New minister takes helm as Canadian military engulfed by sexual misconduct
For nearly a year, Canada’s military has been engulfed in crisis, as one senior officer after another has come under investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct or cover-up.
So far, seven generals have been implicated in the snowballing scandal, which has undermined both public trust in the institution and morale within the ranks – and highlighted a lack of transparency over how the military handles allegations of sexual assault.
On Tuesday, the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, removed the defence minister, Harjit Sajjan, during a cabinet unveiling, replacing him with Anita Anand, the former procurement minister. Sajjan had served as defence minister for six years, but his tenure was marred by criticism that his office failed to fully address sexual harassment in the military.
The scandal erupted in February when the former chief of defence staff Jonathan Vance was accused of sexual misconduct.
Vance was later charged with obstruction of justice, but not sexual misconduct. But soon after, his replacement – an admiral who had pledged to stamp out sexual assault in the armed forces – was investigated by military police.
Then, in October, Maj Gen Peter Dawe was dropped from a review of the military’s response to sexual misconduct after it emerged that he had once provided a character reference for a soldier convicted of sexual assault.
And last week, Lt Gen Steven Whelan – who a replaced senior officer accused of sexual assault – was himself put under investigation for sexual misconduct. Whelan was only relieved from his post after reporting by the Globe and Mail sparked outcry.
“We’re dealing with an institution where trust is the main commodity for the institution to function. Investigations against some of the most senior leadership can seriously impact that trust,” said Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute who specializes in leadership and gender integration in the military.
The fact that the allegations are all historical means complainants have shown greater willingness to come forward, said Leah West, a professor of international relations at Carleton University. But the challenge now facing the military is to balance transparency with the ability to thoroughly investigate the accusations.
“The Canadian forces got itself into this mess by turning a blind eye for so long. These historical sexual assault complaints never get investigated. That’s the root of the problem,” said West, also a combat veteran.
In recent years, the military has publicly acknowledged both a culture that bred abuse and assault, and a longstanding failure to root it out.
“Highly sexual behaviour, largely targeting women for the purpose of amusement, was just so routine and regularized, that first it wasn’t even identified as problematic,” said West, herself a survivor of sexual assault in the military. “And if you did raise the issue as problematic, you were very likely told that you were being too sensitive.”
West remains cautiously optimistic that institutional change is possible, in part because that work is being led by mid-level leadership – where women now occupy a number of key roles.
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