Feds, CAF still intend to apologize to victims of military sexual misconduct

W5: Military Secrets, part one W5's Omar Sachedina speaks to Colten Skibinsky about the horrors he endured while serving in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Ottawa — The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) still intend to issue a public apology to victims of military sexual misconduct, almost two years after first making the promise.

While the department didn’t confirm the exact timing of the apology, citing the need for further discussion and consultation, it doubled down on the commitment.

“While there is no quick fix that will solve this systemic problem overnight, an apology to victims and survivors of military sexual misconduct is a clear step forward in building a respectful, professional military culture. We have an obligation to protect those who protect our country, and we are working hard to regain their trust,” Daniel Minden, a spokesperson for the defence minister, told CTVNews.ca in a statement on Tuesday.

“The apology is an important part of restoring relationships with those harmed by sexual misconduct,” a follow-up statement from the department reads.

In 2019, a class action lawsuit settlement agreement was approved by the Federal Court to compensate current or former CAF members and or DND employees who experienced sexual misconduct while on the job.

Separate from the agreement, the plaintiffs in the case requested an apology from the chief of the defence staff as well as the deputy defence minister as soon as is reasonable, taking into consideration the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government maintains that an apology will be issued, despite not providing a timeline. The newly-minted Defence Minister Anita Anand has repeated that building an inclusive and safe military is a top priority, while also ensuring justice is served to those who have experienced sexual misconduct.

Survivor advocacy group, It’s Not Just 700, says the forthcoming apology will resonate differently based on individual experience.

“While some may be able to embrace it as part of their process, others may not be able to as quickly or at all in this part of their healing,” read a statement emailed to CTVNews.ca Tuesday.

“It is for this reason, that CAF, DND, and its leaders need to continue to focus on bringing about culture change as well as find different avenues for restorative processes and otherwise, for those that have been affected.”

The period for individuals to submit a claim to receive money through the settlement expires on Nov. 24.

Beyond financial compensation of up to $155,000, the settlement will provide claimants the option to participate in a restorative engagement program to share their experiences of sexual misconduct with senior CAF or DND representatives. It also commits to CAF policy changes addressing sexual misconduct in the Forces and adjustments to the eligibility of disability payments within Veterans Affairs Canada.

To date, 14,905 claims have been submitted and 4,747 have been approved for initial payment or paid out.

The Liberal’s 2021 budget earmarked $236.2 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, and $3.5 million per year ongoing to tackle sexual misconduct and gender-based violence in the military.

Specifically, it proposes to enhance internal support services for victims, conduct research to inform training and response frameworks, and implement new external oversight mechanisms to create greater independence in the reporting system.

The government says it’s also working to implement the provisions of Bill C-77, which adds a Declaration of Victims Rights to the military justice system.

“Work has been ongoing to complete meaningful consultations with key stakeholders including victim and survivor advocacy groups and individual victims and survivors of service offences in order to finalize the regulatory development and enable Bill C-77 implementation as soon as possible,” Minden told CTVNews.ca.

“This work is proceeding at pace in an effort to have the regulations and the remaining provisions of Bill C-77, which includes the Declaration of Victims Rights, come into force in 2022.”

With a file from The Canadian Press