Discussion · Government Orders
Chris Malette Liberal
“We are changing the military justice system because people are afraid to report sexual assault when their attacker outranks them.”
“Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. We heard testimony on a different report at the national defence committee yesterday on francophones in the armed forces, and one of the members who testified had testified earlier. This was an officer who, in Afghanistan, was sexually assaulted, but failed to report because the assailant in this case was a superior officer. That goes to the crux of why we are making these changes. It is due to a reluctance or fear of reporting because of the chain of command.”
Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. We heard testimony on a different report at the national defence committee yesterday on francophones in the armed forces, and one of the members who testified had testified earlier. This was an officer who, in Afghanistan, was sexually assaulted, but failed to report because the assailant in this case was a superior officer. That goes to the crux of why we are making these changes. It is due to a reluctance or fear of reporting because of the chain of command.