Defense Minister Anita Anand will apologize on behalf of the federal government to those affected by sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defense, the department said Monday.
The apology will be streamed live on the Canadian military’s Facebook page on December 13 at 1 p.m.
Along with Anand, Defense Chief of Staff General Wayne Eyre will apologize on behalf of the military and Deputy Defense Minister Jody Thomas will apologize on behalf of his department.
All three said in a statement Monday that “there should be no place in our organization” for sexual assault, sexual harassment or discrimination.
“We know that our collective failure to build an inclusive work culture free from these unacceptable behaviors has hurt our people,” the statement said.
He described the apologies as “part of our efforts to restore relationships with the injured.”
The military has been rocked by a sexual misconduct crisis that has seen current and former leaders under investigation or facing charges.
Eyre’s predecessor, Admiral Art McDonald, went on leave in February when he faced a military police investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. In August it was announced that he would not face criminal or disciplinary charges, prompting McDonald to launch a campaign to get his job back.
The government fired McDonald from office last week and made Eyre his permanent replacement. McDonald’s predecessor, retired Gen. Jonathan Vance, has been charged with obstruction of justice following a military police investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior.
The apology will come just weeks after the claims period ended in the settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by survivors of sexual misconduct against the federal government.
Almost 19,000 complaints were filed prior to the November 24 deadline by current and former CAF members and DND employees.
The court-approved settlement provides for compensation of up to $ 155,000, changes to veterans and military affairs policies, and the option for survivors of sexual misconduct to participate in a restorative engagement, during which they can share their experiences with seniors. officials.
Although it was not part of the settlement agreement, the federal government had indicated in court that it would apologize.
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Reference-www.thestar.com