Madam Speaker, during question period, I asked the Minister of National Defence a question about sexual assault in the military and how victims are treated, and unfortunately I did not receive the clear answer I was hoping for.
I would really like to know if everything is being done as it should for victims. The military justice system is very different from the civilian justice system. The fact that the conviction rate in the military system is much lower is something I find especially troubling.
When the Standing Committee on National Defence met this week with the judge advocate general of the Canadian Armed Forces, we were able to glean a few more details. The judge advocate general explained that since sexual assault is harder to prove, a decision is sometimes made to seek lesser charges that could, for example, be heard at summary trial, such as inappropriate conduct with a subordinate or other offences that do not actually exist in civilian law.
With a summary trial, the victim has less chance of being able to testify because this is a quicker type of trial. Essentially, the accused is escorted into the commander's office, there is a general discussion of what transpired, and sometimes the whole matter is wrapped up within half an hour. Sentencing happens, followed by a conviction. I wonder if the victim gets everything they need for the healing process. We know that in sexual assault cases quite often the ability to testify and taking the time to explain what happened is, for many women, a good first step on the path toward healing.
Unfortunately, if at a summary trial the charge of sexual assault is reduced to inappropriate conduct with a subordinate, that can be problematic for the victim.
I still do not know whether the forces have decided to improve the victim support process. What actually occurs on the ground? Are victims having to face their abusers every day and serve with them in the same unit, in the same division, for example? What are we actually doing for these women and men? Indeed, men are sadly also victims of sexual assault in the Canadian Armed Forces.
When these people decide to speak out, to file a complaint, do we really support them or do we simply try to close the book as quickly as possible by proceeding with a summary conviction and bringing lesser charges against the accused because those charges are easier to prove?
In the end, victims are left alone on the path to healing.
I would like to know more about what is actually being done to help victims. I do not just want to hear generalities that do not really answer the question. I sincerely hope that I will be given more information today because I think that victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment in our armed forces deserve better treatment and better answers.