By: David Pugliese, The National Post
The Canadian military will review its badges, uniforms, flags and associated ceremonial activities to ensure they are welcoming to women, visible minorities, the disabled, indigenous people and members of the gay and transgender communities.
The move is part of the Canadian Armed Forces Diversity Strategy approved last May by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance.
It is now up to the Canadian Forces to figure out how to move ahead with Vance’s strategy, and in January of this year the military produced a diversity strategy action plan, which was forwarded to the Ottawa Citizen by sources inside National Defence headquarters.
The action plan focuses on Designated Group Members, which the Canadian Forces defines as women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities. Also included in the strategy is the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Queer, Questioning and 2-Spirited) community. The plan includes a detailed list of initiatives the Forces can take to accommodate those members, among them:
• “Review current dress, badges, flags, music, lineages, affiliations, drill and ceremonial, etc. and ensure these customs complement and expand towards a more diverse and inclusive national military institution (Allow dress appropriate to one’s gender identity.)”
• “Consider family circumstances when posting CAF members, including if possible, geographic proximity to family for cultural reasons, when requested.”
• “Dedicate a room at the workplace where CAF members feel encouraged and not at risk to practice their religion.”
• “Develop policy and guidelines to address the spiritual needs of Indigenous CAF Members.”
Other initiatives to be considered involve examining military equipment and infrastructure to “accommodate the needs of Designated Group Members and other members with specific needs,” and ways to improve healthcare and family support for the various individuals, which would include “traditional healing, spiritual needs, specific accommodations – dietary needs.”
Messages about employment equity and diversity will also be included in all Canadian Forces advertising and displays, according to the action plan, and military leaders will have to undergo diversity training to be considered for promotion.
Department of National Defence spokeswoman Suzanne Parker said Vance approved the action plan earlier this year. The approach is intended to be as comprehensive as possible, she said, accounting for the many differences that exist among Canadian military personnel beyond the four designated groups.
“Many of the initiatives, programs and other activities identified in this Action Plan are already in place, are ongoing or will soon be implemented,” Parker said in an email. “The Diversity Strategy’s Action Plan is expected to be fully implemented by the end of 2018.”
The military hopes the diversity strategy will help with recruitment.
It’s unclear at this point how equipment, uniforms, flags and ceremonial activities might be changed to be more accommodating.
In February, Vance was questioned at a defence conference in Ottawa about body armour and other gear not being properly fitted for women. The general agreed, and said that if the Canadian Forces wants to “become more diverse and inclusive, we’re going to have to change.”
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The Canadian military has tried previously to change or alter some of its equipment for women. In 1997 it earmarked more than $2 million for creating what it believed would be the world’s first combat bra. The project was eventually abandoned.
Over the last several years, the Canadian Forces have been under fire for incidents of sexual assault and misconduct, most of it directed towards women. In an April 30, 2015 report, former Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps found that not only was sexual misconduct “endemic” in the Canadian Forces but that it was condoned by the military leadership.
During her year-long investigation, Deschamps interviewed hundreds of full- and part-time military personnel, as well as commanding officers, military police, chaplains, nurses and social workers. The interviews pointed to what she described as a “hostile sexualized environment” in the military, particularly among recruits and the junior ranks. “At the most extreme, these reports of sexual violence highlighted the use of sex to enforce power relationships,” said Deschamps’ report, “and to punish and ostracize a member of a unit.”
Vance has condemned such behaviour and has vowed to take a tough approach against involved in sexual misconduct. Although he has acknowledged that sexual misconduct is a problem in the Canadian Forces, he also recently blamed the news media for reporting on such incidents, saying the media has created a “toxic” narrative about the military.
Showing posts with label LGBTQ and the CAF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LGBTQ and the CAF. Show all posts
Friday, March 17, 2017
Monday, April 4, 2016
New DND offices will have gender-neutral washrooms
Written by Amanda Connolly, iPolitics
Months after a damning report found the Canadian Forces was fostering a “toxic” culture towards women and LGBT members, the new offices for the Department of National Defence will have gender-neutral toilets, iPolitics has learned.
“Some gender-neutral washrooms will be available in the [four] buildings currently being rehabilitated in the first phase of work at the Carling Campus,” wrote Public Services and Procurement Canada spokesperson Pierre Alain Bujold in an email to iPolitics. “We also intend to install such washrooms in other campus buildings, in upcoming phases of work.”
The Department of National Defence is in the midst of consolidating its 47 offices across the National Capital Region into seven offices, including the former Nortel main office on Carling Avenue.
The first 1,000 of roughly 12,000 DND employees had been expected to begin moving offices early this year but structural problems at the Carling Campus have delayed those plans.
It’s not clear exactly when the move will take place.
Over the past year, the subject of accommodation and support for LGBT Canadian Forces members has been in the spotlight.
In March 2015, former Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps released adamning report that blasted senior military leaders for allowing misogyny and intolerance to take root, and called on them to take concrete action to stomp it out.
“There is an underlying sexualized culture in the CAF that is hostile to women and LGBTQ members, and conductive to more serious incidents of sexual harassment and assault,” she wrote at the time. “Cultural change is therefore key.”
Since then, the military has been working to increase awareness among its members about what kinds of behaviours constitute sexual harassment and assault as part of what’s been coined ‘Operation Honour.’
As well, it announced the creation of a new independent sexual assault reporting centre, which was one of the key recommendations from the Deschamps report given that the existing policy of reporting harassment and assault up the chain of command could deter members from filing complaints against accusers who are part of the unit or who are their superiors.
According to a progress report Deschamps issued in February 2016, the new Sexual Misconduct Response Centre received 246 contacts between mid-September and December 31.
Of the 204, 156 of the individuals were members of the Canadian Forces and half were female while the other half were male.
As of January 29, there are eight investigations underway into complaints made to the Centre.
Bujold said the department decided to include gender neutral toilets in its new offices because it recognizes it has responsibilities to its LGBT employees.
“The decision on whether to establish unisex (or gender neutral) washrooms in a given facility is primarily a response to a duty to accommodate,” Bujold said.
Months after a damning report found the Canadian Forces was fostering a “toxic” culture towards women and LGBT members, the new offices for the Department of National Defence will have gender-neutral toilets, iPolitics has learned.
“Some gender-neutral washrooms will be available in the [four] buildings currently being rehabilitated in the first phase of work at the Carling Campus,” wrote Public Services and Procurement Canada spokesperson Pierre Alain Bujold in an email to iPolitics. “We also intend to install such washrooms in other campus buildings, in upcoming phases of work.”
The Department of National Defence is in the midst of consolidating its 47 offices across the National Capital Region into seven offices, including the former Nortel main office on Carling Avenue.
The first 1,000 of roughly 12,000 DND employees had been expected to begin moving offices early this year but structural problems at the Carling Campus have delayed those plans.
It’s not clear exactly when the move will take place.
Over the past year, the subject of accommodation and support for LGBT Canadian Forces members has been in the spotlight.
In March 2015, former Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps released adamning report that blasted senior military leaders for allowing misogyny and intolerance to take root, and called on them to take concrete action to stomp it out.
“There is an underlying sexualized culture in the CAF that is hostile to women and LGBTQ members, and conductive to more serious incidents of sexual harassment and assault,” she wrote at the time. “Cultural change is therefore key.”
Since then, the military has been working to increase awareness among its members about what kinds of behaviours constitute sexual harassment and assault as part of what’s been coined ‘Operation Honour.’
As well, it announced the creation of a new independent sexual assault reporting centre, which was one of the key recommendations from the Deschamps report given that the existing policy of reporting harassment and assault up the chain of command could deter members from filing complaints against accusers who are part of the unit or who are their superiors.
According to a progress report Deschamps issued in February 2016, the new Sexual Misconduct Response Centre received 246 contacts between mid-September and December 31.
Of the 204, 156 of the individuals were members of the Canadian Forces and half were female while the other half were male.
As of January 29, there are eight investigations underway into complaints made to the Centre.
Bujold said the department decided to include gender neutral toilets in its new offices because it recognizes it has responsibilities to its LGBT employees.
“The decision on whether to establish unisex (or gender neutral) washrooms in a given facility is primarily a response to a duty to accommodate,” Bujold said.
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