Sexual misconduct has been a longstanding issue in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Reports of sexual misconduct in 2014 and 2015 led the CAF to commission an independent review of its procedures and programs related to sexual harassment and assault. The final report of the independent review made recommendations to change the culture in the CAF and to support survivors. Five years later, in early 2021, former and current members of the CAF made new allegations of sexual misconduct. This time, allegations were made against high-ranking officials in the CAF. This situation led the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women (the Committee) to conduct this study on sexual misconduct in the CAF. Following the Committee’s 2019 report, A Force for Change: Creating a Culture of Equality for Women in the Canadian Armed Forces, the goal of this study is to make recommendations to the Government of Canada that will accelerate culture change and support the elimination of sexual misconduct in the CAF so that all members benefit from a working environment that is safe and inclusive.

The Committee was informed by expert witnesses, including by survivors, that the working environment in the CAF is hierarchical, male-dominated, based on patriarchal gender norms and highly sexualized. These factors create a toxic work environment where incidents of sexual misconduct can occur and go unchecked. Changing the culture in the CAF and creating a safe, inclusive, and respectful working environment is urgent. To do so, the Committee heard that the CAF needs to:

• understand how its culture and systems promote sexual misconduct incidents;
• recognize the role senior leadership can play to foster change;
• provide improved training to its members;
• increase women’s representation and retention; and
• offer better supports for women and families.

Besides issues with the culture in the CAF, the Committee heard that there are problems with the reporting and investigation of sexual misconduct in the CAF. Survivors of sexual misconduct are not always comfortable coming forward and reporting the incidents. Also, many individuals who report incidents are not satisfied with the investigation processes. Some survivors told the Committee of their negative experiences reporting sexual misconduct to the Military Police because they felt as though they were criminals or because their complaints were not kept confidential. To improve the reporting systems and investigations of sexual misconduct incidents, the Committee learned that there is a need for survivor-centric and trauma-informed training for members of the CAF and employees of the Department of National Defence (DND). It is also essential to create an independent reporting structure to manage reports of sexual misconduct in the CAF. Finally, trauma-informed, gender-sensitive and survivor-centric services must be available for survivors of sexual misconduct in the CAF.

Further to the Committee’s 2019 report, A Force for Change: Creating a Culture of Equality for Women in the Canadian Armed Forces, this report makes recommendations to foster cultural change and to support survivors of sexual misconduct in the CAF. The recommendations provide guidance to the Government of Canada on measures that could be implemented to help eliminate sexual misconduct in the CAF and increase accountability.