LIVE Evacuation order issued for some Fort McMurray neighbourhoods as wildfire nears
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Warning: This story deals with subject matter some might find distressing
Nearly two-thirds of women in the U.K. military have experienced bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination during their career, a landmark parliamentary report revealed on Sunday.
The U.K. defense subcommittee, which described its inquiry into the treatment of women in the military as "one of the most important" in its history, said that 62 per cent of respondents said they had experienced some form of bullying, harassment or discrimination while serving.
More than 4,100 women testified for the report, including staff and veterans.
The testimonies, given in confidential and public evidence, include gang-rape, sexual assault by drugs, sexual exploitation of under-18s and "trophies" or contests to "bag the women" on camp or on ships.
Some women also claimed they were bullied for refusing sexual advances and witnessed groups of men attacking their friends but were "too afraid to report it."
"The military has come a long way in recent years... However, it is clear to us that the military is, in many ways, a man's world," Sarah Atherton, chair of the subcommittee on women in the Armed Forces, said in a statement.
She added that "the Complaints system, as it stands, is woefully inadequate and leaves most feeling unable to come forward."
Atherton also said that while many commanding officers want to "do the right thing," female staff are being "let down by the chain of command," explaining that there had been accusations of "senior officers sweeping complaints under the rug to protect their own reputations and careers."
Drawing from the report, Atherton suggests that the serious sexual offenses should not be tried in a military court, given that conviction rates are "four to six times lower" than a normal court.
She said that servicewomen are being "denied justice."
The report is the first of its kind, with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) lifting the usual restrictions that prevent service personnel from contributing to parliamentary inquiries.
Following the report's publication, the MoD said in a post on Twitter: "Bullying and harassment is entirely unacceptable within the Armed Forces, and we are committed to eliminating all inappropriate behaviours."
Despite their testimonies, nine out of 10 female service staff would still recommend a career in the military, Atherton said.
"Now that the issues for military women have been exposed, it is time we started to protect those who protect us and make changes that better our Armed Forces, for all who serve," she said.
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
The doctor who led Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic as the city’s top public health official is stepping down.
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.