Welland Tribune e-edition

Ombudsman’s tough advice must be heeded

Canada’s military ombudsman on Tuesday tore a strip off the senior command of the armed forces, the leadership of the Defence Department, and the politicians who have the ultimate oversight over the country’s military.

Gregory Lick demanded that the ombudsman’s office be made truly independent so it can act effectively against misconduct of all kinds, including the allegations of sexual wrongdoing that have rocked the Canadian Forces.

Lick is clearly fed up. He talked about the “erratic behaviour” of leadership at all levels, a failure that is turning the sexual misconduct crisis into a “tragedy” for the military. “The cycle of scandals followed by studies, recommendations for independent oversight, half-solutions, and resistance by the department or the Canadian Armed Forces will only be broken when action is taken,” he said.

But even though Lick’s language was harsh, he wasn’t saying anything new. As he himself pointed out, reviews going back decades have concluded that the ombudsman’s office should be independent, reporting to Parliament rather than the defence minister. Even the Trudeau government agrees, though in April it launched yet another review, led by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour, to figure out exactly how to do that.

More striking was Lick’s contention that this goes far beyond sexual misconduct, as important as that is. The failure of military and civilian leaders to come to grips with that has led to a deeper crisis of confidence in the Canadian military as an institution.

All this year we’ve seen top military leaders and former leaders toppled or forced aside, starting with the ex-chief of the defence staff, Jonathan Vance, in early February. The latest came when the vice-chief of the defence staff, the military’s second in command, and the head of the navy admitted entertaining Vance on an Ottawa golf course. They thought it was just a “private activity” to boost Vance’s morale; most everyone else, including the government, thought it was a grievous lapse in judgment.

By now, Lick said on Tuesday, so many top commanders have been ousted that the situation “risks threatening national security.” Our allies are watching, he noted, as are “those who are out to do us harm.” And what can they be concluding about the state of Canada’s military? Nothing good, certainly.

The government’s contention is that even while the top ranks are roiled by scandal, the work of the Canadian Forces goes on as tens of thousands of regular and reserve troops toil loyally every day.

No doubt there’s truth in that, but it’s impossible to believe that the leadership of any organization can be so riven by controversy without it affecting all levels.

We know the pandemic has had a very negative effect on recruiting, and surely ongoing scandals will make it even harder to enlist replacements.

Retaining talent won’t be any easier, either, as some just opt to bail out early. One high-profile example was the resignation in March of Lt.-Col. Eleanor Taylor, an Afghanistan combat veteran and one of the most prominent women in the military. “I am sickened by ongoing investigations of sexual misconduct among our key leaders,” she wrote. How many others are just as discouraged?

A healthy organization also needs to be planning for the future, not just bracing for the latest shock. What Canada’s military is going through now is its worst crisis since its “decade of darkness” following revelations of abuse by its elite airborne regiment in Somalia back in the early 1990s.

This will go down as one of the Trudeau government’s biggest failures. It should listen to Lick’s advice, however hard it is to take, and follow it.

OPINION

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2021-06-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://wellandtribune.pressreader.com/article/281565178728306

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