Thank you, Madam Chair.
I appreciate the opportunity to join the committee. I've been following its work closely as an associate member, as I'm substituting tonight.
I want to thank colleagues for the work they've done. This is not an easy issue to address. The recommendations I'm looking at here reflect the testimony all of you have heard over the past many weeks and leave an impression on me for a number of reasons. I have many constituents who are veterans. I've had the chance to get to know their families over the years. We have a large detachment of reservists in land forces, but also with a naval focus here in London.
Madam Chair, I want to read some of these recommendations and comment on their importance. I leave that with you and the committee as context that explains part of my interest in this.
There's obviously a national focus here with this issue as well, with the national debate that's taking place in civil-military relations and how we organize our military going forward.
I see that Ms. Vandenbeld read out the key recommendations from witnesses who appeared, but others will follow.
The key thing that stands out here is a desire to produce a collaborative, all-party-supported approach. A recommendation here is to proceed on addressing this issue through all-party legislation, all-party amendments and the tabling of white papers.
On issues like this I'm really happy to see that phrase “all-party” there. I think it speaks to the need for collaboration and working together.
In terms of removing barriers to reporting sexual violence and sexual misconduct, the first recommendation under this section suggests adjusting the design of existing structures and systems to adequately address barriers to reporting sexual violence, reflecting on past failures.
Let me just break that down, if I could. Existing structures and systems are always difficult to address, because they're so deeply entrenched. Typically, when you're trying to create change...as all of you will know, and I know there are varied career backgrounds on the committee.
I think Mr. Baker talked about his career in business. Madam Chair, I've worked on previous committees with Ms. Vandenbeld, who just spoke. I know she's worked on issues relating to democratization, international development, I believe, and civil-military relations, if I'm not mistaken.
I know Mr. Spengemann has worked with the United Nations, among other international organizations. I know opposition colleagues will have their own backgrounds. Forgive me, I don't know them as well, but I have a lot of respect for what they bring to the table too.
The point I'm making is that all of us know that when we're trying to push for change, existing structures and systems that are deeply entrenched, and as I said have existed for some time, are very difficult to change. Altering them is very hard to move forward, but when change is necessary, change is necessary.
The reality is that needs to be pushed. Of course that needs to move ahead with the memory and the lessons of past failures in mind. I think we need to continue to reflect on that in Canada. This is a truism. This remains with us.
If we're going to do the right thing by future generations, if we're going to create systems and structures that encourage young men and particularly young women to serve their country in the military, then I think that reflecting on those past failures is important.
Perhaps it's not surprising that witnesses would suggest that, but I think every step forward has to be rooted in the fact that we learn from our past. I'm tempted here even to quote the historian Santayana who said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it". Certainly we have a lot to learn in Canada.
The second recommendation under this category.... Again, the recommendations I'm speaking to relate to the overall goal of removing barriers to reporting sexual violence and sexual misconduct. In this recommendation, there is a need to reaffirm the sexual violence survivors' control over the reporting process by changing the duty to report to the duty to respond, as mandatory reporting places a problematic strain on victims and survivors, with the possibility to request a case to be handled by civilian authorities and the ability to access their rights and see the failure to provide them with their rights handled in a serious and transparent manner.
The recommendations also suggest the need to create a new independent reporting mechanisms for survivors, including anonymous reporting similar to how flight safety reports can be anonymous, and, when reported, to ensure that this anonymous information is used to help fix broad systemic issues such as problematic reporting processes.
There's a lot there, Madam Chair and colleagues, as you will certainly have seen. What stands out for me is the call to create a new independent reporting mechanism, with emphasis on the word “independent” for obvious reasons. In following the committee's work I've also followed media commentary on this, and the need for independence continues to come up. I'm very interested to see that recommendation.
Furthermore, there is a call for establishing professional, highly trained external investigative bodies with legal expertise in victims' rights and sexual violence, to do two things: to examine allegations of sexual misconduct where a corroboration of witness accounts is not available; and to rereview, with inputs from the SM victims, all existing sexual misconduct reports and assess the timeliness, compassion and freedom from bias, unconscious bias included. There is also a recommendation to analyze the design principles of sexual violence reporting systems, including the discretion given to examining bodies, whether they shall or may conduct investigations once a report has been received.
Again, I suppose it makes sense that this recommendation follows from the one that I focused on earlier, because while independence was the focus there, here we have a call for a highly trained external investigative body. I see how these two recommendations, while not the same, certainly complement one another very well. The call for legal expertise on victims' rights and sexual violence offers another check and balance to the whole issue, and I'm really interested to see that. I think that's very positive.
Number four is dedicated money for full integration and inclusion of women into all traditional male roles. Number five is ensuring that military justice reform is done in collaboration with external legal experts in victims' rights and military victims with recent lived experience with the military justice system, and that includes victim-centric decision-making and supporting victim-informed choices of civil military systems.
It's really intriguing to me that “victim-centric” is given emphasis. It's very welcomed. If we're going to learn from our past, part of that must include taking into account the past experiences that victims have faced, as a way of creating better systems and structures. This is how we create meaningful reform. This is how we move forward in a positive way. This is how we mitigate, as much as possible, the chance for things to happen again that should never have happened in the first place.
Number six calls for provision of an external, independent monitoring system, which takes various forms. There's (a) through (d), if committee members are reviewing this. I think this is important, so I'll read it into the record.
Number one is to provide strategic review to look at formal and informal processes, handling of internal and external SM processes and related processes, such as abuse of power, restorative process, individual and systemic discrimination, reprisal, workplace accommodation, administrative reviews, victim and accused protection from reprisal, confidentiality, recourse and feedback mechanisms and data tracking, and priorities management from beginning to end with meaningful consultation with external legal experts in victims' rights in Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces and veterans victims and others with lived experience related with these matters.
There's a lot to this particular call in 6(a). The fact that we've heard a call here for those with lived experience to express themselves and for those experiences to therefore find expression in the overall approach that is taken, I think is truly an important thing.
In 6(b) it says, in collaboration with experts in culture change and victims and others with lived experience related to SM in the CAF, build a comprehensive plan for systemic cultural change that includes measurable standards with timelines and transparent external reporting and accountability mechanisms.
Two things stand out for me, colleagues. There is the call, certainly, for systemic cultural change, which Mr. Baker earlier spoke about very eloquently, based on his experience in something very different, business. I think he made the point that when you're pushing for systemic change, it's difficult. It's one thing to commit to it, but you also have to commit to the follow-up. Hence, it makes very good sense that there is a call here for measurable standards, external reporting and accountability. I think that is something that really acts as another—I used the phrase before—“check and balance”, and I think it's appropriate.
Finally, well not finally, but close to finally here, number 13 calls for consolidating reporting structure processing information, and then, collecting, analyzing and reporting on sexual misconduct, formal and informal, and reporting data, facts and figures to enable better organizational understanding, response and accountability. I think the point is made there, and I don't have to elaborate on that one.
There is another section, and I'll continue here with recommendations.
The section is on bolstering existing services and support structures. The recommendation here is to track, adjust, adapt and provide relevant structures and systems that adequately and accurately reflect the reality and needs of all SM victims and properly care and support sexual survivors to increase the likelihood of retention or facilitate the transition out of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Number 15 recommends setting out to improve the experience of sexual violence survivors who utilize the existing CAF sexual violence support structures, following a confidential and publicly available user experience-style satisfaction approach and to provide an anonymized public and transparent results of these feedbacks and remedial measures.
Number 19 recommends improving and documenting informal reporting processes and procedures for amicable situation resolutions at low organizational levels.
Number 20 recommends addressing Operation Honour's culmination through a transition to a deliberate plan that addresses existing identified shortfalls.
Number 21 recommends adjusting Operation Honour's frame of reference to address sexual misconduct in the long term as well as the short term.
Number 22 recommends the bolstering of existing medical supports for women, as well as an increase in the spectrum of care provided such as introducing bereavement leave for miscarriages.
That's something that stands out for me, Madam Chair. I remember having a conversation—this goes back a few years—where something along these lines was recommended to me in a meeting that I had with a constituent. I think it speaks to a compassionate approach. I wasn't obviously participating in the meeting where it was suggested by a witness or a group of witnesses—I'm not sure—but I think something like this recommendation going forward would be quite appropriate, on a purely compassionate basis.
I wonder what the experience of other countries is. I'm not sure. I'd have to go back to the blues and read what the committee heard in terms of how other countries have sought to put in place similar recommendations and what that has done to morale. Certainly you'd want to do something like this because it is, in the abstract, the morally right thing to do.
When you have these sorts of supports in place, I'm sure it adds to the overall morale in the forces. I'd be very interested to see, if something like this were to go ahead, what that would do to the issue I just mentioned.
Recommendation number 13, which I've already spoken to, is to proceed on addressing this issue through all-party legislation, all-party amendments and the tabling of white papers.
Before I turn it over to either Mr. Baker or Mr. Spengemann, number 14 recommends refraining from creating more independent bodies and enhancing bureaucracy. Certainly, there's a need for oversight. The public service has an enormous role to play. I get where this recommendation is coming from, if I understand it. Layer upon layer of bureaucracy is not the way to address problems. There is a need to make sure that there are monitoring mechanisms and the like, but sometimes that does not happen. Bureaucracy is stacked layer upon layer, and you have agencies and organizations that even work at cross-purposes.
I'm not sure what the committee found with respect to that issue, but just understanding how other countries have sought to address these sorts of problems and challenges, I think the call to have independent bodies.... Overdoing bureaucracy, which is what I take from this recommendation, if I have understood it correctly, can have an effect that is not desired.
Madam Chair, I'll turn it over to another colleague. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share thoughts on the issue. I very sincerely wish colleagues nothing but the best with respect to the issues discussed.
On a personal level, and this extends to the entire committee, including the analysts who worked on this, and you, Mr. Clerk, I hope your families are healthy and safe.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight.
