That's a very relevant question.
The main distinguishing feature, as you know, is that the military justice system is designed to promote the operational effectiveness of Canadian Forces, their members, by contributing to things such as the maintenance of discipline; the efficiency; the morale, which is very important to the Canadian Forces; and to contribute to respect for the law and the maintenance of a just and peaceful, safe society, both inside and outside the forces.
Canadian Forces members don't live in isolation. They live in communities across the country, but they also operate outside the country on deployed missions. It's important to have a military justice system separate from that of the civilian one because military personal are very often required to risk injury or death in the performance of their duties. They do so both inside and outside Canada. This system puts at a premium the necessity for discipline, for cohesion of military units, for individual members who may from time to time put themselves at risk. So the operational reality has specific implications, individual implications. I know there are members of this committee who have served in the forces who I think could speak to that passionately.
You, Mr. Norlock, have served as a police officer. You recognize that while on duty you are held in many cases to a higher standard than what would be expected of a civilian. This separate military justice system takes into consideration that higher standard and the requirement to maintain discipline and morale.