Citing 'institutional resistance,' military police watchdog calls for broader powers

A Canadian soldier takes part in an announcement in Petawawa, Ont., on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — Canada’s military police watchdog is calling on the federal government to change the law to give her office more teeth and greater ability to investigate complaints.

Military Police Complaints Commission chair Tammy Tremblay made the call for the third year in a row in her annual report, released today.

She says her ability to do her work has been “significantly hampered” in recent years by inadequate investigative powers and “increasingly entrenched institutional resistance.”

Tremblay’s report comes amid a rise in the number of military police conduct complaints, and after she launched the first public interest hearings in more than a decade to probe serious allegations of misconduct.

She wrote to Defence Minister David McGuinty last year to propose a series of legal reforms that would, among other things, give her broader subpoena powers to obtain information on cases.

The legislation governing her office hasn’t changed since it was first created in 1999.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2026.

Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press