Military police stop taking sexual assault complaints
Starting today, the Canadian Armed Forces transfers sex offence investigations to civilian police under Bill C-11 reforms.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Canadian military police will no longer accept Criminal Code sexual offence complaints, effective today, as the Liberal government's military justice reform bill takes hold.
Bill C-11 strips the military of jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute sexual offences involving Canadian Armed Forces members committed within the country, transferring those cases to the civilian justice system. The legislation follows recommendations from former Supreme Court justices Morris Fish and Louise Arbour, the current Governor General.
Arbour concluded in a 2022 report that Canadian Armed Forces members do not trust their own military justice system to handle these cases.
Opposition MPs had modified the legislation to allow members the choice between either system, but the Liberals removed those amendments after gaining a majority in the House of Commons.