Forces urged to follow Aussie lead
Tough-talking general’s 2013 video condemns sexual misconduct
OTTAWA — Looking straight into the camera, the visibly angry Australian army commander promises his soldiers he will take no prisoners when it comes to the mistreatment of women in uniform.
“I will be ruthless in ridding the army of people who cannot live up to its values,” Lt.-Gen. David Morrison said in a firm voice. “And I need every one of you to support me in achieving this.”
Morrison’s video, posted online in June 2013, has been viewed 1.5 million times. It’s the type of message from the top that opposition politicians in Canada, and those who work on preventing sexual crimes, say is absolutely necessary — but sorely missing — from attempts to eliminate sexual misconduct in Canada’s military.
“That is what would restore the trust and confidence of the troops, especially those who are most affected by this toxic, sexualized culture,” Liberal defence critic Joyce Murray says. “But neither the chief of defence staff nor the minister have ever had that kind of clarity and conviction on how to move forward.”
Canada’s top brass has faced questions about its commitment to fighting the problem. Those doubts reached new heights this week when Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Tom Lawson suggested that “biological” wiring was partly responsible for what has been described as a “hostile” sexualized culture in the military.
In an interview with the CBC Tuesday, Lawson was asked why sexual misconduct persists in the military in 2015. “It would be a trite answer,” he said, “but it’s because we’re biologically 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.”
The top general found himself under fire from all sides, with even Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday calling the comments “offensive, inappropriate and completely unacceptable.” In response to Liberal calls for Lawson’s resignation, Harper noted that Lawson is due to retire in the coming weeks.
The general, who had already apologized, did so again Wednesday during an appearance at the House of Commons defence committee with Defence Minister Jason Kenney. But Lawson also defended the military’s efforts to deal with the issue, and noted the military isn’t the only organization struggling with it.
“I agree there can be no excuse for sexual misconduct,” Lawson said. “This is a societal problem that we see across academic institutions, police forces, perhaps even on (Parliament Hill) itself.”
Lawson’s commitment to tackling sexual misconduct in the ranks had previously been questioned after he referenced an internal Canadian Forces survey from 2012 that found 98.5 per cent of military members said they had not been subject to sexual misconduct. At the time, he warned against “jumping to conclusions.”
The military also accepted only two of 10 recommendations made by a retired Supreme Court justice who spent a year studying the issue, while Lawson publicly wavered on the idea of creating an independent centre that would receive reports of inappropriate conduct and support victims. Kenney eventually promised the creation of such an independent body.
Morrison’s video, which warned Australian soldiers to respect women “or get out,” came after soldiers swapped emails showing sex acts without the women involved knowing. The emails contained derogatory remarks about the women. Six soldiers were fired from the Australian military, and the ringleader pleaded guilty to three charges.
Sex-assault prevention educator Julie Lalonde, who was harassed while giving a presentation at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont., last year, says Morrison’s message is exactly what Canadian military personnel — and the public — needs to hear from its own leadership.
“The military is an incredibly hierarchical organization and what people at the top say and do actually has a huge impact on what people on the ground are enabled to do,” she said. “What the Australian general said is incredibly strong language, and we have seen nothing, nothing of this sort in our country.”