TORONTO (Reuters) -Canada’s defence minister on Tuesday agreed to remove the military from investigating and prosecuting alleged sexual offences in the armed forces to ensure trust in the probes, one of several recommendations made in an independent report this year.
Canada’s military has been under pressure in the face of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct in recent years, including some against high-ranking officers.
Previous promises of reform have fallen flat but “this time is different,” Defence Minister Anita Anand told reporters.
“We are here with a road map for progress.”
Anand presented a report in parliament on Tuesday vowing to move forward on all 48 recommendations former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour made in late May in response to the allegations.
Anand’s report, which also pledges a review of military colleges and their culture, set no time frame to implement key recommendations, and Anand said some will take years.
Her report said she expects the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces to remove themselves from investigating and prosecuting sexual offences.
She gave no time frame but her report said the military “must address potential issues” including cases taking place outside Canada.
In the past year the military has referred 57 sexual offence cases to civilian police, military officials told a briefing Monday. Civilian police declined to handle another 40 cases, officials said, citing reasons such as case complexity and jurisdictional issues.
“There are challenges ahead,” Anand said on implementing the recommendations. “Culture change will not happen overnight and it cannot happen from the top down. It will only succeed if it is a team effort.”
Speaking before a parliamentary committee on Tuesday, Arbour accused members of the military involved in investigating and prosecuting alleged sexual offences of “dragging their feet” on transferring files to civilian authorities.
“There’s nothing complicated about that,” she said. “The civilian jurisdiction already exists: It’s just a question of exercising it.”
Arbour said she was disappointed by how much of the report’s plans were for internal reviews and change, which she said miss her point and the need for the armed forces to open up to external scrutiny and input.
