FEWO Committee Report

Bloc Québécois supplementary report to the study on sexual misconduct within the Canadian Armed Forces - FEWO

First, the Bloc Québécois would like to thank all of the women who appeared before the committee to share their painful experiences with sexual misconduct within the Canadian Armed Forces. We heard several victims give powerful testimonies that illustrated just how necessary this study is. The Bloc Québécois is deeply concerned about the many cases of sexual misconduct involving senior officers of the Canadian Armed Forces. Not only were the generals unable to protect personnel under their command from a culture of harassment targeting women, but by all accounts, some leaders participated in it by abusing their authority. The allegations against General Vance are extremely troubling, and the many stories of the women who appeared before the status of women committee support the view that military justice protects senior officers, not their victims.

Unfortunately, this is not the only federal government department implicated in such allegations: the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canada Border Services Agency and the Correctional Service of Canada, just to name a few, have all been the target of various allegations of misconduct known to the authorities and obviously tolerated by the hierarchy. This is likely just the tip of the iceberg, and a complete overhaul of the system is urgently needed. While military members such as Stéphanie Raymond have long been sounding the alarm about the problem prevalent in the armed forces, it was not until 2015 – following the external review by former justice Marie Deschamps – that we realized just how widespread the issue was and that there are serious institutional problems. Madam Justice Deschamps made ten recommendations to address the problems. Yet, here we are in 2021 and virtually nothing has been done. The federal government has turned a blind eye, costing us valuable time to correct the situation. However, beyond this admission of failure, now is the time to act. The Bloc Québécois supports the committee report, although it wishes to clarify some of the recommendations.

Recommendation 4

“That the Government of Canada impose a freeze on all General and Flag officer promotions and salary increases until an independent investigation is conducted to ensure their behaviour and conduct is beyond reproach allowing them to lead by example”

We believe it would be appropriate to make this type of investigation automatic prior to any promotions to the General ranks. Just as a security screening is needed to receive various security clearances, this type of investigation would screen out candidates who would be inappropriate to lead the Canadian Armed Forces. Subordinate personnel must have exemplary leaders, otherwise any efforts to stamp out sexual misconduct and harassment will be doomed to failure.

Recommendation 5

“That the Government of Canada hold executive level military and civilian Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence positions personally accountable to implement Auditor General report recommendations”

The Bloc Québécois believes that this recommendation as worded could violate the principle of ministerial accountability. Accountability ultimately must always lie with the elected government. Any systematic failure of the Canadian Armed Forces leadership to address sexual misconduct is due in part to the government turning a blind eye to allegations against senior officers, as well as to the ability of the military justice system to treat all members of the Canadian Armed Forces equally. For example, the allegations against General have been known since 2018 and the government have still not implemented Madam Justice Deschamps’s recommendations, which include creating an independent centre for accountability for sexual abuse and harassment. Major Kellie Brennan told the committee during her appearance that General Vance considered himself “untouchable” since he was in charge of the entire Department of Defence, which shows just how untenable the current situation is.

The Bloc Québécois is troubled to see that at a time when the federal government is increasingly interfering in provincial jurisdiction, it is ironically unable to deal with the many cases of misconduct in its government departments and agencies. We hope that the evidence heard and the resulting report by the status of women committee will finally lead to the necessary charges to the military structure. The victims have suffered enough—it is time for the government to take the situation seriously and act now.