The Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Bill Blair, issued the following statement today regarding the External Monitor's third status report on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent External Comprehensive Review (IECR):
"Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are always there to keep Canada safe - and it is also our obligation to keep them safe from harassment and misconduct. The 48 recommendations provided by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour gave us a clear path forward on culture change in our institution - and the External Monitor, Madame Jocelyne Therrien, is keeping us accountable to that path. I welcome this third report and thank Madame Therrien for her work.
"We are making considerable progress to respond to these recommendations. To date, approximately 20 recommendations have been implemented, and we expect to have addressed all 48 recommendations by the end of next year.
"As Madame Therrien notes, in March I introduced legislation to amend the National Defence Act in response to Madame Arbour's Recommendation 5. Bill C-66 would definitively remove the CAF's jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute Criminal Code sexual offences committed in Canada, giving exclusive jurisdiction to civilian authorities to investigate and prosecute such offences committed in Canada. It would also implement key recommendations from former Supreme Court Justice Morris Fish in his review of the military justice system.
"We are also making progress on other key recommendations. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces can now take their complaints for sexual harassment, or for discrimination on the basis of sex, directly to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, in line with Recommendations 7 and 9.
"Furthermore, as Madame Arbour recommended, we are transforming the complaints system by making it easier for members to submit grievances, ensuring the system is more responsive, and moves faster. The digital grievance submission form, launched in February, is an important step to this end. Additionally, we recently implemented a process to clear the backlog of files in the grievance system, which has positioned us to finalize nearly 70% of these files in the coming months. In response to Recommendation 10, work also is underway to prioritize and fast-track grievances related to sexual misconduct, and we expect to implement new processes and service standards by the end of this year. Additionally, we are repealing the Duty to Report regulations, in accordance with Madame Arbour's Recommendation 11. I agree with Madame Therrien that the interim period of implementation needs to give way to permanent implementation - and to that end, the full repeal of these regulations is expected to come into effect this summer.
"We are also implementing Recommendation 20, and in that regard, I agree fully with Madame Therrien's statement that "there is a clear benefit to creating a probationary period." As we announced in Our North, Strong and Free, we will establish a probationary period to enable the faster enrolment of applicants, and timely removal of those who do not adhere to our requirements of conduct. We will also streamline the security clearance process to reduce the time it takes new recruits to move into their positions. Further, we are reviewing medical standards - and National Defence has also signed an Information Sharing Agreement with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to enable better access to information relating to Permanent Resident applicants.
"In response to Recommendation 29, I have appointed the Canadian Military College Review Board. The board is focused on reviewing the current quality of education, socialization, and military training at the colleges - as I have been clear that their culture needs to change significantly. Last October, we also launched an online database
