Deschamps blasts lack of progress on military misconduct
‘Little has changed’ since 2015 report
OTTAWA • Retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps is criticizing the Canadian Armed Forces for not having done more to address sexual misconduct, as experts call for more independent oversight of the military to finally root such behaviour from the ranks.
Deschamps told a parliamentary committee Monday that she had expected more progress from the military since her explosive 2015 report detailing a highly sexualized culture in the Armed Forces. She noted that some of her recommendations are still gathering dust.
That includes establishing an independent centre outside the military’s chain of command that would be the main authority for receiving reports of inappropriate and criminal behaviour from service members and the military as a whole.
“I have the impression that very little has changed,” Deschamps told the defence committee.
Her comments and the calls for more independent oversight come after allegations against former chief of the Defence Staff Jonathan Vance, who spent his five years as Canada’s top commander driving efforts to end sexual misconduct in the Armed Forces.
Vance is accused of having acted inappropriately while in uniform, allegations he has denied.
Military police, who recently revealed they investigated Vance’s conduct before he was made chief in 2015, but did not lay any charges, have launched an investigation of the new allegations.
The Liberal government has promised an independent review that has yet to be launched weeks after the allegations surfaced, while a House committee is studying Vance’s conduct and how the government reacted to it.
Military commanders have long argued the Armed Forces is a unique institution and only those who have worn a uniform truly understand what makes it tick — implying outside interference could hurt its ability to defend Canada.
Experts such as Megan Mackenzie, who studies military sexual misconduct at Simon Fraser University in B.C., say it is all part of a pattern that leaves the Armed Forces no further ahead and service members still at risk.
Those same experts say what is needed is not more studies or zero-tolerance declarations from the brass, but real oversight and accountability for the military.
That could start with implementing a recommendation made six years ago, when the Armed Forces was last struggling with allegations of a toxic, sexualized culture: the creation of an independent centre to hold the military to account for sexual assault and harassment. It was the centrepiece of Deschamps’s plan.
“It isn’t the silver bullet in dealing with culture change and all that,” said Mackenzie. “But I think it is the most obvious, clearest path forward towards some kind of sense that there’s accountability.”
The federal government set up the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre (SMRC) in September 2015. Part of the civilian arm of the Department of National Defence, it provides support for victims and information to military leaders.
SMRC executive director Denise Preston described the centre’s role as monitoring the forces — a task she indicated has been made difficult by a lack of information from the military.
Deschamps noted she specifically called for the centre to be independent and the main place where reports of military sexual misconduct are collected. “Not only is the centre not the main authority, but this centre doesn’t even have direct access to data. So in my opinion, giving the centre this responsibility, or at least giving it access to data, seems to me to be a priority.”