Sexual Assault & Sexual Misconduct in the CF

[OldSolduer]

>Like I said, weak. Leaders issue clear, concise, and direct messages. That is strong direction.

NCOs have known and managed the jackass factor in young men since the appointment was invented.  Reminders don't need to be force-fed.

The Forces need to stop operating by PC rules and providing platforms for "experts" to sound off.  Continual application of common sense is the template solution for this, and other, problems.

Good point and I agree.

the CAF is not a place for sociologists etc to experiment. Our job is to kill those who would do us harm.

 

[Harrigan]

And those internment camps CAN'T be cheap, either ....

"Our Canadian friends tell us that virtually all Canadian military bases, especially those north of the 50th Parallel, are all set up with concentration camps. Not even half of these can be listed, but here are a few sites with the massive land space to handle any population:
Suffield CFB - just north of Medicine Hat, less than 60 miles from the USA.
Primrose Lake Air Range - 70 miles northeast of Edmonton.
Wainwright CFB - halfway between Medicine Hat and Primrose Lake.
Ft. Nelson - Northernmost point on the BC Railway line.
Ft. McPherson - Very cold territory ~ NW Territories.
Ft. Providence - Located on Great Slave Lake.
Halifax - Nova Scotia. Dept. of National Defense reserve....
And others. "

:

 

[medicineman]

"Our Canadian friends tell us that virtually all Canadian military bases, especially those north of the 50th Parallel, are all set up with concentration camps. Not even half of these can be listed, but here are a few sites with the massive land space to handle any population:
Suffield CFB - just north of Medicine Hat, less than 60 miles from the USA.
Primrose Lake Air Range - 70 miles northeast of Edmonton.
Wainwright CFB - halfway between Medicine Hat and Primrose Lake.
Ft. Nelson - Northernmost point on the BC Railway line.
Ft. McPherson - Very cold territory ~ NW Territories.
Ft. Providence - Located on Great Slave Lake.
Halifax - Nova Scotia. Dept. of National Defense reserve....
And others. "

:

Well, in their defense, some of those places were POW camps...and sometimes still feel like them to those incarcerated there for Battle School or Maple Resolve, etc.

MM

 

[OldSolduer]

"Our Canadian friends tell us that virtually all Canadian military bases, especially those north of the 50th Parallel, are all set up with concentration camps. Not even half of these can be listed, but here are a few sites with the massive land space to handle any population:
Suffield CFB - just north of Medicine Hat, less than 60 miles from the USA.
Primrose Lake Air Range - 70 miles northeast of Edmonton.
Wainwright CFB - halfway between Medicine Hat and Primrose Lake.
Ft. Nelson - Northernmost point on the BC Railway line.
Ft. McPherson - Very cold territory ~ NW Territories.
Ft. Providence - Located on Great Slave Lake.
Halifax - Nova Scotia. Dept. of National Defense reserve....
And others. "

:

Maybe a bit off topic? Just suggesting .....

 

[Harrigan]

I agree.  It was just a cut-and-paste of the Canadian bit of milnews.ca's link.  Perhaps there is a better place for that tangent (#crazy).....

Harrigan

 

[Sig_Des]

She's probably expecting that she'll be invited for tea and sticky buns with JV anytime soon.
MM

Having worked closely with him, I have no doubt that he would attend such a meeting well-prepared with research, identification of the problem, and eloquently describing a viable action plan.

I also have no doubt that no matter what he said, short of promising to lobotomize and chemically castrate every male member of the CAF, and placing women in every leadership position, she would not be satisfied and would immediately put out a statement that the male sexual domination of the CAF continues.

 

[medicineman]

Having worked closely with him, I have no doubt that he would attend such a meeting well-prepared with research, identification of the problem, and eloquently describing a viable action plan.

I also have no doubt that no matter what he said, short of promising to lobotomize and chemically castrate every male member of the CAF, and placing women in every leadership position, she would not be satisfied and would immediately put out a statement that the male sexual domination of the CAF continues.

I've had a few chats with him myself when he was my CO and I'd agree...though I think he's certainly smart enough to not get suckered into her vortex of "everyone has the right to my opinion" crap.

MM

 

[cupper]

Surprised this hasn't been posted yet.

Army chief orders mandatory briefings on sexual misconduct

Lt.-Gen. Marquis Hainse calls harassment a problem that 'erodes the foundation' of the army

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/army-chief-orders-mandatory-briefings-on-sexual-misconduct-1.3124190

The Canadian Army has ordered mandatory commanders' briefings aimed at preventing sexual misconduct for its 43,000 soldiers and civilian staff delivered at every base and in every one of more than 130 units across the country.

The commanding officer's briefings follow an extraordinary all-staff memo sent out May 15 by Army Commander Lt.-Gen. Marquis Hainse that urged officers at all levels to accept "collective responsibility" for the military's failures to prevent misconduct and to "be prepared to adopt a climate of change within our institution."

The army orders came about two weeks after the release of a shocking report on military sexual misconduct written by Marie Deschamps, a former Supreme Court justice.

Hainse's memo is a sign the army is not waiting for a formal response to the report, now being compiled by Maj.-Gen. Christine Whitecross, before taking action on Deschamps's findings.

Hainse said the briefings are a first step in recognizing and addressing sexual misconduct within the ranks.

"The findings of the report are certainly disappointing as we believed we had matured over the years in this crucial and sensitive area," Hainse wrote. 

"The idea that any member of this great institution, military or civilian, should have to defend themselves against any form of sexual behaviour is absolutely deplorable and unacceptable."

Deschamps found the Canadian Forces had a misogynistic and sexualized culture in which harassment and abuse were overlooked, underreported and poorly understood. The report made 10 recommendations, but Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Tom Lawson only accepted two of those recommendations outright.

Lawson's commitment to dealing with the problem also was questioned after he told CBC's Peter Mansbridge that "biological wiring" played a role in harassment and assault.

Lawson apologized and the government said the comments were unacceptable and inexplicable.

'Erodes foundation' of army

The army commander's note does not try to explain or minimize the problem in any way.

Instead, it ordered soldiers to immediately stop using language loaded with demeaning sexual references and directed officers and other military leaders to start taking seriously complaints of misconduct made to them.

"A key concern that strikes at one of the core values of the [Canadian Army] is the mistrust that the chain of command is not taking complaints seriously," Hainse wrote.

"It is a problem that erodes at the very foundation on which the [army] is built."

The army is the largest part of the Canadian Armed Forces, accounting for roughly half of the military's 90,000 regular, reserve and civilian staff.

The army's personnel manager, Col. Tim Young said Hainse's orders came out of a sense of disappointment that 20 years after the military first made efforts to seriously deal with sexual misconduct, the problem still exists.

"Soldiers work as a coherent team together," Young said, "and to actually look at soldiers having to defend themselves against each other because of sexual misconduct is absolutely unacceptable in the team work environment that we work in.  There's no place for it, no place whatsoever, and that was the key message from the commander."

 

[OldSolduer]

We got that direction not long after it was released.

No one took into consideration that the PRes stands down anywhere from end May - early June.

 

[McG]

Was today or yesterday not the deadline to have had these briefings complete?

 

[Ostrozac]

We got that direction not long after it was released.

No one took into consideration that the PRes stands down anywhere from end May - early June.

Yes, and not only are many reserve units stood down, but the Canadian Army is full of geographically dispersed units -- how exactly a Ranger Patrol Group CO was supposed to comply with that direction without spending millions on travel is beyond me.

Doesn't anybody wargame the outcomes before issuing orders anymore?

???

 

[cupper]

Doesn't anybody wargame the outcomes before issuing orders anymore?

Do you know how many millions that would cost? What bows and buttons would we need to give up for that?  >

 

[Brad Sallows]

>"be prepared to adopt a climate of change within our institution."

WTF does that even mean?  How about "be prepared to prevent and punish assault, harassment, and misconduct"?

Right now is an excellent time to restore accuracy, brevity, clarity, and relevance to military writing and instructions.  The audience is soldiers, not socially fashionable academics and grievance activists.

 

[OldSolduer]

:goodpost:

Well said. I'm in full agreement.

 

[PMedMoe]

>"be prepared to adopt a climate of change within our institution."

WTF does that even mean?

I find many of the "higher ups" to be politicians, or at least, a mouthpiece for politicians.

Even at presentations and such, there's bafflegab; a person speaks a lot but says very little.

 

[drbones]

I find many of the "higher ups" to be politicians, or at least, a mouthpiece for politicians.

Even at presentations and such, there's bafflegab; a person speaks a lot but says very little.

"When all is said and done, there is more said than done". A widely applicable quote from my COC.

 

[The Bread Guy]

The new CDS has spoken (alternate link if previous link doesn't work)....

Ours is a proud heritage of selfless service to Canada often under the most extreme conditions and for the most honourable of causes, the protection of our citizens and the security of our world. In so doing we assume enormous risks and many have made the ultimate sacrifice or have been left maimed and wounded. We face adversaries and danger every day, and there are many who would do us harm. It is therefore abhorrent to me that anyone would mistreat another by bringing harm or the fear of harm through assault or harassment. I lament the fact that there exist within our ranks those that would bully, degrade or assault others, especially another member of the CAF or a member of the Defence Team. Moreover, to attack the dignity of any member by sexual assault and harassment serves only to weaken our force when we need to be strong, and serves to make some feel less worthwhile when we know that everybody is important. Indeed, to treat each other well, to treat everybody with respect and honour is a military virtue and has always been a part of our culture. We must ensure it remains so.

I will not engage in any discussion or debate about the degree or severity of sexual misconduct in the CAF. It does not matter, for even a single incident is too many, and even unintentional harm or offense is unacceptable. This is a serious matter. Whether you are a leader, a subordinate or a peer, any form of harmful sexual behaviour undermines who we are, is a threat to morale, is a threat to operational readiness and is a threat to this institution. It stops now. Consider this my first order to all members of the CAF.

To those that have been the target of inappropriate sexual behaviour, the CAF will support you. We must ensure it does not happen again, and we will all respond to the need for change to ensure that respect and honour, cornerstones of our culture, are consistently upheld. I will lead you through this change.

I intend to see all of the recommendations stemming from the External Review on Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment (the Deschamps Report) implemented as rapidly and as effectively as possible. My senior leadership will be supported by the CAF Strategic Response Team on Sexual Misconduct in furthering all efforts associated with the implementation of these recommendations.

While I recognize commanders at all levels have already begun to take action, providing initial guidance to their organizations, I will sign a CDS Operation Order shortly that will direct our collective actions. I see this as an operation and have chosen the name Operation HONOUR. The CAF have never failed on operations in the past, and we shall not fail now.

I have summoned all the General and Flag Officers and my commanders at the formation level, along with their CWOs, to a one-day, single issue CDS Commanders’ Seminar in August to lay out the way ahead.

Although we rely heavily on the chain of command to direct and see to the execution of tasks, it is leadership at all rank levels that is at the core of our culture, it is leadership that makes us tick, it is leadership that inspires, it is leadership that protects, it is leadership that teaches and encourages and it is leadership that will eradicate sexual misconduct from within our ranks. It is the business of us all to make sure that everyone who dons the uniform or who supports us feels valued, respected, confident and motivated. Predators and bullies who act contrary to the betterment and wellbeing of any in our ranks are neither useful in operations nor in garrison and are not welcome in the CAF.

You will see changes and announcements in the near future that will herald a significant improvement in how the CAF deals with persons affected by sexual misconduct. In the interim, anyone needing immediate emergency assistance should call 911. I encourage anyone who feels harassed or is a victim of inappropriate sexual behaviour to reach out to your chain of command or the Canadian Forces Military Police. If you have been subject to, or witnessed, an incident of sexual misconduct, you can also report directly to the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service.

In many cases, the first point of contact for a CAF member who is experiencing problems is their primary care physician at their local CAF clinic. Medical professionals will offer the necessary help or will refer you to a more appropriate resource. CAF chaplains are also trained to listen without judgment and to provide spiritual support if desired.

CAF members may also access the Canadian Forces Member Assistance Program or CFMAP. CFMAP is a voluntary, confidential counselling service that provides short-term (1 to 8 hours) counselling services for those in need of assistance. The service is available 24/7, is provided free of charge, and can be accessed by calling 1-800-268-7708. As well, CAF members may contact the CAF/DND Ombudsman’s Office for assistance. The Ombudsman’s Office is a direct source of information, referral and education. You can contact them by calling 1-888-828-3626 or ombudsman-communications@forces.gc.ca.

A CAF member’s family can contact the Family Information Line (FIL) for any support they may need as a result of the unique nature of military life. The FIL is confidential, personal and bilingual, providing supportive counselling 24/7 and can connect a caller with helpful national and local resources, including the local Military Family Resource Centre. Numbers are 1-800-866-4546 (International) and 1-613-995-5234 (Collect calls).

We are professionals. We rely on one another to see us through any and all challenges. This is no different. Let us all work together under the banner of Leadership, Respect and Honour to eliminate sexual misconduct forever.

I am proud to be your new CDS together we will ensure respect and dignity for all.

General Jonathan Vance

- edited to add attachment, alternate link in case link doesn't work -

 

[Armymedic]

Remember how it was said, the CAF's public support was widespread, but only an inch deep.

Due to this issue, our support has dried up.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

You will note that General Vance's message has only one sentence longer than two lines, the one developing on the importance of leadership, and not a single complicated or nebulous "buzz-word".

Now that is communication!

 

[blackberet17]

Wha-bam. Now THAT was a message from the top.

No disrespect intended to the previous CDS and his message and video, but THIS message was succinct, to the point, hit the nail on the head with one swing. No prevarication. No nonsense.

Reminded me of LGen David Morrison, Chief of Australian Army, and his youtube video. Spine tingling.