The hotly anticipated independent review probing how best to address sexual misconduct in the Canadian Forces is expected to land next month, says Defence Minister Anita Anand.
During testimony before the Senate national security committee on Monday, Anand said the final report by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour into possibilities to create an independent reporting system for military sexual misconduct is expected in her hands on May 20.
“In terms of my expectations, I have been meeting regularly with Mme. Arbour and I know that her process has been very thorough,” Anand told the committee.
Under the wording of the review mandate, Anand will have 10 days from the date that the report is delivered to her to make it public.
Over the past year, an ongoing investigation and series of exclusive reports from Global News have sparked a national reckoning over allegations of sexual misconduct against senior leaders in the military.
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In the wake of the first report published on Feb. 2, 2021, former defence minister Harjit Sajjan announced an independent, external review into what experts have described as a “crisis” of military sexual misconduct.
He appointed Arbour to lead that review in late April 2021.
Arbour was tasked with providing recommendations for the creation of an independent reporting system for military sexual misconduct — one that is outside the military chain of command.
Victims and survivors have for years warned that they often face reprisals from military superiors for coming forward with allegations of harassment and misconduct.
In 2015, former Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps said in her landmark report into the issue that those in the chain of command are often incentivized to sweep allegations under the rug.
Deschamps called the culture towards women and LGBTQ members “toxic” and “hostile.”
But seven years later, the military is still working to address aspects of the same problems.
Twin parliamentary committees launched in the wake of Global News reporting heard repeatedly that abuse of power is a central part of military sexual misconduct, and that conflicts of interest in the military justice system too often allow misconduct to go unpunished.
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