Cut the sexist rot from the military
The federal Liberals have discovered an effective way to do nothing about the rampant sexual misconduct that infects the Canadian Armed Forces. First, get a report about the problem that has been written by a former Supreme Court justice. Then mouth a litany of platitudes about making the military a safe, inclusive and respectful place for women to work. Finally, stuff the report into a filing cabinet in some obscure Ottawa office and forget all about it.
That, essentially, is what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and then-defence minister Harjit Sajjan did with the report that was submitted by former Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps in 2015. It’s what happened to the 2021 report by former Supreme Court justice Morris Fish. It’s what many people — and under the circumstances quite reasonably — believe will be the sad fate of the latest report into the ongoing crisis released last week by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour.
Arbour herself expressed this fear and the federal government has done little to allay her concerns. But shouldn’t it be three strikes and you’re out for the Armed Forces’ entrenched culture of toxic sexism? Shouldn’t this self-proclaimed feminist government do the right thing, the moral thing, not just for all the women in our Armed Forces but for the Armed Forces and nation? Won’t it stand up to the generals and admirals? We say yes. And Defence Minister Anita Anand — who was appointed to this important portfolio to introduce reforms — should issue the appropriate orders to the top military brass.
Regrettably, Anand’s predecessor, Sajjan, proved incapable of doing what was necessary. But last year, that political and administrative inertia became a national disgrace. Former chief of defence staff Jonathan Vance, his replacement — who was subsequently removed — along with other top military officials found themselves being investigated for allegations of sexual harassment or actual sexual assault. And more than just pointing fingers at powerful military leaders, these allegations amounted to an indictment of the government’s indifference and failure on a massive scale.
Enter Arbour. But as the antidote for the scandals or a convenient public relations placebo dreamed up by the government to make Canadians forget them? We await an answer. Arbour issued no fewer than 48 calls to action for the federal government to implement. Minister Anand responded by saying she “accepted” them. But accepting doesn’t always equate to acting. The two most important recommendations from Arbour are that the military should surrender control of sexual assault and misconduct cases. Arbour wants the prosecution of Criminal Code sexual offences to be handled by the civilian, rather than military court system; sexual harassment complaints should be turned over to the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Arbour also wants Ottawa to review the future of Canada’s two military colleges which have been breeding grounds for sexual misconduct.
Arbour makes a compelling case, as might be expected from so brilliant a legal mind, that the 48 recommendations are inseparable components of the solution for this so far intractable problem. Minister Anand seems willing to implement 17 recommendations, but not all.
Enough stalling. Enough procrastination. Seven years ago, Deschamps reported that women in the Armed Forces were regularly victims of sexual misconduct. That included degrading comments, date rape and inappropriate relationships between individuals of unequal ranks. Last year, former justice Fish said sexual misconduct in the military was still “persistent, preoccupying and widespread.” Now Arbour’s report concludes the rot in the military has not been excised.
With Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and China’s belligerent threats to the democratic state of Taiwan, the world has become a more precarious and dangerous place. More than they have in decades, Canadians need a fully functional military to stand on guard. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to the women who would protect this country to, in turn, protect them from the depravations of some of their own comrades in arms. Canadians need no further examples of sexual misconduct and possibly criminal behaviour in the military. They need no further inquiries or further reports. They need action.