In November 2021, Defence Minister Anita Anand’s first act was to announce the transfer of the investigation and prosecution of sexual misconduct cases from within the Canadian Forces to the civilian justice system.
What’s lacking, however, is a coherent national strategy to prevent, address and reset the culture of sexualized violence within the CAF. The true extent is likely under-reported given a recent study that indicates 80 per cent of sexual assaults go unreported.Ĭanada set aside close to $800 million in 2019 to settle class-action lawsuits by current and former military members involving sexual misconduct.
For perspective, a quarter of the women serving in the CAF say they’d reported sexual assault at least once during their military careers.