Summary: Canadian Armed Forces Action Plan to Implement the Recommendations from the Report by the Board of Inquiry on the Irregularities Identified by the Chief of the Defence Staff in his 2014 Decision Letter 

[Regarding Master Corporal (Retired) Raymond’s Grievances]

Policies/Procedures: Harassment complaints must be tracked according to the Harassment Prevention and Resolution Guidelines. 

Current status:

• Harassment Prevention and Resolution Instructions. Defence Administrative Orders and Directives 5012-0, Harassment Prevention and Resolution were reviewed and updated on 27 January 2017. The new directives include the vast majority of the Board of Inquiry’s recommendations. They provide clearer and simpler direction to the chain of command, the responsible officers and the harassment advisors on the process for managing a harassment complaint.
• Integrated Conflict and Complaint Management (IC2M) offices. The Canadian Armed Forces now provide a simplified and integrated system for managing conflicts and complaints in order to better meet the needs of members and the chain of command. The system was implemented further to the recommendations in the Deschamps report to simplify the process for harassment complaints and conflict resolution. Four prototype IC2M offices (at Valcartier, Montreal, Kingston and Borden) are being tested.

Personnel administration: The procedures regarding Canadian Armed Forces Reserve Force member’s career management must be followed rigorously. The Chief of the Defence Staff’s 2014 decision letter [regarding Master Corporal (Retired) Raymond’s grievances] resulted in a review of the application of the administrative policies and processes on hiring practices, manning chart management, postings and promotions, as well as the procedures on component transfers and on the release of Canadian Army Reserve Force members. The Board of Inquiry will lead to a new revision with a view to ensuring that all processes at fault are corrected.

Current status: The units concerned by the Board of Inquiry have already conducted an evaluation of their procedures and made changes to their administrative processes in order to ensure more effective personnel management.

Leadership: In order to take the adequate concrete measures required, the chain of command must follow up on every complaint of harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour effectively and make the provision of support to the victims a priority. Emphasis must be placed on the physical, mental, social, spiritual and administrative support required.

Current status:

• Operation HONOUR. In August 2015, the Chief of the Defence Staff initiated Operation HONOUR a whole-of-CAF effort leveraging leadership at all levels to eliminate harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour and provide better support to victims. The Canadian Army has initiated specific orders and directives to fully embed Operation HONOUR intent at all levels. Three Canadian Armed Forces progress reports have been published to date. Canadian Army initiatives are illustrated in these reports.
• Leadership vigilance and diligence. Through Operation HONOUR, the Chief of the Defence Staff provided unequivocally clear and highly visible direction to leadership at all levels as well as all members of the Canadian Armed Forces as to the importance of eliminating harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour from the military. He communicated this mission directly to his senior commanders in a face-to-face session on August 20th 2015, highlighting the need for increased vigilance and more decisive response to the problem. This was subsequently reinforced throughout the chain of command, down to the most junior leaders. The Chief of the Defence Staff Guidance to Commanding Officers has been updated to include more specific direction with respect to harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour and the responsibilities of commanders. This has also been further reinforced to all members of the command team through presentations, engagement, directives and orders.
• Reporting, follow up and tracking of incidents. The Canadian Armed Forces have put in place a monthly reporting system to track incidents and actions. This is providing greater awareness and tracking of harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour, allowing much more timely and appropriate responses to such situations as they occur.
• Victim support. Support for victims is a priority of Operation HONOUR and victim support services continue to evolve across the Canadian Armed Forces through policies, programs and agencies.
• The Sexual Misconduct Response Centre (SMRC). The SMRC, opened in September 2015 to provide support services to Canadian Armed Forces members who have been affected by inappropriate sexual behaviour and also those who are supporting victims by helping them to make informed decisions regarding the options and resources made available to meet their individual needs. The SMRC works in parallel with, yet independently from the chain of command and reports directly to the Deputy Minister. 

Training: Training and education are essential to creating and maintaining high performance and conduct standards within an institution. 

Current status: 

• Between October 2015 and January 2016, a review of all Canadian Armed Forces education and training programs in relation to harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour was conducted to identify gaps and recommend changes to ensure a more comprehensive approach to achieve Operation HONOUR objectives and the required culture change. Changes have been systematically integrated into Canadian Armed Forces courses at all levels. Institutional changes have been complemented by Canadian Army specific initiatives.
• Some of the education and training programs and products that have been introduced include:
  • a unit-level harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour awareness package;
  •  a unit-level training package on Bystander Intervention;
  • expansion of the Canadian Army’s Ethics Programme to include a full-day module on Operation HONOUR covering ethical scenarios, academic research, prevailing soldier beliefs and attitudes, bystander behaviour, ethical risk and ethical decision-making, has been incorporated into the Unit Ethics Coordinator Course;
  • the Canadian Armed Forces - Respect in the CAF workshop;
  • the Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) training; and
  • the Canadian Armed Forces’ Respect in the CAF mobile app (to be launched in June 2017).