Army urged to alter disciplinary actions

Victim of sexual assault by soldier says his continued employment unacceptable

An Edmonton soldier who pleaded guilty to sexual assault should not remain employed with the Canadian Forces, his victim says.

In November, Cpl. Cody Shane Hounsell pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault in an incident involving a civilian woman. He was sentenced to two years probation.

Capt. Graham Kallos, deputy public affairs officer with 3rd Canadian Division, confirmed in a statement that Hounsell is currently employed with the Canadian Forces and is a serving member at 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.

But the woman he assaulted says keeping Hounsell employed leaves her with little faith in the military. The woman cannot be named due to a publication ban.

“That doesn't make sense. If you don't stand for sexual assault, then you should be kicking out the members that are convicted, not keeping them,” she told Postmedia in an interview. “He needs to be held to the oath that he took, and he broke that, which means that he should be let go.”

Kallos said Armed Forces members are required to maintain professional standards of conduct and performance. When an “incident, a special circumstance, or a conduct or performance deficiency” occurs, an administrative review will take place to determine the most appropriate administrative action, which can result in several outcomes, including the release from the Canadian Forces (CAF).

There are a number of reasons an administrative action may be taken, Kallos said, including alcohol misconduct, hateful conduct, prohibited drug use, sexual misconduct, and making public comments criticizing Government of Canada policies.

For privacy reasons, Kallos said the military cannot confirm whether or not a member may be subject to any administrative actions.

“However, when a member's suitability for continued service is called into question, an administrative review is conducted,” he said.

But given that Hounsell remains employed, the woman says CAF is not upholding Operation Honour, which is the military's mission to “prevent and address sexual misconduct within its ranks.”

Operation Honour aims to “ensure sexual misconduct is never minimized, ignored or excused so that the CAF cultivates the inclusive and respectful work environment that embodies the ethical principles and core values of the profession of arms.”

“Having the military actually upkeep their Operation Honour, their word and their vows to the public would be amazing,” the woman said. “And also having them hold their men and women accountable to the oath they make would also be amazing.”

She said her dad served in the military and wanted her to join as well, but she did not due to the stigma.

“I'd love to see the army keep to their word. And when they say they don't support sexual assault, actually not supporting it so that future victims first of all feel good coming forward (and) that people will actually join the military because they're not scared of harassment.”

The woman said someone needs to speak out about the change she believes is needed and necessary in the military.

“This is something I'm not going to keep silent about, I'm going to keep pressing forward because it's not just a `me' issue.”