By Barry Ellsworth
TRENTON, Canada (AA) - Sexual offenses in the Canadian Armed Forces should be removed from military courts and put exclusively in the hands of civilian courts, said the author of a report on military sexual misconduct released Monday at a press conference in Ottawa.
For the report, former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour was asked to look into burgeoning incidents of sexual offences in the senior ranks of Canada's military.
The report, more than a year in the making, is a scathing indictment of rampant sexual misconduct that has gone unchecked and under-investigated in the Canadian military. Arbour's report made 48 recommendations to restore trust in the military for victims of sexual misconduct, that of the rank and file, and the public at large.
The chief recommendation is that sexual offense cases be taken out of the hands of military courts and be tried in civilian courts exclusively.
Military courts have "done very little" to encourage victims to report sexual misconduct by senior officers, follow the allegations, and impart trust in the system and "if anything, it has served to erode it," Arbour told the press conference.
Reported incidents of sexual offenses date back at least to the 1990s, but critics charge there has been little action to hold those responsible to account.
The some-100,000 enlisted men and women and reservists in the military have been rocked by the misconduct, and public faith in the military has dramatically declined, critics said.
In the period beginning February 2021 alone, 13 high-ranking military officers have been accused of sexual offences. The charges have been investigated, resulting in some officers taking early retirement, while others were pushed out of command.
The number of cases created a crisis in the military and led to Arbour being asked to investigate and report on the situation.
- Cases in the upper ranks
Most cases involve senior male military personnel having inappropriate sexual contact with more junior-ranking female members.
In one instance, retired Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance pled guilty to obstruction of justice in an investigation into charges levelled by Maj. Kellie Brennan.
After filing a complaint, Brennan said Vance contacted her on several occasions in an attempt to get her to cover up his involvement with her. That resulted in the obstruction charge conviction.
Brennan told a parliamentary committee looking into sexual misconduct in the military that Vance was the father of two of her eight children.
In another case, Vice-Adm. Hayden Edmundson is slated to attend court in 2023 to answer to sexual assault charges.
Defense Minister Anita Anand, who was at the press conference, said the government "accepts the report in its entirety" and will act on the recommendations swiftly.
"This is the moment to create change," she said.