Apologies issued to Defence Team members for sexual misconduct and discrimination

As part of the Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) efforts to reconcile with those affected by sexual misconduct and discrimination, a formal apology was released on Dec. 13.

The Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Anita Anand, has sworn that positive changes are coming to the Defence Team after she admitted the Canadian Government had failed its members regarding these issues.

“This is our most basic responsibility and our most important task and my top and absolute priority,” said Anand.

People are stepping up in the institution to create deep, meaningful change and ensure that everyone can work in an environment where they feel respected, protected and safe.

“For far too long, too many members of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Defence Team family have suffered harm, have lived in fear of reprisal for reporting that harm,” said the Chief of the Defence Staff General (Gen) Wayne Eyre. “As someone who has given my entire life to this institution and who loves it so deeply, it breaks my heart.”

He apologized for the trauma that occurred under his watch and for the lack of forward movement towards a solution. He admitted it was inexcusable, whether this harm occurred through naivety or ignorance.

Gen Eyre plans on working diligently to push the deep, transformational work needed to address the underlying cultural issues that contribute to sexual misconduct and other forms of harm.

There was a feeling of betrayal, which swept through Canadian society once the extent of the abuse surfaced, and this misconduct and abuse of power have led to a crisis of broken trust in the Defence Team, said Anand.

With each new announcement, public pride in the CAF has eroded.

Thousands of Canadians, soldiers, and members of DND and the Non-Public Funds (NPF) have been abused, traumatized, assaulted, faced discrimination, demeaned and harassed for decades. Until now, they found themselves with nowhere to turn.

“In too many cases, wilful disregard and entitled obliviousness have worsened the impact of harm,” said Deputy Minister of National Defence Jody Thomas. “This betrayal is all the more distressing in an organization such as ours where trust, honour and teamwork are fundamental to why and how we serve Canadians.”

Leadership has failed the survivors, sometimes moving the perpetrators to other locations to continue the circle of toxicity and harm elsewhere, she said.

“For this failure, I truly apologize,” she said

Thomas admitted to having witnessed misogyny, hazing, homophobia and abuse of authority to varying degrees, which was typically accepted through the guise of esprit-de-corps.

“When I reflect on my own service in the Navy, I struggle with my own decision made decades ago to ignore behaviour that is directed at me,” said Thomas.

“I knew that if I had complained, if I had made a fuss, then I wouldn’t have been allowed to participate, that women would have been considered weak, and we couldn’t take it,” she added. “So I endured what happened to me and around me hoping to prove that I was tough enough and deserved to be there like so many of my colleagues.”

In some cases, the failure to act appropriately created harm as powerful, if not more so than the incident itself, and survivors who have stepped forward have admitted feeling isolated and silenced.

“Countless lives have been harmed because of inaction and systematic failure,” said Anand. “This is a failure that our Canadian armed forces, our department and the Government of Canada will always carry with us.”

Anand readily admits not enough has been done to stamp out misconduct.

“I acknowledge the pain and trauma that so many have endured because the very institution charged with protecting and defending our country has not always protected and defended its own members,” she said, apologizing on behalf of the Canadian Government.

Gen Eyre has spent a long time reflecting on the institution and what can be done to create real, lasting change. He realized the Defence Team must work together so the people who have been accused and found responsible for causing harm will be treated based on the procedures of the law. They must also support survivors, act with empathy, listen to them, and react appropriately.

“Our relevance, our effectiveness as a military force, our continued value to Canada and Canadians depends on our success in acknowledging and ending harm,” said Gen Eyre. “I am convinced we can succeed. The day I stop believing this is the day I can no longer serve.”

He wants to take the positive elements of military culture, such as courage, traditions, idealism and being part of something bigger, and then remove the exclusionary aspects to become a better CAF. He ultimately wants to ensure a strong, resilient and adaptable military ready to confront an increasingly dangerous and unpredictable future.

“We cannot change the past, but we can change the present and the future of the Canadian Armed Forces,” said Gen Eyre.

There have been 18,960 total claims received by the CAF-DND Sexual Misconduct Class Action Settlement administrator.

The CAF concedes that the apology may evoke strong emotional responses. There is a list of available resources to support current and former members of the Defence Team online at www.canada.ca.