Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan is holding a press conference on Thursday billed as one where he will be “addressing sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces.”
He will be doing so alongside senior officials from both the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces, as well as his parliamentary secretary, Anita Vandenbeld.
It comes three months after the government first promised an independent review into allegations of high-level sexual misconduct in the Canadian military that were first reported on by Global News.
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Both the current and former chiefs of the defence staff are among those facing military police investigations over allegations against them. Gen. Jonathan Vance denies all allegations of inappropriate behaviour, while Adm. Art McDonald has declined to comment, citing legal advice.
In response, the government promised an independent external review to look at the matter of military sexual misconduct and the allegations, which have sparked two separate parliamentary committee probes as well over recent months.
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Those committees have heard damning testimony about the government’s handling of a 2018 allegation made against Vance and which the then-military ombudsman says he shared with Sajjan.
Throughout, the committees have heard repeated testimony raising questions about whether military police can be trusted to conduct the probes into allegations against individuals at the very top of the military chain of command.
More to come.
