Status of Women committee  I did not believe that the military court was truly independent. I didn't trust the military judge or that so-called jury made up of military men selected by the Canadian Armed Forces. I had read about military law and its interpretation of criminal acts. Military law is somewhat behind the times; it is not as advanced as criminal law.

Status of Women committee  Yes, absolutely.

Status of Women committee  Yes. It's because military men feel like they're under attack. They feel that they and their profession are the ones under attack. So they attack the person who is speaking out.

Status of Women committee  I was not kept up to date on the progress of my assault complaint with the military police, but I was hearing discussions in the hallway between my superior and his superior about my complaint and the details of what had happened. They were saying that it wouldn't go far. So I saw that my superiors knew about it.

Status of Women committee  Yes, like many others, General Vance had to be protected because he was seen as a rising star during his career and therefore a good move for the military. It wasn't in the interest of the Forces to cast him aside or investigate him due to an allegation of sexual misconduct or assault.

Status of Women committee  In my case, the process took as long as it did because the Canadian Armed Forces had been unwilling to lay criminal charges against my attacker. According to the military police and the military prosecutor, it wasn't a sexual assault, but simply what they called “transactions” that stopped as soon as I said no.

Status of Women committee  That was critical. That choice was not available at the outset, and when I was offered it in January 2020, I immediately said yes. From that point on, the defendant pleaded not guilty again, but there were other delays, including COVID-19. More than a year later, as we got closer to the cutoff date, he decided to plead guilty.

Status of Women committee  There are all sorts of consequences. They range from intimidation and psychological harassment in the workplace to payroll consequences. Personnel played around with my benefits again [Technical difficulties], for example, and deducted $5,000. After that, I was denied my annual leave, even though it had been approved for all other members of the regiment.

Status of Women committee  Yes, it would be important to have an organization or a team that is truly independent of the Forces to direct, support and assist victims and answer their questions. It would also be important to have adequate support in French. I personally noticed that it was very difficult to obtain resources for francophones.

Status of Women committee  I am going to try to choose my words carefully. As a francophone, I have experienced discrimination during my career. It happened especially when I was working in the regular force at Valcartier, even though the city is predominantly francophone. I experienced discrimination from a medical standpoint.

Status of Women committee  At the moment, victims are not speaking out because of the negative impact it has on their careers. We already have statistics on the release of defendants. However, not enough attention is paid to the number of women who are kicked out after reporting their attackers. Unfortunately, that's the problem: women know that if they speak out, their careers will be over.

Status of Women committee  Good question. I can only tell you that the body that would intervene and monitor this type of misconduct or assault shouldn't be headed or funded by the military. The military shouldn't be able to influence the judgments of this entity or the course of events.

Status of Women committee  I think that everyone should feel affected. Yes, you're right, whenever we talk about sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the military, we think that women and victims are the only ones affected. Often, men don't feel affected by the issue. They think that it's a women's issue.

Status of Women committee  Good morning. My name is Stéphanie Raymond. I was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces from 2001 to 2013. During my military career, I experienced more than one incident of sexual misconduct, including assaults. The last assault occurred in December 2011. I filed a complaint with the military police in January 2012.

Status of Women committee  I can't answer this question perfectly. I haven't been a member of the Canadian Armed Forces since 2013. I believe that Operation Honour has had some positive effects. However, it isn't aimed at the right target. It addresses the symptoms rather than the source of the issue.