Latest news with #DavidMcGuinty
CBC
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Military asked to consider dismissing members after 1st offence of unwanted sexual touching
Social Sharing Defence Minister David McGuinty wants the military to review a trend in civilian court toward judges supporting workplaces firing Canadians for any unwanted sexual touching on the job — even if it happened once. The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is launching new advisory panels this fall to discipline military members for sexually inappropriate behaviour. The minister is supportive, his office said, of an external monitor's recent recommendation that if the military wants to modernize its conduct process, it could look at a clear pattern in civilian court over the past decade. "Now, more than ever, any type of non-consensual touching of a sexual nature within the context of one's employment is likely to lead to dismissal, even for a single event and even if there are mitigating factors," external monitor Jocelyne Therrien wrote in her June report. Victims and experts have long raised concerns that the military has moved members involved in cases like groping to other units, given them warnings or other remedial measures. Therrien wrote that gone are the days where that's a "viable solution" and it could expose the victim or other staff to risk. The government hired Therrien to track the military's progress implementing changes to try and reform its handling of sexual misconduct. Retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour's landmark 2022 report made sweeping recommendations after a series of senior military leaders were removed from prominent roles amid allegations, causing a damaging and high-profile crisis. Therrien estimates the military is on track to meet "the intent" of Arbour's recommendations by the end of the year. But she flags one of the biggest challenges for military is that files related to misconduct are scattered across different databases which makes it difficult to get a clearer picture of the current state of the issue. WATCH | Can the military change how it handles sexual misconduct?: Is the military capable of changing how it handles sexual misconduct? 3 years ago Therrien's latest report said case law has "rapidly" and "significantly" evolved over the past 10 years. "In reviewing these judgments, I note a clear trend towards supporting dismissal for any sexual touching in the workplace," she wrote. More civilian judges are using the logic that sexual harassment involving unwanted touching is "unequivocally" considered sexual assault which is a criminal offence in Canada, she wrote. Changes to the Canadian Labour Code in 2021 also require federally regulated workplaces to ensure they are harassment-free. Not dismissing people in some cases can lead to liability claims, wrote Therrien. "The fact that similar cases in the past were dealt with through administrative measures other than dismissal no longer carries any weight," Therrien said. The minister's office says McGuinty supports Therrien's recommendation that "the significant evolution in workplace harassment case law should be considered as the CAF continues modernization." McGuinty's office told CBC News the minister will be looking for the upcoming panels "to yield real results." They will include law and sexual misconduct experts, the office said. Therrien's report also said the military is considering launching a "scale of severity" to help determine if members should be kicked out or otherwise reprimanded. People moved around Megan MacKenzie, a professor at Simon Fraser University who specializes in military culture, says the CAF should adopt a one-strike-you're-out policy for unwanted sexual touching. "This is a really significant recommendation," said MacKenzie. "There is just no ambiguity for anyone in any workplace at this point in time that inappropriate touching, touching of a sexual nature, is not OK." In the past, these kinds of cases were often called "low-level harassing behaviours" and the military dealt with it internally including by shuffling people around as a temporary solution, she said. "That doesn't solve the problem," she said. "It moves the problem to a different unit and the alleged victim and the accuser may still have interactions with each other." The CAF has been grappling with sexual misconduct for decades while saying it has a "zero-tolerance policy," she said. MacKenzie said kicking out people for unwanted touching would demonstrate that policy. Supporting victims Retired master corporal Sherry Bordage, who reported being groped by her superior, said it's time for the military to act. "Why allow predators to continue to hide within the ranks? What possible good could that serve?" she said. Bordage reported her platoon commander touched her breast and made inappropriate comments at a mess dinner in 2010 at CFB Borden. In military court, a Canadian Armed Forces judge stayed proceedings for the criminal sexual assault charge against Master Warrant Officer D.J. Prosser, according to the court martial documents. Prosser pleaded guilty to a lesser military service offence for ill treatment of a subordinate, the records show. Military judge Lt.-Col. Louis-Vincent d'Auteuil noted he took into consideration several mitigating factors, including that it was "an isolated incident" and "unusual" for Prosser who had spent 30 years serving in the military at that time, his reason for sentencing said. The military judge gave Prosser a reprimand and a $1,500 fine — and allowed him to continue serving. Bordage said she left the forces in 2014 because she didn't feel safe and faced reprisals from her chain of command for reporting the incident. She says the military should kick out members for unwanted sexual touching to keep others safe. "This decision, had it been implemented during my time, would have been night and day," said Bordage. The CAF has not yet responded to a CBC News request for comment.
10-07-2025
- Politics
Defence minister calls extremist plot charges 'disturbing,' insists military culture is changing
Defence Minister David McGuinty called allegations that military members were part of an extremist plot disturbing, but pushed back against accusations the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) isn't doing enough to change its culture. The minister briefly spoke to reporters Thursday on the sidelines of a change-of-command ceremony. They were his first public comments since the RCMP charged four men, including two CAF members and one former member, of amassing a trove of weapons and explosives as part of a scheme to take over land near Quebec City (new window) . It's deeply concerning. We reject completely this kind of behaviour, these beliefs, this system, these activities, he said. This is disturbing, of course, but we're moving forward in rebuilding and rearming and reinvigorating the Canadian Armed Forces. Enlarge image (new window) In a provided photo, the RCMP says this is the 'military-style training in which the accused took part.' Photo: Gendarmerie Royale du Canada Cpl. Marc-Aurèle Chabot, Simon Angers-Audet and Raphaël Lagacé have been charged with the serious offence of facilitating a terrorist activity. The RCMP said they were planning to form an anti-government militia. Angers-Audet's father told La Presse his son formerly served in the army. Lagacé's Facebook account shows he was involved with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. Cpl. Matthew Forbes, who served at CFB Valcartier with Chabot, faces charges including unauthorized possession of firearms and illegally transferring devices. Police characterized the plot as an act of ideologically motivated violent extremism. The allegations have not been tested in court. 'Sophisticated, deep investigation' McGuinty said extremism is not something that is unknown to armed forces around the world. I think what it says is that the question of extremism is something that's throughout Canadian society, said the minister, who before joining cabinet was chair of one of the country's national security watchdogs. He wouldn't provide specifics about the case that's just beginning its journey through the justice system. WATCH | McGuinty comments on charges: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? McGuinty said the charges follow a sophisticated, deep investigation. While the motivation of the four accused is still largely unknown, the armed forces have been under pressure for years to better handle soldiers drawn to hateful views and extremism. A recent report from the military's advisory panel on systemic racism and discrimination found the number of members belonging to extremist groups (new window) was on the rise. The report called out the military for not doing enough to detect white supremacists and other violent extremists and prevent them from infiltrating its ranks, despite a mounting pile of reports and surveys pointing to the problem. It came after a U.S. judge sentenced former Manitoba army reservist Patrik Mathews to nine years in prison for charges related to what the FBI described as a neo-Nazi plot to instigate a race war in the United States. Another report, this one from former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour, called for culture changes in the wake of multiple sexual misconduct accusations. Both made a series of recommendations to clean up the force's culture. Many recommendations have been implemented. Changes have been affected, said McGuinty. There's so much activity going on that's positive. That's where my focus is WATCH | More about the alleged plot: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Queen's University professor Amarnath Amarasingam, who has researched the overlap between extremism and military service (new window) , said the armed forces' efforts are still in their infancy — conducting studies and working with experts to develop approaches to detect and root out extremist elements. It's still very early, he told CBC's (new window) The Current (new window) . He said getting a handle of the degree of extremism in the CAF is a tough task. It's a little bit more complicated than, say, if you find an ISIS supporter, he said, whose ideology is more clear and the organization is a listed terrorist entity. Ideologically motivated extremism runs the gamut between someone who is looking at incel ideology, to accelerationists, to old-school neo-Nazi skinheads, he said. It just becomes a lot more sticky, you know, where free speech ends and where some of this hate speech begins. The four accused remain in custody and are back in court Monday. Catharine Tunney (new window) · CBC News · Reporter Catharine Tunney is a reporter with CBC's Parliament Hill bureau, where she covers national security and the RCMP. She worked previously for CBC in Nova Scotia. You can reach her at With files from Kate McKenna
CBC
10-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Defence minister calls extremist plot charges 'disturbing,' insists military culture is changing
Social Sharing Defence Minister David McGuinty called allegations that military members were part of an extremist plot "disturbing," but pushed back against accusations the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) isn't doing enough to change its culture. The minister briefly spoke to reporters Thursday on the sidelines of a change-of-command ceremony. They were his first public comments since the RCMP charged four men, including two CAF members and one former member, of amassing a trove of weapons and explosives as part of a scheme to take over land near Quebec City. "It's deeply concerning. We reject completely this kind of behaviour, these beliefs, this system, these activities," he said. "This is disturbing, of course, but we're moving forward in rebuilding and rearming and reinvigorating the Canadian Armed Forces." Cpl. Marc-Aurèle Chabot, Simon Angers-Audet and Raphaël Lagacé have been charged with the serious offence of facilitating a terrorist activity. The RCMP said they were planning to form an "anti-government militia." Angers-Audet's father told La Presse his son formerly served in the army. Lagacé's Facebook account shows he was involved with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. Cpl. Matthew Forbes, who served at CFB Valcartier with Chabot, faces charges including unauthorized possession of firearms and illegally transferring devices. Police characterized the plot as an act of "ideologically motivated violent extremism." The allegations have not been tested in court. 'Sophisticated, deep investigation' McGuinty said extremism "is not something that is unknown to armed forces around the world." "I think what it says is that the question of extremism is something that's throughout Canadian society," said the minister, who before joining cabinet was chair of one of the country's national security watchdogs. He wouldn't provide specifics about the case that's just beginning its journey through the justice system. WATCH | McGuinty comments on charges: Defence minister calls military members accused in militia plot 'deeply concerning' 2 hours ago Duration 0:56 McGuinty said the charges follow a "sophisticated, deep investigation." While the motivation of the four accused is still largely unknown, the armed forces have been under pressure for years to better handle soldiers drawn to hateful views and extremism. A recent report from the military's advisory panel on systemic racism and discrimination found the number of members belonging to extremist groups was on the rise. The report called out the military for not doing enough to detect white supremacists and other violent extremists and prevent them from infiltrating its ranks, despite a mounting pile of reports and surveys pointing to the problem. It came after a U.S. judge sentenced former Manitoba army reservist Patrik Mathews to nine years in prison for charges related to what the FBI described as a neo-Nazi plot to instigate a race war in the United States. Another report, this one from former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour, called for culture changes in the wake of multiple sexual misconduct accusations. Both made a series of recommendations to clean up the force's culture. "Many recommendations have been implemented. Changes have been affected," said McGuinty. "There's so much activity going on that's positive. That's where my focus is" WATCH | More about the alleged plot: Military members accused in anti-government plot 2 days ago Duration 2:40 Two active members of the Canadian Armed Forces are among four Quebec men accused of being part of an alleged anti-government plot that involved creating a militia and seizing land. Queen's University professor Amarnath Amarasingam, who has researched the overlap between extremism and military service, said the armed forces' efforts are still in their infancy — conducting studies and working with experts to develop approaches to detect and root out extremist elements. "It's still very early," he told CBC's The Current. He said getting a handle of the degree of extremism in the CAF is a tough task. "It's a little bit more complicated than, say, if you find an ISIS supporter," he said, whose ideology is more clear and the organization is a listed terrorist entity. Ideologically motivated extremism "runs the gamut between someone who is looking at incel ideology, to accelerationists, to old-school neo-Nazi skinheads," he said. "It just becomes a lot more sticky, you know, where free speech ends and where some of this hate speech begins." The four accused remain in custody and are back in court Monday.
CBC
09-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Defence Department expected to find savings even as its budget balloons
Social Sharing The Department of National Defence will not be spared from Prime Minister Mark Carney's cost-cutting drive — even though overall defence spending is set to balloon in the coming years. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne sent letters to his fellow cabinet members on Monday asking them to find savings of 7.5 per cent in their budgets starting in fiscal 2026, a spokesperson for the minister confirmed. That savings target rises to 10 per cent the following year and 15 per cent in 2028. The Globe and Mail first reported on the plan to sharply reduce program spending across the government. Champagne's spokesperson Audrey Milette said the Department of National Defence will also have to find savings. She said the policy speaks to Carney's promise to balance the federal operating budget in the coming years while rapidly increasing spending on defence and other capital projects. Carney's defence spending announcement in early June amounts to an extra $9.3 billion this year. He made that announcement before NATO allies pledged at last month's summit to ramp their defence and security budgets up to five per cent of GDP by 2035. Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed to journalists Monday that he received Champagne's letter but offered little indication of where cuts could be made in his department. WATCH | Defence minister on requested cuts: Defence minister says he hasn't discussed cutting services to fund military 2 days ago Duration 1:59 As the finance minister asks his colleagues to cut spending, Defence Minister David McGuinty says he hasn't been part of any discussions about 'significant social services cuts' to meet Canada's defence commitments. "I haven't had a chance to talk to my colleague, but I have been part of no discussions with respect to, for example, significant social services cuts at a federal level in order to achieve our defence priorities," he said at a news conference at CFB Trenton. "The question of redistribution of expenditures is one I would much rather leave with the minister of finance." Ottawa is preparing to present its 2025 budget in the fall after forgoing a traditional spring fiscal update. Since taking over the Liberal leadership earlier this year, Carney has touted plans to "spend less" and "invest more" to build Canada's economy in the face of U.S. trade aggression. The Liberal platform in April's federal election projected a deficit of $62 billion this year and promised to balance the operating budget by 2028 while continuing to run a deficit in capital spending. In the absence of a spring budget or specific outlines for cuts, the parliamentary budget officer and other critics have argued the federal budgetary deficit could grow beyond that level this year, thanks to Ottawa's recent spending announcements. The union representing public service workers warned Tuesday of widespread job losses and reduced services if Ottawa's planned cuts materialize. The Public Service Alliance of Canada said in a media statement that while it's ready to work with the federal government to find savings across the public sector, the cuts as proposed could lead to shuttered programs and longer wait times for things like passports. Union warns 'ambitious' government savings could mean public sector cuts | Power & Politics 21 hours ago Duration 6:56 National president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada Sharon DeSousa tells Power & Politics the federal government's search for 7.5 per cent savings across government programs next year could mean 'job cuts' and 'longer wait times.' Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali announced a new review to cut red tape across the public service in a bid to curb regulations holding back the Canadian economy. Ministers are expected to review regulations in their portfolios and propose actions to cut red tape by removing outdated rules, reducing duplication with provinces and generally making it easier to deliver services. Ministers' reports on next steps for cutting regulations are due within 60 days. Michael Sabia, tapped last month to head the Privy Council Office in Ottawa, said in a letter to public servants on Monday that the federal bureaucracy must streamline its operations because "internal processes have become quite complicated."
CBC
08-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
A major defence contract is set to favour U.S. supplier, despite Carney's promise to diversify
Social Sharing The federal government is set to proceed with awarding a major defence contract despite industry concerns that its requirements are written in a way that all but assures a single American company is eligible. A tender for night-vision binoculars — worth more than an estimated $100 million — is set to close on Tuesday at 2 p.m. A competing company says the request includes a technical requirement that favours one American firm, at the exclusion of all others. The request requires a specific signal-to-noise ratio for the image intensifier tubes in the binoculars. The European competitor says the requirement is unique to the Canadian military — not reflecting industry norms, nor the requirements of NATO allies. The contract's posting comes at a time when Prime Minister Mark Carney has repeatedly said Canada is looking beyond the United States for defence spending. "We stood shoulder to shoulder with the Americans throughout the Cold War and in the decades that followed, as the United States played a dominant role on the world stage. Today, that dominance is a thing of the past," said Carney last month. In June, Carney signed a new defence and security agreement with the European Union, signalling his commitment to deepen Canada's partnership with the EU. On Monday, Defence Minister David McGuinty said he was unaware of the specifics of the night-vision binoculars request for proposals, but said he would look into it. WATCH | McGuinty says he'll look into request: Defence minister asked about contract terms that only U.S. companies could meet 12 hours ago Duration 1:09 But in a statement, European competitor Photonis said it has "attempted to engage the Government of Canada on this issue a number of times to course-correct the terms" of the request for proposals. "We have yet to receive an appropriate response," said Frédéric Guilhem, Photonis's chief commercial officer of its night-vision department. The company supplies night-vision products to other NATO allies. "This approach is clearly contrary to Prime Minister Carney's directive to closer integrate defence procurement and production with Canada's allies in Europe," Guilhem said. The tender was first posted before the federal election, but has been reposted six times since then. In addition to limiting competition, buying from the U.S. suppliers would mean opting into regulations that allow the U.S. State Department to control arms exports. Neither the Department of National Defence nor Public Services and Procurement Canada responded to questions about why the government chose the specific criteria for the night-vision binoculars. A leading defence expert says it will take time to reorient Canadian military defence procurement away from the United States. "We have not gotten to a space where we're investing 75 cents of every dollar in the U.S. market by accident," said Dave Perry, president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. "There's a bunch of structural conditions that have led to us spending a lot of those dollars in those places." Perry said those conditions include a longstanding policy direction from the federal government that the Canadian military work as closely as possible with the Americans. Of Canada's allies, the United States has the largest defence industrial base.
