The Canadian military held an "apology live broadcast" for the military sex scandal, foreign media: the masses have been mobilized but there have been no substantive reform measures

Source: Global Times

In recent years, the Canadian military has been pushed to the forefront of public opinion due to repeated exposure of sexual scandals. A number of senior generals have been dismissed and "elevated," and almost all key positions in the entire army's command system have undergone a round of "major blood changes." The Canadian government and military held an "apology live broadcast" on the 13th, openly acknowledging that the unhealthy trends in the military are "systemic shortcomings", and this rare statement finally gave an "explanation" to the storm that lasted for several years. However, some experts believe that some shortcomings in the Canadian army are deeply rooted, and the task of rectification is heavy and the road is long.

Image source Visual China

Canada's "Global News" reported on the 14th that Defense Minister Anita Anand, Deputy Minister Jody Thomas and Defense Staff Chief Wayne Ayr issued a long statement, and the entire "reading apology" process lasted 40 minutes, and about 8,000 people watched online. Anand acknowledged that several Canadian governments have failed to devote the time, money, and human resources to the rampant sexual harassment and gender discrimination, resulting in the harm of a large number of innocent people. For this "institutional malpractices," Anand promised change. In a statement, Al said: "We have failed the military, all the Canadian people, and the negligence of the top not only buried the military careers of many people, but also inevitably dissuaded many military talents who originally aspired to enlist." He also promised to rebuild the existing military culture.

According to a 2015 report, more than one-fourth of the female officers and men in the Canadian military have been sexually assaulted, and only 23% of the victims have reported it, while only 7% have been filed. The report also shows that the Canadian military is the "hardest hit area" of sexual harassment, and women in the military are almost twice as likely to be sexually assaulted by ordinary people. Nearly 80 percent of respondents said they had witnessed or experienced inappropriate sexual activity. Many female officers and soldiers accused Prime Minister Trudeau of calling himself a "feminist" but not dealing with such issues at all.

In November 2019, military victims of sexual harassment filed a class-action lawsuit against the Canadian government. As of November, the total number of participants in the massive lawsuit was close to 19,000, and the Canadian government had previously promised to pay a settlement totaling C$600 million (about 2.978 billion yuan) and make a formal apology. The apology left the victims waiting for two years. In February, former Defense Chief of Staff Jonathan Vance was embroiled in a sex scandal in which he was accused of having a child with a female subordinate and refusing to raise him, which triggered a chain reaction. Eventually, 11 senior military generals, including Vance, were dismissed, investigated, and forced to retire early.

Some commentators said that they hope that the top level of the Canadian military will usher in a new atmosphere after experiencing a "great change of blood". But for the reforms promised by the defense minister, the media and public opinion have raised voices of doubt. Some media said that although the apology meeting was very popular, it failed to give any substantive reform measures. West, an associate professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Canada, also said that reforms mean investing a lot of energy, time and money to be effective, "and inaction within the military has been going on for years." (Liu Haoran)