Thank you, Chair.
General Lawson, thanks to you and your team for being here.
I appreciate your coming before us today and, in particular, your statement acknowledging that, from the 2012 survey, there remains more to be done. What struck me in your comments today is that you talked about addressing the problem and about prevention and resolution. You even concluded by saying that you will be treating people with respect, reporting any alleged service offence, and supporting victims of misconduct.
But I think there is also the aspect of justice and punishment. I too am struck by the lack of a focus on ensuring that those who behave improperly, who sexually assault their comrades, are punished, and I do think the accent needs to be put on that. I say that because some people think that in an organization the idea of a “chill” is a bad thing, but in some circumstances it's a very good thing.
If people behave inappropriately, I'm wondering if perhaps you need more concrete policies when it comes to allegations in order to immediately separate people. That's one of the things that struck me both in your conversation and in the Maclean's report that I read. Policies are in place, but they don't necessarily send a signal to the rest of the unit, or the CAF, or the public, a signal that rings right through the organization that this behaviour, while we say it is “unacceptable”, will not be tolerated.
I'd like your comments on that, please, particularly on the aspect of punishing those people, not moving them, not trying to fix it, and not trying to talk through it, but actually dealing with it, which results not only in the individuals knowing that they're going to be punished, but in the rest of the unit and the organization itself knowing.