Blair says military unlikely to ban alcohol to reduce sexual misconduct
Global News
Blair addressed the issue Wednesday as he marked the one-year anniversary of former Supreme Court of Canada justice Louise Arbour's report on sexual misconduct in the military.
Defence Minister Bill Blair says it’s unlikely the presence of alcohol can be banned in the military as part of efforts to tackle sexual misconduct among members, but acknowledged it needs to be “managed in a responsible way.”
Blair addressed the issue Wednesday as he provided an update on the government’s plans to implement the recommendations in former Supreme Court of Canada justice Louise Arbour’s report on sexual misconduct in the military and the culture within the Canadian Armed Forces.
Yet Statistics Canada revealed last week that sexual assault rates in the military saw a “significant increase” in 2022 despite those promises of reform. The survey found 33 per cent of regular force members who were sexually assaulted last year believed it was related to the perpetrator’s alcohol or drug use.
Asked about the survey Wednesday, Blair said the findings were “concerning,” but would not say exactly how the presence of alcohol at Canadian Forces events or mess halls should be addressed moving forward.
“I’m not sure we’re going to be in a position to ban the use of alcohol in the Canadian Armed Forces, but certainly making sure that it is managed in a very responsible way,” he told reporters in Ottawa.
“I think we have to listen to our members who clearly indicated to us that that is a concern and we have to address that concern.”
Blair said the Statistics Canada findings also underscored the importance of implementing all of the 48 recommendations outlined in Arbour’s report to ensure that sexual assault and misconduct “cannot be tolerated at any time under any circumstances.”
“We have to make sure that in our military colleges, in our workplaces, at national headquarters, in deployments, out in the field, in our messes and mess dinners and social functions, in any aspect of the Canadian Armed Forces culture, we have to remove those toxic elements,” he said.
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