Anand says she is 'determined' to resolve military misconduct crisis as defence minister
National Defence Minster Anita Anand says she is committed to ensuring “justice is served” in the fight against sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Just hours into the job, Anand says she will be relentless in her pursuit to shift the culture within the military so those in uniform feel safe, while restoring Canadians’ trust in the institution.
“My top priority is to make sure that everyone in the Armed Forces feels safe and protected and that they have the support that they need when they need it and the structures in places to ensure that justice is served,” she said, speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
“I am thorough, I am determined, I am dogged, and I am results-oriented. I will be dedicating all of my energies towards this task.”
Anand was sworn in to her new role earlier in the day as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled changes to his cabinet roster, which included sending former defence minister Harjit Sajjan to international development and making him the minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada.
Sajjan has faced criticism for his handling of allegations of sexual misconduct levied against high-ranking officers and his inability to make sufficient change.
Leah West, assistant professor of international affairs at Carleton University, told CTV News Channel Tuesday that Sajjan failed to show leadership while in the role.
“Leadership is incredibly important for setting the tone of the culture of an environment and minister Sajjan, for example, had the Marie Deschamps report on his desk in 2016 and made no real efforts to see the military implement any of her recommendations,” she said.
Trudeau thanked Sajjan for his work on the portfolio in a subsequent press conference on Tuesday.
“Minister Sajjan has consistently been someone who has been there to fight for the women and men who serve in our Armed Forces and to push back against the culture that excludes, that marginalizes people and I thank him for his leadership and service there,” he said.
In the spring, the federal government launched an independent review into harassment and sexual misconduct within the CAF, led by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour.
The announcement of that review was slammed by survivor advocates and former military leaders who called it a stalling tactic by the Liberals after the Deschamps report had already concluded the need for an independent reporting and accountability body.
Anand, the Oakville MP and former head of public services and procurement, said she will be “reviewing everything.”
“I’m going to be reading the past reports regarding misconduct in the Armed Forces as well as the recent independent review of the military justice system. I will be asking the department for an analysis of the recommendations that have already been implemented as well as the ones that have not been,” she said.
“I also hope to hear from a many of our women and men in uniform as possible and I plan to be consulting directly with them across the country.”
Anand cautioned there is no “magic solution” to solve the internal crisis and that it will take time to resolve.
Retired Maj.-Gen. Denis Thompson said it will be imperative the department get it right this time around.
“We definitely need all the qualified people we can get in order to address the concerns that have mounted around the world. We’re in a situation that’s fairly tenuous and we need to move through the culture issues and get on with some of the operational issues that face the Canadian Armed Forces,” he said on Tuesday.
Thompson added that retrieving the remaining Afghans who have been left behind in Afghanistan will also be a top priority for the new minister.
“We should take this opportunity to put our shoulder to the wheel and move as many of these people out as possible. That might require a high-level ministerial-level diplomatic mission to the region in order to sort out a third-country location where our Afghan friends can be evacuated,” he said
On that file, Anand will be working with her colleagues, new Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly and new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser.
Trudeau welcomed the former “minister of vaccines” who led Canada’s fight to secure COVID-19 vaccine supply to her new role.
“The women and men who serve in the Armed Forces deserve better support, deserve a shift in the kind of governance they have and one of the things people will be learning about Anita Anand in the coming months is she’s a world class expert in governance,” he said.
She becomes the second woman to hold the post after Kim Campbell, who was appointed to the position for six months in 1993.
West said Anand is a “great choice.”
“Minister Anand has been a proven leader in a time of crisis…someone with the success of working through crisis is absolutely necessary now,” she said.
IN DEPTH
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?
Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, Ontario police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Taylor Swift's new album allegedly 'leaked' on social media and it's causing a frenzy
A Google Drive link allegedly containing 17 tracks that are purportedly from Swift's eagerly awaited "The Tortured Poets Department" album has been making the rounds on the internet in the past day and people are equal parts mad, sad and happy about it.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
Local Spotlight
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly on a mission: N.S. student collecting books about women in sport for school library
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Marmot in the city: New resident of North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale a 'rock star rodent'
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
Relocated seal returns to Greater Victoria after 'astonishing' 204-kilometre trek
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Ottawa barber shop steps away from Parliament Hill marks 100 years in business
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
'It was a special game': Edmonton pinball player celebrates high score and shout out from game designer
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
'How much time do we have?': 'Contamination' in Prairie groundwater identified
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
'Why not do it together?': Lifelong friends take part in 'brosectomy' in Vancouver
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.