Sexual Assault / Misconduct

by **Spider** Mon 16 Oct 2017, 1:26 pm

Canadian Forces recruit school instructor charged
with sex assault

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Oct 16, 2017

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/canadian-forces-recruit-school-instructor-charged-with-sex-assault

by **Spider** Mon 30 Oct 2017, 3:20 pm

http://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/senior-military-officer-charged-with-sexual-assault-eight-other-counts

by **Forcell** Wed 15 Nov 2017, 1:57 pm

Sgt. Vicky-Lynn Cox developed post-traumatic stress and is to be medically discharged from military in May

CBC News Posted: Nov 15, 2017

Sexual Assault / Misconduct Vicky-lynn-cox

Sexual Assault / Misconduct Vicky-lynn-cox

Sgt. Vicky-Lynn Cox is anticipating a medical discharge from the Canadian Armed Forces because of post-traumatic stress symptoms related to her experience of sexual harassment and assault inside military.

A soldier who stepped up in 2015 to report workplace sexual harassment and assault is preparing for a medical discharge from the military due to post-traumatic stress while the alleged perpetrators go undisciplined.

Sgt. Vicky-Lynn Cox began serving in the Canadian Forces in 1996. It was a matter of weeks before she was first victimized, she told CBC Radio's The Current with Anna Maria Tremonti.

"From that point on, I didn't really sleep soundly for the next 20 years," said Cox, who worked as an aircraft structural technician taking care of Canada's fleet of CF-18s.

Other incidents followed, which left Cox fearful of meeting the perpetrators in the workplace or, worse, coming under their command. Panic attacks and night terrors eventually drove her to medical professionals who diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder in spring 2015, she said.

But those professionals haven't been able to rescue her career. Military brass aren't giving Cox any more time to recover from the mental health symptoms she blames on the abuse, Cox said, and are planning for her medical discharge next May.

"They're losing a person that still believes in the Canadian Armed Forces values, and still wants to help, and is pretty much born to serve her country," Cox said.

Sexual Assault / Misconduct Vicky-lynn-cox

Sgt. Vicky-Lynn Cox received the Commander's Commendation for exceptional service as an instructor at the Special Metals Welding School in October 2016. She was the first female instructor at the school. 'I was really proud of that,' she said.

Soldier came forward in response to Operation Honour

This isn't the outcome Cox was hoping for when she made the difficult decision to report her experiences shortly after her diagnosis.

In the summer of 2015, Canada's top general Jonathan Vance issued an order to initiate "Operation Honour" to end sexual assault and harassment in the military.

He also vowed to implement all recommendations from a report by former Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps, who found that sexual misconduct was "endemic" and tolerated by the highest levels of leadership within the military.

"Operation Honour triggered me to come forward," said Cox, who had previously been loath to speak out for fear of jeopardizing the respect of her colleagues and the job she loved.

"It was all over the news, everyone kept talking about it. And that just sent me on a tailspin and I said 'I have to come forward. I just can't live with this anymore.'"

Victim pursues complaint alone

Two years later, while Cox battles mental illness, no charges have been laid and no punishment delivered to the three colleagues and one superior she has accused of sexual misconduct.

The military has not helped her navigate the process for pursuing her grievances, Cox said, despite the encouraging tone from the top.

She had hoped the office of the Forces' senior legal officer would provide assistance, but was told it was outside their mandate. At one point she said she was advised to find her own lawyer.

Cox also said she was originally told that none of her complaints would be pursued at all, so she responded by taking her concerns up the chain of command on her own.

Two of Cox's cases have been reopened. She said she also plans to keep fighting for the other cases to be investigated further.

'...She feels that we've let her down'

Operation Honour is supported by the Canadian Armed Forces' Strategic Response Team on Sexual Misconduct led by Rear Admiral Jennifer Bennett.

Speaking on CBC Radio's The Current, Bennett said she could not comment on the specific details of Cox's case, including why no one had been disciplined, but said "corroborating evidence and having a reasonable assurance when charges are laid that there will be a possibility of prosecution is a challenge in all sexual-based offence cases."

In the months since Cox made her reports, the military has taken new action on the sexual misconduct file, Bennett said. Sexual assault response teams have been added to the military police and new programs are being created to support victims in the process of reporting sexual misconduct.

"This is not a mission with an end date," Bennett said.

As for Cox's impending removal from the military, Bennett said it's possible her time on the job could be extended. Gen. Vance has directed those serving beneath him to better support soldiers who can no longer carry out the full range of expected duties for mental health or other reasons.

"We continue to review her file and many others in this same circumstance, to see...if they're not deployable, can they be employable," Bennett said.

"I can only imagine she feels that we've let her down and that she has more to contribute."

Former justice still hearing concerns

Marie Deschamps, the former Supreme Court justice who issued the scathing report in early 2015 about sexual misconduct said the military still has a long way to go.

"I still receive messages from victims who would like to see more changes, and that is why I say that more can be done," she said on CBC Radio's The Current.

The military has not implemented a key recommendation from her report, she said, which was the creation of an independent body to oversee complaints of sexual misconduct.

Incidents have triggered suicidal thoughts

Cox said the abuse by her colleagues has affected many areas of her life, including her relationships with her children and her husband, who is also a member of the Canadian Armed Forces.

At times, she said she's considered suicide, yet has still had to push hard for supports from the military. Those now include a psychiatrist, psychologist and a pain specialist to help with PTSD-related chronic pain.

"I had to put my foot down, dig my heels real deep and say 'You will help me. I'm not getting out until I'm better,'" Cox said.

Cox said she's getting better slowly, and she believes the military is too, but changing the culture for the benefit of future serving members will be a long effort.

"It's going to take more than just the leadership to implement this," Cox said. "It's going to take all of us."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-soldier-sexual-assault-harassment-operation-honour-1.4401383

by **Trooper** Fri 24 Nov 2017, 6:18 pm

It’s an initiative that has the potential to bring lasting change to UN peace operations, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says.

By BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH --- Ottawa Bureau
Fri., Nov. 24, 2017

Canada's efforts to encourage more women to participate in United Nations peace operations will help transform the nature of these operations, starting with the urgent need to curb sexual violence by the very soldiers sent to protect vulnerable populations, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said.

Freeland singled out that initiative Friday as the one that has the potential to bring lasting change to UN peace operations and how they interact with local populations.

“I think this is what UN peacekeeping really needs,” Freeland said during an appearance before the Toronto Star editorial board.

The Liberal government last month unveiled its long-awaited strategy to support United Nations peace missions.

The plan includes pledges to assist with training, a quick-response force to defend other UN troops who increasingly come under attack; and commitments to deploy transport aircraft and helicopters.

The Liberal plan had been more than a year in the making and yet offered no details of where Canadian forces might be deployed, frustrating some observers who were hoping to see a commitment to a specific UN operation.

Yet Freeland defended Canada’s approach, saying the government was seeking to find ways to transform UN operations over the long-term. “How do we go back to peacekeeping in a way that really makes a positive impact,” she said.

Simply contributing 600 troops to a UN peacekeeping force that already numbers some 100,000 worldwide “doesn’t move the dial,” she said.

“We frankly wanted to be more ambitious than that. We wanted to think about how we could make peacekeeping better,” Freeland said.

She said Canadians feel that “we are called to do a job to try and make the world a better place. . . . For me, peacekeeping is part of that.”

Speaking Friday, she singled out the initiatives to involve women in such operations. That includes the pledge of $6 million to UN funds already devoted to increasing female participation in peace missions. Ottawa will also provide $15 million to establish a separate trust to boost the deployment of women not just in greater numbers but in “meaningful” and more senior roles under what Ottawa calls the “Elsie initiative,” named after Elsie McGill, the first Canadian woman to design and oversee the production of aircraft during the Second World War.

It fits with what Freeland has called Canada’s feminist foreign agenda, a strategy she underscored earlier this month when she announced a package to help promote gender equality and the role of women in governance and peace and security.

She said more women in United Nations operations would help combat the problem of sexual abuse by UN troops.

That problem has rocked the UN and undermined the trust in the foreign troops who arrive to keep the peace and bring stability to trouble spots around the globe.

An AP investigation of U.N. missions during the past 12 years found nearly 2,000 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation.

Earlier this month, the UN reported 31 new allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation against peacekeepers and civilians working for UN agencies, according to a report by the AP.

“This is horrific. . . . I struggle to communicate how wrong it is, that UN peacekeepers who are there to protect people would actually prey upon them,” Freeland said.

“That terrible reality, I think threatens to discredit the whole idea of peacekeeping,” she said.

While many steps are needed to curb such abuse, a “key way to do it is to have women peacekeepers,” Freeland said.

“That is going to go a huge part of the way to fixing the problem,” she told the editorial board.

She said research has shown that local populations are more likely to report incidences of abuse and exploitation to a woman peacekeeper.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/11/23/more-women-on-un-operations-will-curb-sexual-abuse-foreign-minister-says.html

by **Trooper** Fri 24 Nov 2017, 6:24 pm

And that could be just the beginning as defence officials say they are still reviewing dozens of other cases.

By LEE BERTHIAUME --- The Canadian Press
Fri., Nov. 24, 2017

OTTAWA—More than two dozen service members have been kicked out of the Forces since Canada’s top military officer promised to take no prisoners when it came to sexual misconduct in the ranks.

And that could be just the beginning as defence officials say they are still reviewing dozens of other cases in which military personnel have been implicated in inappropriate sexual behaviour.

Chief of defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance warned Forces members last year that he would seek to remove anyone and everyone who is found to have acted inappropriately.

The move came amid frustration that some members were continuing to engage in such activity despite his unequivocal orders to cease and desist.

“I gave an order to every member of the Canadian Armed Forces that this behaviour had to stop,” Vance said in November 2016. “My orders were clear.”

Figures released to The Canadian Press by the Defence Department show that since the beginning of the year, 29 service members have been forced to leave the military as part of that crackdown.

Ten others have been allowed to stay, but have either been given a formal warning or are on probation or under orders to seek counselling. Four more escaped without any punishment due to a lack of evidence.

Another 83 cases are currently being reviewed by military officials in Ottawa — meaning the number of service members kicked out of uniform because of inappropriate behaviour is almost certain to rise.

It may come as a surprise to hear that some members are being allowed to stay in the Forces despite inappropriate behaviour, particularly given Vance’s hard-line stance.

Col. Lloyd MacKenzie, chief of staff for the Canadian Forces strategic response team on sexual misconduct, said those cases being reviewed include both criminal behaviour and arguably lesser offences such as sexual jokes.

“The release relate for those who have actually been found guilty in a service tribunal or civilian court is something like 98 per cent,” MacKenzie said. “But for those who have told a couple dirty jokes ... (the reviewers) look at a whole bunch of different things.”

Among the considerations are the nature of the behaviour, whether the person is a first-time or repeat offender, and if they have been in the Forces for a long time or hold a senior position.

“Where it’s not a repeat problem and there doesn’t seem to be other exacerbating circumstances,” MacKenzie said, “they’re the ones getting the recorded warnings, the counselling and probation.”

Military personnel reported 504 incidents of inappropriate sexual behaviour in the year between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017, National Defence has previously reported, with the majority involving jokes and language.

Vance took a hard line on inappropriate sexual behaviour in the Forces after a series of media reports several years ago that described the problem as chronic and endemic.

Those findings were supported by a damning report in 2015 by retired Supreme Court of Canada justice Marie Deschamps, who was recruited by the military to examine the extent of the problem.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/11/24/canadian-forces-kicked-out-29-service-members-in-2017-for-sexual-misconduct.html

by JAFO Fri 24 Nov 2017, 11:27 pm

As much as I think this is a great idea that's all it is an idea.

Note to Freeland, Trudeau, Sajin et all LEAD BY EXAMPLE and send more women of the CF on a UN mission instead of just throwing money at the idea.

Oh wait that's Canada's move now isn't it? Just throw money at it with strings attached of course.

by **Forcell** Tue 28 Nov 2017, 2:14 pm

Short-sighted commitments on women in peacekeeping

http://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/november-2017/short-sighted-commitments-on-women-in-peacekeeping/

by **Trooper** Wed 24 Jan 2018, 8:57 am

Paula MacDonald says emails show how she was treated when she complained

By Rachel Cave, CBC News --- Posted: Jan 24, 2018

Sexual Assault / Misconduct Paula-macdonald

Sexual Assault / Misconduct Paula-macdonald

Paula MacDonald says her complaints were dismissed by her superior officers.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-reservist-sexual-workplace-toxic-saint-john-barrack-green-armoury-1.4499241

by **Trooper** Mon 12 Mar 2018, 7:26 pm

Accused Master Seaman Daniel Cooper, right, arrives for his standing court martial case in Halifax on Tuesday Sept. 26, 2017.

Keith Doucette, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Published Monday, March 12, 2018

HALIFAX -- A military judge has found a Halifax-based sailor guilty of sexually assaulting a subordinate.

Military Judge Cmdr. Sandra Sukstorf found Master Seaman Daniel Cooper guilty of sexual assault and ill treatment of a subordinate on Monday.

Cooper had pleaded not guilty to the charges in relation to an incident aboard HMCS Athabaskan while the navy destroyer was visiting Spain in 2015.

Cooper took the stand in his own defence at his court martial last week and testified that the sexual activity was consensual, but the victim, whose name is protected by a publication ban, testified he awoke to the naval communicator at Canadian Forces Base Halifax performing oral sex on him.

Both sides agreed that Cooper's version of what took place in the sailors' sleeping quarters on the night in question cannot be reconciled with the victim's testimony, but they clashed over which account was more credible.

During closing arguments Saturday, Prosecutor Maj. Dominic Martin said Cooper and the junior sailor's accounts of the night of drinking before the alleged incident were "pretty compatible" up until when the sailors returned to their sleeping quarters on the navy destroyer, which was docked in Spain as part of a NATO exercise.

Under cross-examination Cooper maintained that he twice asked the junior sailor if he wanted to engage in sexual activity and the other man agreed.

He had previously testified that after a night of drinking, he and the junior sailor went back to their sleeping quarters, and as they were talking by the other man's locker, he noticed that he had become aroused.

Cooper said he asked the junior sailor if he wanted to become intimate and the other man agreed. He said he asked the other man again at his bunk before engaging in sexual activity.

During closing arguments, Martin asserted that Cooper fabricated the conversation near the locker in an effort to "absolve" himself of guilt.

Defence counsel Maj. Phillipe Boutin argued it was the victim's account that lacked credibility past "the point of no return."

Boutin said the victim testified that he could not remember many details during the period of time in question, especially those that may put him in a "bad light."

In previous testimony before the military court the victim said he feared for his safety and attempted to alert a crew member in the bunk below him -- but he said his pleas for help went unanswered.

The sailor from the lower bunk testified Friday that he remembered the victim attempting to wake him up on the morning in question.

The bunkmate said the two men then reported the incident to a superior.

The military has promised to crack down on sexual misconduct in the ranks since an April 2015 report by retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps found an "underlying sexual culture."

Military police received 193 reports of sexual assault in 2017, more than twice the 93 reported in 2014. There have also been more charges, with 44 in 2016 compared to 24 in 2014.

https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/military-judge-finds-halifax-based-sailor-guilty-of-sexual-assault-1.3838823

by **Trooper** Tue 13 Mar 2018, 7:02 am

By Kristen Everson, CBC News

Posted: Mar 13, 2018

Sexual Assault / Misconduct Canadian-military

Access to information documents show the military has identified significant gaps in how it supports victims of harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour.

Almost three years after the Canadian Forces launched a mission to root out sexual misconduct in its ranks, the military has identified critical flaws in how it supports victims of harassment and other forms of inappropriate behaviour — and has given itself a long list of fixes to address the problems.

Among other things, a Canadian Forces team tasked with stamping out sexual misconduct in the military is pointing to a lack of specialized support for male and LGBTQ+ victims, inconsistent support for victims throughout the Canadian Forces and the absence of a policy on medical release from the military for victims or harmful or inappropriate sexual behaviour.

Details about the gaps are laid out in draft briefing notes and a presentation written by the Canadian Forces Strategic Response Team on Sexual Misconduct in April and May of 2017. They were obtained by CBC News through the Access to Information Act.

Sexual Assault / Misconduct Cda-conference-20180223

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance launched Operation Honour in 2015 to stamp out inappropriate sexual misconduct across the Canadian Forces.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance has cited changing the culture around sexual misconduct in the Canadian Forces as one of the top priorities of his tenure. He launched the Forces' mission to identify and eliminate sexual misconduct, Operation Honour, in 2015.

- The Strategic Response Team did the analysis in 2016 with members from the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre.

- They found a number of gaps in the support offered to victims, including:

- inconsistent support for victims across the Canadian Forces

- no access to 24/7 specialized support

- no mechanism for medical release from the military for an incident involving harmful or inappropriate sexual behaviour

- no provision to continue services for victims after they leave the Canadian Forces, but before they become clients of Veterans Affairs

- no CAF-supported access to legal support services or assistant/practitioner accompaniment for victims

- no mechanism by which a member facing harmful or inappropriate sexual behaviour could complain to the chain of command without automatically triggering an investigation

- no specialized support for male and LGBTQ+ victims

- a lack of peer support groups in the Canadian Forces

Rear Admiral Jennifer Bennett, in charge of the Strategic Response Team, said a lot of progress has been made since the analysis was done and more is coming.

What's been done

Rear Admiral Bennett pointed to the establishment of the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre as part of the Canadian Forces' response. Last July, the centre introduced a 24/7 phone line members of the military can call to report sexual misconduct.

The military has a new app to connect Forces members to resources for victims and those trying to support them. Bennett said the centre and the phone line also provide members with more consistent access, even while deployed.

The Sexual Misconduct Response Centre is part of DND but it is independent from the chain of command. That independence, Bennett said, allows members to report incidents without automatically triggering investigations — something that wasn't possible when Operation Honour was launched.

What's in the works

Within weeks, Bennett said, the Canadian Forces will have a new policy allowing victims of harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour to forego medical release from the military until all of the legal processes linked to the case have been concluded.

"Because we know that it can be a very long process for the police investigation ... whether it's civilian or military," she said. "It may take a long time to trial and we want to make sure that they're (victims) well supported." And in some cases, she added, victims may want to stay in the forces and be considered for different posts.

The military is still about a year away, Bennett said, from introducing a new victim liaison assistant policy — which would provide victims with a single "point of contact that would assist a victim through every process until they no longer needed support."

The military is still consulting on the best way to deliver specialized support to male and LGBTQ+ victims of harmful or inappropriate sexual behaviour, she said.

What will not happen

One thing the military won't be introducing is a system of peer support groups.

"The research indicates that it's not a well-supported concept by practitioners, because the outcomes are not generally positive," Bennett said. Instead, the military is looking at group therapy or support group sessions.

Marie-Claude Gagnon runs an organization called "It's just 700" — an online support group for veterans and active service members who have experienced inappropriate or harmful sexual behaviour while serving. She said news of the Canadian Forces' list of planned reforms is "frustrating" because "we've been asking for these things for years."

She said she wants to see more support groups and more research to make sure people are satisfied with the services they are being offered.

"How do they know if people are happy with what they have if there is no follow-up?" she asked.

Gagnon said that while a dedicated phone line will be helpful, it won't follow up with victims. She warns that gaps in the Canadian Forces's support system risk making the harassment problem worse — that if others see victims being left without proper support, it will discourage them from reporting their own encounters with inappropriate behaviour.

"You cannot ask more women to be put into more danger without the proper care and preventative measures to prevent those risks," she said. "We do it for combat. Why can't we do it for sexual assaults and sexual violence?"

Bennett, meanwhile, said she understands the impatience, but insists the military is going as fast as it can.

"We've only been at this two and a half years."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/military-finds-multiple-gaps-in-support-for-victims-of-sexual-misconduct-1.4573315

by **Kizzer** Wed 11 Apr 2018, 9:52 am

Andreas Felipe Florian-Rodriguez has been fined $2,000 and issued a reprimand

The Canadian Press · Posted: Apr 09, 2018

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/ontario-reservist-pleads-guilty-pinning-woman-1.4611570

by Ringo Wed 18 Apr 2018, 11:59 am

Officer at Canadian Forces leadership school charged with sex assault, drunkenness

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN
Published on: April 18, 2018

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/officer-at-canadian-forces-leadership-school-charged-with-sex-assault-drunkenness

by Glideon Fri 20 Apr 2018, 9:15 am

Military women relate stories of rape, sex assaults and harassment

ANDREA GUNN - OTTAWA BUREAU
April 17, 2018

Sexual Assault / Misconduct B97788048Z.120180416180233000GU7KG11M.11

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1562667-military-women-relate-stories-of-rape-sex-assaults-and-harassment

by Xrayxservice Thu 26 Apr 2018, 2:12 pm

Alleged off-duty incident involved a civilian victim at Saskatoon armoury, say police and military

CBC News · Posted: Apr 26, 2018

Sexual Assault / Misconduct Saskatoon-police-service

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/veteran-saskatoon-police-officer-reservist-charged-sexual-assault-1.4636622

by Xrayxservice Fri 01 Jun 2018, 3:55 pm

A member of the Canadian Armed Forces has been charged with the assault of four people at its Winnipeg base.

By Lauren McNabb
May 31, 2018

https://globalnews.ca/news/4244743/winnipeg-based-armed-forces-member-charged-with-sexual-assault/

Sexual Assault / Misconduct

Sexual Assault / Misconduct

Senior military officer charged with sexual assault, eight other counts

Victim of sexual misconduct facing loss of military career

More women on UN operations will curb sexual abuse, foreign minister says

Canadian Forces kicked out 29 service members in 2017 for sexual misconduct

Re: Sexual Assault / Misconduct

Re: Sexual Assault / Misconduct

Complaints of toxic, sexualized workplace at Saint John armoury to be heard by tribunal

Military judge finds Halifax-based sailor guilty of sexual assault

Military finds multiple gaps in support for victims of sexual misconduct

Reservist pleads guilty to disgraceful conduct after restraining and groping woman

Officer at Canadian Forces leadership school charged

Military women relate stories of rape

Veteran Saskatoon police officer charged with sexual assault by Canadian military

Winnipeg-based armed forces member charged with sexual assault