The Canadian Armed Forces is unable to resolve its rampant sexual misconduct crisis
- Gurshabad Kang
- Jun 10, 2022
- 5 min read
It is no secret that the Canadian Armed Forces have a horrible track record when it comes to handling sexual misconduct. Former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour’s recent report is the newest addition to the call for a better system within the military to deal with sexual misconduct.
Ms. Arbour’s report outlines 48 actions the military needs to take in order to “create an even and safe playing field for women in the profession of arms.” Defence Minister Anita Anand disclosed that the government will be accepting at least 17 of the 48 suggestions. Unfortunately, the most important suggestions are also the most complex, and therefore most prone to be ignored by the government, as has been the case in the past.
Ms. Arbour has stressed the importance of accepting all suggestions because they are interconnected and dependent on one another to make actual systemic change possible.
There have been two previous reports written by former Supreme Court Justices: Marie Deschamps in 2015 and Morris Fish in 2021 making similar suggestions to reform the military.
Ms. Arbour has demanded that an independent monitor be appointed in order to track the progress made due to her report and subsequent suggestions, so that her report doesn’t have the same fate as the last two and gets buried in the bureaucracy. Ms. Anand has agreed to this and says an external monitor will be appointed as soon as possible.
Ms. Arbour spared no words in order to describe the current situation in the military. Her report states that “the likelihood that some of [the Forces’ members] are more at risk of harm, on a day-to-day basis from their comrades than from the enemy.”
Previous reports have made the obseravation that sexual misconduct in the military is “persistent, preoccupying and widespread”.
Since 1998, sexual misconduct complaints within the Forces are reported and subjected to ruling through the military legal system. Ms. Arbour has suggested that these cases be moved to civilian court, which deals with more than 2300 cases per year.
Many scandals within the military came forward last year and painted a gruesome picture around rape and rape culture in the military. Many top officials were investigated for abusing their power and taking advantage of a strict chain of command mentality.
“Operation Honour” was a program launched in 2015 by Gen. Jonathan Vance as a response to the 2015 report issued by Marie Deschamps. Almost immediately Operation Honour was dubbed 'Hop On Her' by soldiers mocking the military's plan to crack down on sexual misconduct.
Furthermore, Jonathan Vance, the professional head of the Armed Forces at the time was accused of sexual misconduct on February 21, 2021. He had an affair with junior officer Kellie Brennan which began in 2000 and continued throughout his tenure as Chief of Defence Staff.
Kellie Brenan came forward during an interview with Global correspondent Mercedes Stephenson. She explained her predicament stating, “I wasn’t allowed to tell the truth until I was given permission to tell the truth. I didn’t even know how to get that permission. I tried. I asked my chain of command for permission to speak, and I listened to a whole range of reasons why I should and shouldn’t. I can just remember thinking Kellie, you can speak. This uncontrollable gasp came out of me. And I said, ‘oh,’ exhaling because I was no longer under his command.”
Brennan says she has faced dozens of incidents of inappropriate sexual conduct over her roughly 30-year career in the military from a number of different men, including rape.
The military has a reputation of “looking the other way” and hoping the problem will resolve itself, i.e. survivors will give up and stop pursuing justice in a broken system. Bureaucratic red tape in conjunction with playing the blame game is a sure shot way to evade justice.
Former Canadian Forces ombudsman Gary Walbourne claimed that in 2018 he had notified Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan of an allegation of sexual impropriety purportedly perpetrated by the then CDS, Gen. Jonathan Vance.
According to Walbourne, when he offered to show Sajjan physical evidence of the allegation in question, the minister jumped back from the table like a scalded cat while muttering “no.”
Federal officials were warned multiple times that the office of the military ombudsman was not the proper authority to handle sexual misconduct in the Canadian military. Still, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Liberal MPs argued that it was the ombudsman, not the minister, who failed to act on a 2018 allegation against Gen. Jonathan Vance.
Admiral Art Mcdonald was chosen as Vance’s replacement for Chief of Defence Staff, but embarrassingly for the military, he too had to step down shortly after due to sexual misconduct allegations.
There is an extensive trail of powerful men holding some of the highest authority in the Armed Forces that have been accused of sexual misconduct and/or rape. Besides, Vance and Mcdonald, Vice-Admiral Hayden Edmunston, the military’s Head of Personnel was also put on indefinite leave following an a CBC report that accused him of raping an subordinate woman officer in 1991.
If the top most leaders in the military have a more than questionable history, what can be expected from those they command? This speaks volumes about the culture being perpetuated in the Canadian Armed Forces.
The military and the government have failed survivors endlessly. In fact, due to this gross mishandling, Lt.-Col. Eleanor Taylor, one of the most senior women in the Canadian Forces decided to quit the Canadian Forces on International Women’s Day in 2021.
She has been a trailblazer during her 25-year career and quit via an email describing her state of mind and her utter disappointment and disgust. She stated, “Throughout my career, I have observed insidious and inappropriate use of power for sexual exploitation. Some senior leaders are unwilling or (perhaps unable) to recognize that their behaviour is harmful both to the victim and to the team. Some recognize the harm but believe they can keep their behaviour secret. Perhaps worst of all are those in authority, who should know better, but lack the courage and tools to confront the systemic issue.”
This decision by Elenor Taylor shook the military community and goes to show the burnout experienced by those who have the courage to stand up against gross misconduct.
It is sad and infuriating to see such a widespread and clearly visible issue and yet nothing being done to actually change anything. The blame game needs to end, and there needs to be a sense of accountability and responsibility reestablished.
People decide to join the Armed Forces in order to serve and protect their country. These are noble and brave men and women who deserve a safe and fair work environment. This issue is deep rooted and will require a complete gutting of the Canadian Armed Forces to truly overcome. However, bureaucracy, red tape and politics seem to prevail over human decency.
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