Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, provided an update on the implementation of external recommendations to advance meaningful culture change in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF).
Minister Blair announced today that in response to Recommendations 1 and 2 in former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour's Independent External Comprehensive Review (IECR), the CAF is issuing interim policy guidance to abolish the definition of "sexual misconduct" from its policies and to include sexual assault as a standalone definition, referring to the Criminal Code as the applicable law. In response to these recommendations, the term "sexual misconduct" will be replaced with three new terms:
- "conduct deficiencies of a sexual nature";
- "harassment of a sexual nature";
- "crimes of a sexual nature".
"Sexual assault" will also be included as a distinct definition in relevant policies. These changes will provide better coherence and clarity, reduce confusion, and better capture the range of inappropriate conduct.
Minister Blair also announced that the repeal of the Duty to Report regulations will come into effect on June 30, 2024, in response to Recommendation 11 of the IECR. Last summer, Minister Blair launched the process of repealing the Duty to Report regulations, after Madame Arbour found that they had created unintended negative consequences for survivors by taking away their agency and control in the reporting process. As Madame Arbour stated in the IECR, "the duty to report has not achieved its intended purpose and, worse, has served only to terrorize and re-victimize those it was meant to protect." By repealing the Duty to Report, the Government of Canada is prioritizing trust and safety in reporting, and the agency and choices of victims, survivors, and affected persons.
Today, DND/CAF also released the Comprehensive Implementation Plan (CIP) - a detailed, five-year roadmap that indicates how the institution will address recommendations from four key external review reports. The release of the CIP comes after the External Monitor, Jocelyne Therrien, recommended the creation of an "overall strategic plan" setting out how the organization would move from one phase of the culture change effort to the next.
This plan will help DND/CAF to ensure a deliberate, coordinated, and effective approach to addressing 206 recommendations from four reports, including:
- The Report of the Independent External Comprehensive Review, led by the Honourable Louise Arbour (May 2022);
- The Third Independent Review of the National Defence Act, led by the Honourable Morris J. Fish (April 2021);
- The Final Report of the Minister of National Defence Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism and Discrimination (January 2022);
- The No. 2 Construction Battalion National Apology Advisory Committee Report (May 2022).
To date, DND/CAF has addressed 65 of the recommendations in the CIP, including 19 recommendations from Madame Arbour's IECR. Notably, it is expected that all recommendations from the IECR will be addressed by the end of 2025.
The CIP will drive institutional change. It was developed to prioritize, structure, and harmonize culture change work across the institution - and it reflects input and feedback received through extensive consultations with DND/CAF personnel, stakeholders, and external experts. Implementing the recommendations from these reviews will foster a safer, more inclusive workplace, where all members receive the dignity and respect that they deserve.
