Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for raising this important issue.
I can assure the House that our government and the Canadian Armed Forces take the matter of sexual misconduct very seriously. Every member of the Canadian Armed Forces has the right to work in a harassment-free environment. Every member has the right to respect and dignity. The Minister of National Defence and the chief of defence staff have made this a priority.
As part of Operation Honour, the Canadian Armed Forces are working to ensure that all military members receive responsive, personalized support. We have urged commanders at all levels to be even more vigilant in identifying problems and working with victims of sexual misconduct or sexual assault.
In Canada's new defence policy, the government reiterated its commitment to instigate a positive and permanent change of culture. In all cases of alleged sexual misconduct involving soldiers, an investigation is launched to establish the facts, examine the evidence, and if necessary, lay the appropriate charges. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service has created 18 new military police investigator positions to facilitate the process. That team is mandated to ensure that victims are aware of the support services available to them.
That said, any and all sexual misconduct charges are the subject of a public inquiry, and that inquiry is led in such a way that protects victims, while also ensuring that the rights of the accused are respected.
In her question, my colleague talked about the difference between civil court and military court. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are subject to a stricter code of conduct than their civilian counterparts. For instance, a soldier can be charged with a sex offence that is not necessarily an offence under the Criminal Code, such as making inappropriate sexual comments.
My colleague also mentioned the conviction rate in military tribunals. From 2014 until March of this year, the Canadian Armed Forces prosecuted 18 cases of sexual misconduct. Ten of them resulted in guilty verdicts, which is a 56% conviction rate. Of those 10 cases, five involved sexual assault, and the other five involved other types of sexual misconduct. Those are the numbers the Judge Advocate General of the Canadian Armed Forces gave the Standing Committee on National Defence yesterday.
The efficiency of the military justice system cannot be measured solely by the number of convictions. Convictions under the Code of Service Discipline are not administrative consequences; they are guilty verdicts that can result in significant prison sentences and a criminal record.
In the military justice system, unlike in the civilian justice system, when there are allegations of sexual misconduct, an administrative review of the individual's career is carried out to determine whether the accused is still eligible to serve the country. Harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour is not tolerated. Since Operation Honour was launched, the Canadian Armed Forces have released 24 individuals found guilty of sexual offences. These results are in line with the objectives of Operation Honour, and we continue to monitor the situation to ensure that the positive cultural shift we have in our sights is happening.