'We cannot change the past. But we will change the present and the future for the Canadian Armed Forces'
Defence Minister Anita Anand and other officials in Canada extended their apologies to victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and discrimination inside the Canada Armed Forces (CAF), vowing to move forward and create "fundamental changes" in the CAF governance. Anand said in a speech that "far too many members" of the CAF have suffered from such issues, which stem from misconduct and abuse of power that were not properly addressed by the successive governments.
"This is a failure that our Canadian Armed Forces, our department, and the Government of Canada, will always carry with us," she said. "I acknowledge that successive governments have not done nearly enough to stamp out this scourge. We are sorry. I am sorry."
General Wayne Eyre, chief of defence staff, also echoed a similar tone in his apology, where he said that such sexual misconducts have "no place" in their institution.
"You should expect to be safe from harm on your own base, wing, or ship — among others who wear the same uniform. But many of you suffered harm at the hands of your comrades in arms," he said.
"And today we offer – I offer – my most profound apologies. On behalf of an institution that has failed you, on behalf of those who didn't listen, on behalf of every person who took no action — we profoundly and sincerely apologise."
According to Eyre, the institution has "unfairly" placed the responsibility of those who suffered to come forward in order to make a change.
"This should not have been your burden to carry," he said, adding that the institution's failure to address the misconduct internally "robbed" many CAF members of their careers and the armed forces itself of potential talent who never signed up.
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Deputy Prime Minister Jody Thomas also extended her apologies to the victims while also sharing her experience in the Navy, where she said she witnessed misogyny, homophobia, hazing, exclusion, open contempt, and abuse of authority.
"When I reflect on my own service in the Navy, I struggle with my own decisions decades ago to simply ignore behaviour directed at me, and that was rooted in that misapplied sense of power," she said. "In truth, I think I was afraid that if I spoke up… if I complained… if I made a fuss …then I would not be allowed to participate, that women would be considered 'weak,' and that we couldn't take it.
"And so, I endured what was happening to me and around me hoping to prove that I was tough enough, and deserved to be there. I didn't understand at the time that such behaviour was not about me, but rather, about power, and the abuse of it."
According to Thomas, no person who experienced any kind of harassment and abuse should believe they are at fault or made to believe that they ate at fault.
"As leaders, collectively, we did not always consistently and adequately hold such persons to account. In some cases, we permitted them to move into a different job, to do different damage, and perpetuate the cycle of toxicity and harm elsewhere," she said.
"For this failure, I truly apologise."
Read more: Sexual harassment in the workplace is an 'epidemic,' says HR survey
Promise of change
The three officials vowed to make significant changes in the workplace and to make them the priority.
"Today, we pledge this: Things can change, they must change, and they will change," said Anand. "It is our most basic responsibility, our most important task, and my top, and absolute, priority. Change is underway. At all levels, people are working hard to create a more positive work environment that eliminates harmful and regressive aspects of our institutional culture."
Eyre said that a "change" in the culture must be made in order to bring back people's faith in the military.
"It will take tangible actions to make real and lasting change. This time we will not fail. This is my commitment to you," he said.
According to Eyre, while they will make mistakes moving forward, the armed forces will be "honest and transparent" about them to learn quickly.
"We all have a role to play. We know the real work is realising transformative change that runs deep — to our very foundations — and permeates our entire culture: our behaviours, our attitudes, and our beliefs," he said. "We cannot change the past. But we will change the present and the future for the Canadian Armed Forces. The will to do better, be better, is real.”
Thomas, meanwhile, said the Defence Team already has work underway to "propose fundamental changes to key elements of CAF systems, processes and governance." This includes preventing and addressing sexual misconduct and providing support to victims of them, according to deputy minister.
"As we move ahead, we commit that we will be more consultative, collaborative and transparent in terms of our approach, more conscious of our actions and the outcomes we are seeking," she said.
Their apologies came as part of the settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the government. It was filed by nearly 19,000 serving and retired members of the military and civilian defence workers, Al Jazeera reported.
According to the said report, there has also been 581 cases of sexual assault and 221 incidents of sexual harassment in the military since 2015.
