Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, provided an update on culture change reforms in the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Force (CAF) in response to the Final Report of Former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour's Independent External Comprehensive Review (IECR) of the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces. This update comes on the one-year anniversary of the former Minister of National Defence's Report to Parliament, which outlined the steps that the Government of Canada would take in response to all 48 of Madame Arbour's recommendations.
As the former Minister of National Defence directed in the Report to Parliament exactly one year ago, DND/CAF is taking action to address all 48 IECR recommendations. Minister Blair noted that substantial progress has been made over the past year, and that 19 of the IECR recommendations will be implemented by the end of 2023. This includes the ability to take complaints for sexual harassment and discrimination on the basis of sex directly to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, as well as the function and reports of the External Monitor.
Today, Minister Blair announced that DND/CAF is implementing recommendations 1 and 2, which require the revision of key terminology, starting with the abolition of the definition of "sexual misconduct" from policy.
In her report, Madame Arbour emphasized the importance of "proper, distinct definitions and processes for dealing with sexual harassment, as well as fraternization and adverse personal relationships." She noted that "sexual misconduct" as a broad term "lacks coherence and clarity," and in Recommendation 1, stated that the CAF should abolish the definition of "sexual misconduct." In Recommendation 2, Madame Arbour states that "sexual assault should be included as a standalone item," because including it under the "sexual misconduct" umbrella term has only caused confusion.
DND/CAF consulted with stakeholders to determine how to best address recommendations 1 and 2 before proceeding, and now is carrying out the work to address these recommendations. DND/CAF is abolishing the definition of "sexual misconduct" from policy. DND/CAF is also initiating the work to amend the definition of "sexual assault" as a stand-alone definition, referring to the Criminal Code of Canada in all relevant policy instruments to improve clarity and precision regarding prohibited conduct.
Since the release of the IECR report, we have made several other key advancements, including: initiating the repeal of duty to report; the Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre's (SMSRC) launch of the first phase of the Independent Legal Assistance Program and the Military Sexual Trauma Peer Support program; as well as, improvements to the selection process for leaders with character-based assessments, a civilian voting member on selection boards and a Conflict of Interest and Culture interview. Minister Blair also recently launched the Canadian Military Colleges Review Board.
