(Ottawa) Defense Minister Anita Anand says she is already preparing the military to act swiftly on the recommendations of retired Supreme Court Judge Louise Arbor to eliminate sexual misconduct in the Forces – this which could happen as early as next spring.
These preparations include laying the groundwork for an “independent monitoring mechanism”, as victims and experts have long been calling for, even though the minister warns that she will not make final decisions until she has finished. not read M’s final reportme Arbor.
“I am very open to suggestions from Mr.me Arbor if they were to go in that direction, ”the new Minister of National Defense said this week in an exclusive interview with The Canadian Press. “I am not going to implement such a process until I hear it. But I am certainly working to prepare the ground to ensure that there is some kind of independent accountability mechanism or body that can accommodate complaints from survivors and complainants. ”
The Liberal government asked ex-Justice Arbor in April to conduct an independent review of the military’s handling of cases of sexual assault, harassment and other misconduct, and to come up with a detailed plan to finally solve this problem, after several past failures.
This review was requested in response to explosive allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by several senior military officers. The Liberal government and the predecessor of Mme Anand, Harjit Sajjan, have also been criticized for their handling of the allegations against the highest ranking staff.
Mme Anand, who took up her new post in October, said she was in regular contact with the retired Supreme Court judge and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to ensure that ‘she gets the information and answers from the military that she needs to do her job. “We are awaiting its final report next spring and we will act as soon as possible”, assured Mr.me Anand.
An independent body
Few people question M’s qualificationsme Arbor, but the Liberals came under fire for commissioning that further review, after another retired Supreme Court justice, Marie Deschamps, conducted her own external investigation in 2014-2015.
Instead, opposition parties and other observers called on the government to implement Mr.me Deschamps: create an “independent accountability center” in matters of sexual harassment and sexual assault, outside the Armed Forces.
This center would be responsible for “receiving reports of inappropriate sexual behavior, carrying out prevention activities, coordinating and monitoring training, doing research, providing support to victims, monitoring accountability. , and act as a central authority for data collection, ”recommended Mr.me Deschamps in his final report, in March 2015.
Mme Anand, however, defended the approach taken by his government, noting that Mr.me Deschamps aimed to uncover the extent of the problems with sexual misconduct, while Mr.me Rather, Arbor should “pragmatically provide a roadmap on how to implement the reform.”
In an interview earlier this year, Mme Arbor had, moreover, painted a similar picture of the difference between Mme Deschamps and his.
To illustrate this point, Minister Anand recalls her decision last month to accept Mr.me Arbor for the military to hand over to civilian authorities, at least temporarily, the investigation and prosecution of military sexual assault cases.
Device resistance?
Mme Arbor has included a list of actions and considerations for this transition, the minister said. “I expect, and I hope that the final report of Mme Arbor will contain, with respect to all of its recommendations, a similar roadmap for implementation. ”
Mme Anand said that greater accountability is at the heart of her work as Minister of Defense, and that she is “fully aware of the benefits of an independent oversight or accountability mechanism”, given her past experience. as a lawyer and expert in corporate governance.
When asked how she would overcome any resistance within the military to necessary reforms, she highlights her work earlier this year leading the federal government’s efforts to procure COVID-19 vaccines.
At the same time, Mme Anand maintains that since her appointment to Defense she has sensed in her conversations with senior officers and junior military “a desire for change within the Canadian Armed Forces, a desire for reform.”
“In my opinion, so that we have armed forces capable of protecting Canada and of going into the world […] we need to have a force where the recruiting is strong, where members feel they can come in and be safe and protected while they do their jobs. ”