Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Comité permanent des comptes publics

For immediate release

Ottawa, December 06, 2018 -

The Canadian Armed Forces took too long to resolve military justice cases, and the Office of the Judge Advocate General did not provide effective oversight of the military justice system, according to a report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts presented today by the Honorable Kevin Sorenson, Chair of the Committee.

In the spring of 2018, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada released a performance audit whose purpose was to determine whether the Canadian Armed Forces processed military justice cases in a timely manner, which included examining the duties of the Office of the Judge Advocate General. The audit found that in addition to delays in the handling of military justice cases, there were instances of inadequate communication between Military Police investigators and other parties, as well as many instances of commanding officers not informing the Director of Defence Counsel Services of the accused’s decision regarding representation in a timely manner.

In this report, the Committee has made nine recommendations to ensure National Defence addresses these matters, so that Canadians can have confidence in the military justice system. The brave women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces deserve it.