M-517 Canadian Forces

That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) issue an apology to all those dismissed from, or otherwise forced to leave, the Canadian Forces on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity, whether or not a given dismissal was accompanied by specific reasons for discharge and whether or not it resulted in a formal record of dishonourable discharge; and (b) create a process for redress of discriminatory discharges, through the exercise of the Minister of National Defence’s powers under section 4(a) of the Ministerial Directives pertaining to the Ombudsman for National Defence and the Canadian Forces Military Ombudsman, in order to (i) direct the Ombudsman to conduct a full investigation into, and issue a report on, discharges of former members of the Canadian Forces on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, including discharges between 1967 and 1992 under Canadian Forces Administrative Order (CFAO) 19-20, Sexual Deviation - Investigation, Medical Investigation and Disposal, and dishonourable discharges in the years prior to CFAO 19-20, (ii) direct the Ombudsman to make recommendations to the Minister on how military records should, upon application by a former member of the Canadian Forces discharged on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity or by someone in their family, be corrected to reflect their honourable service, (iii) ensure that the Minister of National Defence’s written directions to the Ombudsman specify, in accordance with section 14(5) of the Ministerial Directives, that the investigation extend as far back in time as the Ombudsman can, with reasonable diligence, find evidence of discharge having occurred on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, (iv) give the Ombudsman full access to the historical documents and records relevant to an investigation, (v) implement the Ombudsman’s recommendations in a timely manner, including making widely known the mechanism by which former Canadian Forces members or their families may apply to have the member’s military record corrected.