Independent oversight of military essential

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2021 (1572 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At his swearing-in ceremony six years ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked why having a cabinet with an equal number of men and women was important to him.

“Because it’s 2015,” Trudeau declared in a famously pointed response that made headlines around the world and lit up social media.

In 2021, the prime minister might want to keep that endorsement of equality in mind as he and his government grapple with mounting accusations of high-level sexual misconduct in Canada’s military.

It was ongoing investigations into sexual misconduct — a scandal that has engulfed Canada’s last two chiefs of defence staff — that prompted the country’s military ombudsman to publicly release a damning report last Tuesday.

In a scathing indictment, Gregory Lick demanded the ombudsman’s office be made truly independent — reporting directly to Parliament instead of the defence minister — so it can act effectively against misconduct of all kinds, including the allegations of sexual wrongdoing that have rocked the Canadian Forces.

Mr. Lick accused the office of National Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and the Department of National Defence of trying to “exert control” over investigations and ignoring recommendations for change.

The blunt language of Mr. Lick’s position paper — which he presented to the public before discussing it with Mr. Sajjan because “reporting through the minister on various issues like this has not resulted in any positive outcomes for our constituents in the past” — is proof the ombudsman is fed up.

“When leaders turn a blind eye to our recommendations and concerns in order to advance political interests and their own self-preservation or career advancement, it is the members of the defence community that suffer the consequences,” he said during in a virtual media briefing.

“It is clear that inaction is rewarded far more than action. In the four months since the most recent outbreak of multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, the actions of the minister of national defence, senior government and military officials have bitterly proved this point.”

Mr. Sajjan has been under almost constant fire since it was revealed he refused to look into an allegation of misconduct against retired general Jonathan Vance when the latter was Canada’s top soldier in 2018.

The defence minister has said he accepts the need for an independent body to handle sexual misconduct complaints, but has done little to implement that change other than order another review.

Mr. Sajjan was censured by the House of Commons earlier this month over his handling of the sexual misconduct file, among other issues. His inaction has led to repeated calls from the defence community and the political opposition for him to either resign or be fired.

The defence minister’s credibility took another blow last week following the revelation one of his military assistants was ordered suspended from the Vancouver Police Department three years ago for an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. The prime minister has repeatedly defended Mr. Sajjan in the face of calls for his resignation, but that position is becoming difficult to defend.

In the face of a national reckoning over misconduct in the highest ranks of the military, action is needed to ensure the ombudsman’s investigations are fair and free from political interference. Public trust in the military’s commanders and the defence minister have been eroded by a lack of action in dealing with a crisis that seems to grow worse by the day.

The prime minister should grant Mr. Lick’s request by making the military ombudsman’s office fully independent. If he wants to know why, the answer is obvious: “Because it’s 2021.”