May 30, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative Shadow Minister for National Defence, and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement, issued the following statement regarding the release of Justice Arbour’s report on sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces:
“Last year, Canadians were shocked by the breadth of disturbing reports of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces and allegations of a Liberal cover-up.
“While Conservatives welcome Justice Arbour’s report, it paints a picture of what we already knew. That for years the Liberal government has ignored issues of sexual harassment and misconduct in the CAF, that Minister Sajjan failed to act immediately on sexual misconduct allegations in the highest ranks of the CAF, and that the Trudeau Liberals refused to fix the culture in the CAF at a time when the Forces are already short more than 10,000 soldiers and is facing a retention crisis.
“Instead of working to tackle the issue of sexual misconduct in the CAF from the beginning, the Liberals have refused to take responsibility and engaged in a cover-up of Minister Sajjan’s failures as Minister of National Defence.
“Justice Arbour has issued a set of clear recommendations to this government. She is the second retired Supreme Court of Canada Justice to make recommendations, and Conservatives hope the Minister of National Defence takes this report seriously. We urge the government to take action to support our women and men in uniform, and demonstrate a commitment to finally addressing the issue of sexual harassment and misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces.”

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