Chief of defence staff gets tough on inappropriate behaviour
‘ Proper conduct’ starts now, general orders
Canada’s chief of defence staff has prohibited inappropriate jokes of a sexual nature, racy photos and unwelcome advances in an attempt stamp out impropriety and harassment in the military.
Gen. Jonathan Vance’s order not only prohibits obvious offences but goes further, targeting behaviours that “perpetuate stereotypes and modes of thinking that devalue members on the basis of their sex, sexuality or sexual orientation.”
The new order tells commanding officers to act quickly when they hear of a complaint and warns that all leaders are accountable for failures that let the current culture continue.
The blunt instructions not only lay out expectations in terms of behaviour, but set timelines for action, including a rare meeting planned this week involving senior leadership from across the country where Vance is expected to lay down the law.
The onus will also be on members who believe they’ve been victimized to step forward, something that’s expected to lead to a surge in complaints and possibly military police investigations.
“Eliminating harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour within the CAF depends on its members demonstrating the integrity to act in a manner that bears the closest scrutiny and the courage to overcome difficult challenges through determination and strength of character,” said the order.
“There shall be no grace period for the application of our values and ethics. Proper conduct starts now.”
Last spring, a highly critical report by retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps found sexual misconduct was “endemic” in the military, where leaders tolerated a pervasive macho culture and women were afraid to report harassment and even assaults.
Vance’s predecessor, retired general Tom Lawson, in responding to the report said sexual harassment was still an issue in the Canadian Forces because people are “biologically wired in a certain way.”
“It would be a trite answer, but it’s because we’re wired in a certain way, and there will be those who believe it is a reasonable thing to press themselves and their desires on others,” he told CBC in a June television interview.
“It’s not the way it should be,” he said.
The comment prompted immediate calls for Lawson’s resignation and Vance, who retired in July, issued a clarification of what he called his “awkward characterization.”