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Today, the Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Anita Anand, was joined by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour, as well as the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Wayne Eyre, and Deputy Minister of National Defence, Bill Matthews, to discuss the final report of the Independent External Comprehensive Review (IECR) of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, and to outline the Government’s immediate next steps with respect to the IECR’s recommendations.
May 30, 2022 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Today, the Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Anita Anand, was joined by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour, as well as the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Wayne Eyre, and Deputy Minister of National Defence, Bill Matthews, to discuss the final report of the Independent External Comprehensive Review (IECR) of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, and to outline the Government’s immediate next steps with respect to the IECR’s recommendations.
On May 20, 2021, Mme Arbour was engaged to conduct a review of policies, procedures, programs, practices, and culture within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Department of National Defence (DND).
The IECR was informed by submissions from 350 people, 4000 documents in response to requests for information, hundreds of interviews with stakeholders, Defence Team members and other government entities, and more. It outlines the causes of the continued presence of sexual harassment and misconduct in the CAF, and provides 48 recommendations that fall within eleven areas of focus that seek to prevent and/or eradicate sexual harassment and misconduct in the CAF. Those areas range from the CAF’s definitions of sexual misconduct and harassment, to the mandate and activities of the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre (SMRC) - including its independence and reporting structure - to issues around recruitment, military training and colleges, and internal and external oversight mechanisms.
The Minister thanked Mme. Arbour and the Independent External Comprehensive Review team for their dedication and professionalism in the delivery of this report, and confirmed that she accepts the IECR in its entirety. To this end, the Minister welcomed all 48 recommendations in the IECR, and announced that while work to implement 17 of them will begin immediately, DND/CAF will work to quickly analyze and provide the path forward for the remaining recommendations.
“The report released today charts our path forward and will serve as the basis on which we will deliver meaningful reform. We will continue to work every single day, alongside General Eyre and Deputy Minister Matthews, to do so. I thank Madame Arbour for her comprehensive and detailed report, which will form the cornerstone of our culture change efforts going forward – and I thank all members of the military and the Department of National Defence for their contributions to Madame Arbour’s efforts. The time for action is now, and together, we will deliver reforms that stand the test of time – to strengthen, grow, and improve this crucial institution.”
Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence
“Budgets 2021 and 2022 provided funds for a number of initiatives, including the expansion of services for the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre, engagement and consultation on culture change, and the modernization the military justice system, all of which are essential components to making change. While much has already been undertaken, there remains much to do and I know that the Defence Team will meet the challenge.”
Bryan May, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
“Every member of this Defence Team should have a work environment free from harassment and sexual misconduct. We know there is much more work to do to create this necessary culture change and strengthen accountability mechanisms, and we will keep working to get there.”
Bill Matthews, Deputy Minister of National Defence
•Since May 2021, Mme. Arbour and her team conducted an extensive review of the CAF recruitment, training, performance evaluation, posting, and promotion systems, as well as; the military justice system’s policies, procedures, and practices to respond to allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct; the SMRC mandate; external oversight and/or review mechanisms related to sexual misconduct; and, provided an assessment of the progress made in addressing the recommendations contained in the Deschamps Report.
Mme. Arbour’s External Review Team was contacted directly by 350 people; received more than 4000 documents in response to requests for information; received 70 written statements from stakeholders; conducted over 245 confidential interviews with stakeholders, and over 115 interviews with Defence Team members and other government entities; met with approximately 485 people at CAF learning institutions; conducted 12 focus groups; and met with hundreds of Defence Team members during their tour of select bases and wings across Canada.
This report builds on the recommendations made by former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, Morris J. Fish, in his report of the Third Independent Review of specified provisions of the National Defence Act and their operations, tabled in Parliament on June 1, 2021, as well as on the report on sexual misconduct and harassment in the CAF prepared by former Supreme Court Justice Marie Deschamps in 2015.
The DND/CAF has indexed more than 500 culture-related recommendations and tasks from 19 different sources, which include both reports where the DND/CAF are the recipient and DND/CAF reviews of reports from other defence departments, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, in a proactive effort to apply lessons learned from our allies. This centralizing of data will help in identifying trends, as well as with prioritization, and in developing a holistic approach to implementation.
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