OTTAWA -- The Canadian military spent 2021 grappling with sexual misconduct investigations of its highest ranking members, deepening the call for a complete internal culture shift.
The revolving door of senior officers stepping down or stepping aside has stirred up criticism not only of the leadership of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) but also of the federal government for not taking enough action to protect victims.
Former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour has been tasked with studying the culture crisis and putting forward 鈥渃oncrete recommendations鈥� about how to implement an independent reporting structure outside of the chain of command.
Arbour鈥檚 report is expected to be made public on May 30, 2022.
The inquiry is not unlike that led by former Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps in 2015. Deschamps found that there is an "underlying sexualized culture" in the CAF, widespread under-reporting because of a fear of negative repercussions, and ineffective processes to navigate sexual assault cases.
CTVNews.ca has put together a timeline of investigations of top officials launched by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) dating back to February of 2021.
So far, none of the allegations in any case have been tested or proven in court and all identified military personnel or their legal representatives, except Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan, who media haven鈥檛 been able to reach, have denied any wrongdoing.
UPDATE ON DEC. 5, 2022: Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, former head of the federal government's COVID-19 vaccine campaign, was acquitted after a judge found him not guilty of sexual assault over an allegation that dates back to 1988. The judge said he was not convinced without a reasonable doubt that Fortin was the accused in the case. Link to story
