Re: Sexual Assault / Misconduct

by Geoman Mon 16 Jan 2023, 7:25 am

The military cadet program is wrestling with its own systemic sexual misconduct problem

Richard Raycraft · CBC News · Posted: Jan 16, 2023

Sexual Assault / Misconduct - Page 24 Valcartier-grenade-anniversary

CBC News

by Covert Sun 29 Jan 2023, 6:30 am

Canadian soldier facing formal sex charge following private prosecution hearing brought by another soldier

Jorge Barrera · CBC News · Posted: Jan 27, 2023

CBC News

by **Diesel** Tue 07 Feb 2023, 5:37 am

Free online hub launched to support survivors of abuse in Canadian military, RCMP

ZOSIA BIELSKI
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 4, 2023

Sam Samplonius was 17 and just starting out as an army reservist when she was sexually assaulted for the first time in her military career.

It was 1981 in B.C., after the end of a training course. A party was thrown at the home of Ms. Samplonius’s then-boyfriend, a military instructor. Ms. Samplonius said she was sleeping in a bedroom when a group of sergeants and master corporals – also her instructors – sexually assaulted her. She said her boyfriend dissuaded her from going to police, cautioning that it would finish her professionally.

When she was 18, she suffered another sexual assault, this time by an officer. Later, in 1989 during a posting in Winnipeg, a colleague working on the base disabled her car by tampering with the engine wires. After her shift, he offered her a lift to a military police office at the main gate. It was a brutal winter night, in an era before cellphones. She said the man drove her off the base and sexually assaulted her.

“You’ve buried them because you don’t want to deal with them,” Ms. Samplonius said of these assaults and others she endured throughout her military career.

In 2016, she began speaking to a therapist, a process that cracked open these decades of abuse, including frequent sexual harassment in the military workplace throughout the 1980s, years that chipped away at her self-worth.

“I recognized through therapy that I never really felt safe in the military,” said Ms. Samplonius, now 58. “There’s the outrage of being violated – but then there’s also this moral outrage: ‘I was supposed to trust this person with my life but I can’t even trust them not to touch my body.’”

Among regular force members, more than one in four women and one in 25 men have experienced sexual assault at least once since joining the Canadian Armed Forces, according to Statistics Canada. Some 600 reservists reported being sexually assaulted in a military workplace during the previous 12 months, according to 2018 data from the agency. The country’s military establishment has been shaken by a string of accusations of sexual misconduct, abuse and sexual assault against numerous high-ranking officials. In December, the federal government ordered a review of Canada’s military colleges, where sexual abuse remains prevalent – this after a May, 2022, report from retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour found the Canadian Armed Forces had failed to stamp out sexual misconduct.

To date, there have been few dedicated resources to help people suffering from sexual trauma incurred while serving in the military. Now, the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families has launched a free, online hub to support military and RCMP veterans who’ve lived through such abuses, while also helping their loved ones and educating health care practitioners who want to aid this population.

The institute is sharing detailed information on military sexual misconduct, the many reverberations of trauma, evidence-based therapy models and grounding techniques, peer support, compensation and benefits, as well as links to other resources such as the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre, a federal government resource that supports current and former Canadian Armed Forces members, among others.

Atlas’s tools, launched at the end of September, 2022, are meant to help veterans disclose, cope and eventually recover. Though the material is geared toward vets, their family and friends, the information is free and accessible online for anyone, including active serving members of the armed forces and RCMP.

“Many veterans have gone through experiences that civilians just have no sense of. … This is intended to help them understand that healing from trauma is possible,” said MaryAnn Notarianni, deputy chief executive of the institute, which was originally established through the Minister of Veterans Affairs as the Centre of Excellence on PTSD and Related Mental Health Conditions.

For health care providers, there is tailored guidance on properly screening for military sexual trauma in clinical practice – from understanding military culture in order to build trust with patients, to validating veterans’ experiences. The online fact sheets and videos are designed for family doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, among others.

There are also resources for friends and family members, with a new website intended for veterans’ children to be launched in April.

Military sexual misconduct includes verbal abuse, unwanted advances, sexual harassment and sexual violence. It takes place within the military, on or off duty, on or off military bases, at military functions or activities. It can involve superiors, subordinates or staff at an equal rank.

Military sexual trauma refers to the physical, psychological and social effects of such abuses. Physical problems can include chronic pain and sleeping difficulties. There can be “panic, sadness, anger, shame, guilt, helplessness, numbness, fear,” as well as anxiety, depression and substance-use disorders, Ms. Notarianni said. Trauma can breed mistrust and strain relationships with relatives, friends and colleagues.

There are complex reasons why active serving members and veterans may avoid disclosing or seeking care. Asking for help can be countercultural for those who have had notions of resilience and self-sufficiency reinforced throughout military life. Victims can face professional consequences, feeling forced to choose between ending a military career or continued contact with a perpetrator. Some face doubt, judgment and retaliation from authority figures or other recruits taking the side of a perpetrator.

“Many members of the military and RCMP live by the motto ‘Service before self.’ This can really affect people wanting to report,” said Nicole Elliott, a clinical psychologist who served on Atlas’s working group, developing resources for health care providers helping veterans.

“They may feel let down by a system that they dedicated their lives to and really believed in,” said Dr. Elliott, who works with St. Joseph’s Operational Stress Injury Clinic, which provides mental-health assessments and treatment for veterans and active serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP.

Dr. Elliott sees clients in person in London, Ont., and through virtual sessions, supporting them through recent and historical reports of sexual trauma.

She urged health care providers to educate themselves on the military ethos and create a safe environment for veterans who might be ready to disclose sexual violence. This includes listening nonjudgmentally to what patients are saying, outlining that these are common experiences and offering resources, without pressure, for when vets decide they’re ready “to move forward in their recovery,” Dr. Elliott said.

By 2016, Ms. Samplonius began coming to terms with the damage inflicted after years of sexual abuse while serving in the military. Working on a full-time contract as a reservist, she had access to medical coverage that included regular therapy sessions.

Her mood swings, anxiety, anger and tendency to isolate came into clearer focus. “You beat yourself up: ‘What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I deal with this?’ You’re not realizing that your brain has that traumatic memory.”

In 2017, after Ms. Samplonius’s full-time contract was not renewed, her therapy coverage dried up. The following year, Veterans Affairs concluded she has post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from military sexual trauma and began covering her therapy and relevant prescription medications. Ms. Samplonius is now waiting for a medical release, while volunteering with Atlas, helping others cope.

The initiative is a vital support for veterans and families who may not be able to access or afford therapy, she said.

“It is important for us to understand how many lives can be helped and changed with resources and research on military sexual trauma.”

The Globe and Mail

by **Hammercore** Thu 09 Mar 2023, 4:09 pm

Sexual misconduct survivor group leader assured military leaders she didn't want officers punished too harshly

Sexual misconduct survivor group leader assured military leaders she didn't want officers punished too harshly

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen

Published Mar 09, 2023

The one-time head of a high-profile group representing some military sexual misconduct and assault survivors repeatedly reassured Canadian Forces leaders she didn’t want to see senior officers punished too harshly for wrongdoing.

Along with other records obtained through the Access to Information law, the 2021 emails from Lori Buchart, then chairperson of INJ700, reveal some of what was happening behind the scenes as the Canadian Forces scrambled to deal with sexual misconduct scandals threatening the careers of a number of senior officers. That year saw more than 10 officers facing allegations, forcing some to resign while others faced investigations.

It’s Not Just 700 (INJ700), which later morphed into INJ20K, has faced criticism from some sexual misconduct survivors for being too cozy with the Canadian Forces leadership. The INJ organization represents around 120 sexual misconduct survivors, and its officials are often quoted in the news media.

National Defence sees the organization as an important stakeholder group that can aid in its communication about the sexual misconduct crisis, according to documents obtained by this newspaper using the Access to Information law.

In a series of emails to senior defence officials at the height of the sexual misconduct crisis, Buchart outlined her concerns about the attitudes of those who pushed for the removal of military leaders involved in various incidents. “We can’t always be about off with your heads mentality,” Buchart wrote July 7, 2021 to then-National Defence deputy minister Jody Thomas. “Concerned we will have no leadership left in the Forces if we continue with an off with your heads mentality,” she added in the email.

INJ20K highlights on Twitter its policy of “collaboration not confrontation” and often tweets out praise for Canadian Forces senior leaders for their handling of the ongoing sexual misconduct issue.

Buchart recently stepped down as head of INJ20K. Sam Samplonuis, who was also sent copies of Buchart’s emails to senior leaders, now heads the group.

Buchart, in another 2021 email to deputy minister Thomas, Vice-Adm Angus Topshee as well as Denise Preston, head of National Defence’s sexual misconduct response centre, pointed out her organization’s close relationship with the Royal Canadian Navy. Again she voiced her concern about the welfare of the military leadership. “One challenge that continues to arise in many conversations is how ‘legacy/historic’ cases are dealt with so the CF doesn’t become decimated,” Buchart wrote in a Sept. 28, 2021 email.

In addition, Buchart raised in the email the issue of the need for INJ700, a volunteer organization, to have some source of funding.

In another email, Buchart warned senior leaders, including Topshee, Rear Adm. Brian Santarpia, Vice-Adm Craig Baines and Preston, that CTV’s W5 news show was working on an episode featuring sexual misconduct survivors who were also members of the INJ organization. Buchart reassured the officials in a Nov. 1, 2021 email her organization was explicit in telling the military sexual misconduct survivors they were not to link their views to INJ.

In a Sept. 2, 2021 email to Navy Capt. Matthew Coates, then-commander of the naval personnel and training group, Buchart worried about what she believed were continual negative conversations around sexual misconduct. Coates responded by advising her to highlight the positive work being done by the military rather than “focusing solely on reactions.”

Buchart later worked helping Vice Adm. Baines after the naval officer found himself under fire for golfing with retired defence chief Gen. Jon Vance and voicing his support for that senior officer. At the time Vance was under police investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct. Vance later plead guilty to obstruction of justice.

Buchart, in an email to this newspaper, noted that her philosophy “is that those who have caused harm need to be held accountable through consistently and ethically applied legal, administrative, and/or other policies/processes.”

Buchart noted she believes, “restorative processes should be used to support healing for the victim, to aid in members learning from mistakes and to facilitate culture change for the CAF and/or other affected organizations.

“In time, we will be able to assess the impact of differing approaches to advocacy and its role in culture change,” she added.

In a January 2022 Canadian Press article, Buchart praised Baines for opening the door to dialogue and the restorative process between victims and the military leadership. But she also acknowledged not everyone was happy the INJ organization was working with Baines and other senior military commanders.

Other sexual misconduct survivors have distanced themselves from INJ20K, upset that Buchart tried to sue two military rape survivors in 2022 for defamation. Court documents show Buchart’s original lawsuit demanded $100,000 from the two women.

Buchart, herself a rape survivor, claimed the two veterans were behind an anonymous email that raised allegations about bullying by the leaders of It’s Not Just 20K. The email also alleged that survivors of military sexual trauma were being booted from INJ20K because they disagreed with the decision to work more closely with the Canadian Forces senior leadership.

Buchart and Sam Samplonius have denied all of the allegations, including that they were ever involved in any bullying. The contents of the anonymous email sent to military and defence officials wasn’t made public until Buchart and INJ20K published portions of it online.

In the fall of 2022, an Alberta justice struck down the legal action and ordered Buchart to pay the two women $750 each.

Samplonius, in a Feb. 27, 2023, social media post, acknowledged people were upset with the decision to file the lawsuit. But Samplonius also used the post to defend Buchart’s actions.

National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier confirmed to this newspaper that the Canadian Forces has covered expenses for INJ20K officials, including travel and hotel rooms, while they have worked with the military leadership. He said the military had asked for nothing in return.

Defence Watch

by Covert Fri 10 Mar 2023, 11:37 am

Military leaders told sex misconduct scandal was a PR war

"As with confronting adversaries internationally, this has become a battle over the narrative," warned the analysis obtained by this newspaper using the Access to Information law.

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen

Published Mar 10, 2023

The Canadian military’s senior leadership was advised the sexual misconduct crisis was a battle for public opinion and those who raised concerns were akin to foreign enemies.

In a series of documents produced for then-acting Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre and other senior leaders in March 2021, advisors highlighted the need to push more positive views about how the Canadian Forces was handling the ongoing sexual misconduct crisis.

One analysis noted that the sexual misconduct and assault issue had become so high profile because survivors were bringing their stories to the news media and the military had no control over that. “There are many actors outside Defence who are providing perspectives and shaping the public discourse,” warned the analysis obtained by this newspaper using the Access to Information law. “As with confronting adversaries internationally, this has become a battle over the narrative.”

The sexual misconduct crisis hit the Canadian Forces in early 2021. Retired defence chief Gen. Jon Vance was put under investigation and his successor Admiral Art McDonald had to take a paid leave as police examined allegations against him. Over the course of the next year, more than 10 senior military officers faced allegations of sexual misconduct or inappropriate actions.

Eyre was brought in as acting chief of the defence staff in late February 2021 and was permanently appointed to the position later that year.

Eyre, deputy minister Jody Thomas, then Maj. Gen. Trevor Cadieu, Lt.-Gen. Mike Rouleau and then Maj. Gen. Steven Whelan as well as others were involved in brainstorming on how to deal with the ongoing crisis.

One suggestion was to bring in a “reconciliation process” which would allow survivors to be heard internally and prevent them from turning to the news media to tell their stories. “This would allow members, who are currently going to the media for lack of confidence in the institutions, to be heard and acknowledged,” military leaders were told.

Former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour, who would later be brought in to review sexual misconduct in the military, received submissions from Canadian Forces personnel alleging senior leaders saw the crisis as a public relations problem that needed to be managed by avoiding negative media coverage.

Of those Eyre consulted, Thomas left to become Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s security advisor. Cadieu was promoted to lieutenant general and named by Eyre to lead the army. But Cadieu was later charged with two counts of sexual assault. Cadieu, who has since retired, has denied any wrongdoing. The charges have yet to be tested in court.

Rouleau left the military after questions were raised about his golf game with Vance while the retired defence chief was under investigation.

Whelan, who under Eyre was promoted to lieutenant general, was charged in June 2021 with two counts of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline. The matter was related to an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. His court-martial will be held in September.

Military police investigated McDonald, but stated they did not find evidence to support laying charges.

Vance, one of the longest-serving chiefs of the defence staff in Canada’s history, pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count of obstruction of justice.

Defence Minister Anita Anand on Thursday said her priority is to change military culture. “How do we ensure that we are ready for tomorrow?” she asked a gathering of retired and serving military officers. “First, we start with our people, who must be protected, who must be respected and who must be empowered to serve when they put on a uniform every day. As such, my top priority continues to be meaningful, durable and robust culture change across our institution.”

But Arbour, the retired Supreme Court justice, has raised concerns that many of the recommendations she made to try to halt sexual misconduct in the Canadian Forces have not been followed by the Liberal government. At a House of Commons defence committee meeting Dec. 13, 2022, Arbour accused Canadian Forces leaders of dragging their feet on changes.

National Defence and the Canadian Forces have previously been criticized for ignoring similar reviews and investigations that emerged after sexual misconduct scandals in the late 1990s and 2014-2015.

Defence Watch

by Magnum Tue 25 Apr 2023, 4:23 pm

Reservist acquitted of sexual assault sues military for millions of dollars in damages

Ashley Burke · CBC News · Posted: Apr 25, 2023

Sexual Assault / Misconduct - Page 24 Orman-savage

CBC News

by **Hammercore** Thu 11 May 2023, 4:24 pm

Military considering limiting access to alcohol to curb sexual misconduct

Ashley Burke · CBC News · Posted: May 11, 2023

Sexual Assault / Misconduct - Page 24 Beer-mugs

CBC News

by Monsfool Fri 12 May 2023, 5:37 am

Victims of CAF sexual misconduct can get legal fees reimbursed through new fund

By Sarah Ritchie . The Canadian Press

Posted May 11, 2023

The military’s independent sexual misconduct support and resource centre is creating a new fund to help victims pay for legal services, defence officials said Thursday.

The centre will review applications to reimburse military members and those who say they have faced misconduct by a military member for their legal fees for criminal proceedings, and for up to four hours of legal advice.

They can attest to ‘it was an incident of sexual misconduct,'” said Linda Rizzo Michelin, the response centre’s chief operating officer, during a briefing to reporters on the Canadian Armed Forces’ efforts to stamp out sexual misconduct.

“So it’s not regarding reporting or an investigation or anything of that kind. We’re looking to support the individuals that need this type of independent legal assistance.”

That was one of the 48 recommendations made by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour in a May 2022 report.

Arbour’s review was prompted by what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau then called a “failing of the entire system,” at a time when sexual misconduct scandals had led to the departures of several high-ranking members of the military.

The Defence Department laid out a plan last December to implement those changes.

One of the report’s “most impactful” calls, the department said in a media release Thursday, was the recommendation to transfer jurisdiction of criminal sexual offences from the Canadian Armed Forces to the civilian justice system.

In her report, Arbour said the change was necessary to address widespread mistrust and doubt about the military’s ability to properly handle such cases. But she also noted that some police forces and associations, including the Ontario Provincial Police, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and its counterpart in British Columbia, opposed the recommendation.

Ontario’s solicitor general wrote a letter to Defence Minister Anita Anand complaining that the new caseloads were putting a strain on resources, and last July it was made public that civilian police services had refused to accept 23 cases.

There are agreements in place with the RCMP, Surete du Quebec and now the Ontario Provincial Police to refer cases to police for investigation.

However, in a technical briefing provided to reporters Thursday morning, officials refused to give an update on the number of cases that have been referred and the number that have been rejected, if any.

The support and resource centre also announced Thursday it would expand its services to include cadets, junior rangers and members of the defence community who are at least 16 years old.

And officials told reporters that they are launching a call for members of the defence community who’ve been the victims of sexual misconduct to join a consultation group.

Rizzo Michelin said that’s to allow people to share their experiences and help develop future programs and services.

Global News

by Firefox Fri 12 May 2023, 5:38 pm

Military referred 93 sexual offence cases to civilian police, 64 under investigation

Published May 12, 2023

Sexual Assault / Misconduct - Page 24 Canadian-armed-forces-1-6396423-1683920608557

The Canadian Press

by Rigger Tue 16 May 2023, 5:33 am

Stamping out sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces – May 15, 2023

by Monsfool Thu 18 May 2023, 6:39 am

Military making progress but lacks ‘strategic’ misconduct reform plan: report

By Sean Boynton . Global News
Posted May 17, 2023

The Canadian Armed Forces is making progress as it implements recommendations aimed at combating sexual misconduct in the military, but lacks an “overall strategic plan” to change its culture, a new report says.

The report released Wednesday is the first update from external monitor Jocelyne Therrien, who was appointed last October to oversee the military’s response to former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour’s independent review of sexual misconduct in the Armed Forces.

Although Therrien concluded “a significant level of tangible activity” has been taken within the military on many of the 48 recommendations in Arbour’s final report over the past year, she said there needs to be an overarching plan to manage those changes in a way “that will bring fundamental reform in a timely manner.”

So far, such a plan does not appear to exist, she said.

“Although I have seen some cross-referencing among the recommendations, there is no overall framework that sets out how the organization, as a whole, will move from one phase to the next,” Therrien wrote.

“Does this mean that there is no progress? Not at all,” she continued. “But an overall strategic plan would serve to ensure that the resources are aligned to priorities.”

Arbour’s report, released last May, described the military as a “broken system” out of sync with the values of Canadian society, and which poses a “liability” to the country.

Her review was formally launched a year before that — in May 2021 — in response to exclusive reporting by Global News into allegations of sexual misconduct among the highest ranks of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Global News first brought to light in February 2021 allegations of sexual misconduct against senior leaders — the first of dozens of exclusive reports into such allegations and the military’s handling of them over the past 18 months.

Therrien’s appointment met one of Arbour’s recommendations for an external monitor who will report every six months on the military’s progress toward rooting out sexual misconduct.

In her inaugural report Wednesday, Therrien said a strategic plan would help prioritize legislative changes the military would need to propose to Parliament in order to implement some of the recommendations.

For example, she noted legislation would be needed to institute a probationary period that would allow “a more fulsome assessment” of military candidates who exhibit unacceptable behaviour and may need to be removed from military colleges. Until that happens, Therrien said the CAF plans to use interim mechanisms, including “irregular enrollment,” to expedite early releases.

Despite those warnings, government and military officials highlighted the “significant progress” made so far in response to the report.

“As I meet with members of the CAF across Canada and around the world, I see their clear desire to advance meaningful culture change,” Defence Minister Anita Anand said in a statement. “Together, we must continue to make progress, because failure is not an option.”

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre did not acknowledge Therrien’s call for a strategic plan in a statement announcing the release of her report.

“We have seen great momentum toward cultural growth within our institution, and we must continue to be seized by the need to have a workplace where everyone feels valued, protected, and able to apply their full range of talents, their diverse perspectives, and their authentic selves to be able to fully contribute to mission success,” he said.

The report comes after Anand and the military last week announced progress on two major recommendations: the transfer of sexual misconduct criminal investigations from military to civilian police, and legal supports for victims.

On Thursday, officials said they had fulfilled one recommendation by renaming the sexual misconduct response centre to the sexual misconduct support and resource centre.

The centre has launched a new fund to help victims of sexual misconduct with legal fees incurred during criminal proceedings or for four hours’ worth of legal advice. The fund would be available to military members and people who say they faced misconduct perpetrated by a military member.

The military on Friday said military police have referred 93 cases of criminal sexual offences to civilian police forces since December 2021, 64 of which are under investigation.

Therrien noted there are agreements in place with the RCMP, Sûreté du Quebec and now the Ontario Provincial Police to refer cases to police for investigation, along with other civilian police forces.

The report found progress has been made in several areas, particularly around changing the culture at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School, which provides basic training to military members as well as senior leadership training. Instructor screening has been improved and courses have been redesigned to “support a more robust learning” of values and ethics surrounding sexual misconduct and harassment, it said.

An external review panel for military colleges is expected to be in place by June, the report said. In the meantime, the exit survey for graduating cadets has been changed to capture attitudes on sexual misconduct. A review is underway to determine how to improve screening for recruits.

And an external auditor is being contracted to review administrative files that recommend members’ expulsion for sexual misconduct — many of which Therrien says have been ignored in the past.

She said she expects to report “significant progress” on that issue in October when her next update is due.

— with files from The Canadian Press

Global News

by Dragonforce Wed 31 May 2023, 11:30 am

Anand says ‘100%’ of military sex offences being handled by civilian courts

By Sean Previl Global News
Posted May 30, 2023

Canada’s defence minister says 100 per cent of charges of Criminal Code sexual offences are now being handled by the civilian justice system, with no new cases being adjudicated by the military.

In a statement released Tuesday, Anita Anand said the update came following the recommendation by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour to transfer the prosecution and investigation of Criminal Code sexual offences from the military justice system to the civilian justice system.

Earlier this month, the Canadian Armed Forces said that as of May 8, 2023, of the 190 cases reported to the military police there have been 93 referred to federal, provincial, and municipal police services. Of these, 64 have been accepted and 29 have been declined.

“Various reasons exist as to why 97 cases were not referred which include allegations that occurred outside the country, cases where the victim does not want to proceed with a police investigation and cases where the victim prefers an MP [military police] investigation,” the military said at the time.
“For example, of those cases not referred, 20 reflect cases whereby the victim preferred an MP [military police] investigation.
Global News first began reporting in February 2021 into allegations of sexual misconduct against senior military leaders, which spurred months of intense national scrutiny and what experts called a “crisis” for the Canadian Forces.

Arbour was brought on as a result of that reporting to launch an independent review into how to fix the culture of the military, and issued her interim recommendation to transfer all cases to the civilian system in fall 2021.

In May 2022, she tabled her full report, a scathing indictment of a “broken system” that was out of sync with Canadian societal values, adding it poses a “liability” to the country.

Among her recommendations were major reforms to the military colleges where future leaders are trained, and the minister said Tuesday members of a review board probing the colleges would soon be announced.

“We have also implemented screening measures during the pre- and post-recruitment phases, such as new and refined screening and interview questions, tattoo screening, and use of enrollment release processes,” Anand wrote of the changes to the military screening process.

Earlier this month, external monitor Jocelyne Therrien released her first report on the military’s response to the Arbour report, in which she said while progress was being made there was still no “overall strategic plan” to change its culture.

Therrien concluded a “significant level of tangible activity” had been taken within the military on many of the Arbour report’s 48 recommendations, but an overarching plan to manage those changes was needed to ensure reform occurs “in a timely manner.”

The military is struggling to recruit new members — a separate external review last spring warned that the current culture is “repulsing” potential recruits.

But despite the warnings, government and military officials highlighted the progress made so far, something Anand again stressed on Tuesday in her statement.

“Over the past year, we have made progress – and we are continuing to work hard on this mission every day,” she wrote. “Progress is necessary and achievable.”

Global News

by Kingway Fri 02 Jun 2023, 11:32 am

Ottawa lacks an 'overall strategic plan' to tackle military sexual misconduct, report says

Ashley Burke · CBC News · Posted: Jun 02, 2023

Sexual Assault / Misconduct - Page 24 Military-misconduct-20220530

CBC News

by **Diesel** Tue 08 Aug 2023, 4:54 pm

Former head of military HR pleads not guilty to sex offences

CBC News · Posted: Aug 08, 2023

Sexual Assault / Misconduct - Page 24 Military-women-20200305

CBC News

by **Oliver** Mon 14 Aug 2023, 12:48 pm

Sexual assault trial set to begin for military’s former head of HR

By Staff . The Canadian Press
Posted August 14, 2023

A sexual assault trial for the military’s former head of human resources is expected to hear from its first witness in an Ottawa court on Monday.

Vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson has pleaded not guilty to one count of indecent acts and one count of sexual assault in an incident that allegedly happened in 1991.

He stepped down as head of military personnel command in March 2021 after CBC reported that a former Armed Forces member had accused him of rape.

The complainant is expected to testify in the case, which was delayed last week.

Edmundson was one of several high-profile military members to be accused of sexual misconduct in early 2021, kicking off a crisis that led to an external investigation of the Armed Forces.

The case is being heard in the Ontario Court of Justice, which is in line with the government’s policy to have civilian authorities take over such cases.

That change was recommended by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour, who wrote a report calling for sweeping changes to the military’s culture including removing the military’s jurisdiction over sexual assault cases and other related crimes.

The defence minister directed the military to follow that recommendation back in November 2021, but there have been issues in getting police forces and provinces to agree to handle the extra cases.

In May, the military said it had referred 93 cases of criminal sexual offences to civilian police since December 2021, and 64 of those cases were under investigation. Another 97 cases were not transferred.

Former defence minister Anita Anand said a federal-provincial-territorial committee was set up in the spring to facilitate discussions about referrals, and deals were in place with a number of police forces including the RCMP and Ontario Provincial Police.

Some cases – including some of the high-profile allegations that led to the Arbour report – are being handled by the military for a variety of reasons.

That includes a case involving Edmundson’s successor as head of the Military Personnel Command, Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan.

After his appointment to the job, Whelan came under investigation for sexual misconduct. Military police charged him in July 2022 with two counts of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline, related to what they called an “inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.”

In a press release at the time, the Defence Department said the investigation did not find evidence to support Criminal Code charges in the case, so it was not passed along to civilian police.

Whelan is set to face a court martial on Aug. 24.

Global News