News
Legal
Sexual Harassment
Military members can now take sexual misconduct complaints to human rights commission
Reservist infantry candidates from the Intermediate Mortar Course practice their skill on the 81-mm mortar in the training area at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick. Photo: Cpl Genevieve Lapointe/Combat Camera Members of the military now have the option to bypass the Canadian Armed Forces grievance process and taking complaints of sexual misconduct, harassment or discrimination to a third party.
The military announced today that the independent Canadian Human Rights Commission will hear new and existing complaints.
Former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour recommended the change in her May 2022 report on sexual misconduct and toxic culture in the Armed Forces.
Defence Minister Bill Blair says the government will also stop filing objections to human-rights complaints on the basis that there is another process underway.
Before the changes were made, military members had to exhaust internal grievance processes before asking for an independent review of their case.
The commission says in a statement that it supports all the recommendations from Arbour’s report.
Print this page
