening again. She later testified before a parliamentary committee, claiming that Vance was the father of two of her eight children.
Provincial court documents say Vance “deliberately” tried to obstruct justice by repeatedly contacting Brennan and trying to persuade her to give false testimony to investigators.
The former head of HR of Vance, Vice Admiral Haydn Edmundson, has a 13-day criminal trial scheduled for next year. He was charged in December 2021 with sexual assault and indecent acts. Edmundson denied any wrongdoing.
Vance’s deputy, Admiral Art MacDonald, resigned in 2021 after allegations of misconduct.
Other senior military leaders have been criticized for supporting the perpetrators and accused of failing to help survivors of military sexual trauma.
Anand and Eyre made a long-awaited and historic apology last year to women and men whose lives have been hurt by sexual violence, misconduct and discrimination in the military.
In one of his first actions as Canada’s new defense minister, Anand announced last fall that he would act on Arbor’s interim recommendation and transfer the investigation and prosecution of sexual offenses in Canadian forces to the civil justice system.
Attempts to cover up cases of misconduct
Over the past year, CBC News has documented attempts to cover up cases of alleged misconduct and the re-traumatic effect on complainants of a misreporting process.
One of the most prominent women in the Canadian military resigned in March 2021, saying she was “disgusted” by ongoing reports of sexual assault in the military.
Two other senior officers said in March that they would leave the Navy because they claimed that senior leaders did not hold their subordinates responsible for confusing sexual abuse.
The report by Louise Arbor, a former judge of the Supreme Court of Canada, is the second for sexual misconduct in the military in seven years. (Darren Calabrese / Canadian Press)
The Arbor report is the second independent review of its kind in seven years.
In 2015, a remarkable report by former Supreme Court Justice Marie Deschamps found that sexual violence, harassment and harassment were endemic to the Canadian Armed Forces – and that senior leaders tolerated it.
The Canadian military has been criticized for not fully implementing the recommendations of the Deschamps report.
“Don’t let the military say they don’t know”
Charlotte Lantoin-Duvall of the Canadian Institute of Global Affairs is studying cultural change in the Canadian Armed Forces. She participated in consultations with Arbor in the autumn of 2021.
She said the report “was not necessary in itself” as previous reports still need to be properly implemented. There is still value, she added.
“This will provide us with additional information on what the problems are,” Lantoine-Duval said. “And that can stop the military from saying they didn’t know.”
Lt. Gen. Jenny Karinyan, head of the Professionalism and Behavior Department, is also tasked with changing the military culture and said she is planning a five-year campaign.
WATCH: Then-Defense Minister Sajan was asked why a second review was needed:
Sajan was asked why the military needs another report to help end sexual abuse
Defense Minister Harjit Sajan spoke to reporters Thursday about a plan to change the way the military handles sexual abuse.
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