OTTAWA — Veterans and advocates say the government's move to end the military's ability to prosecute sexual assault and similar crimes will push more cases into an already overburdened justice system, and won't solve the real problem.
"People were desperate for a change when we saw how broken the system was," said Christine Wood, a former air force logistics officer, referring to the 2021 crisis that saw a number of high-ranking military leaders lose their jobs after accusations of sexual misconduct. Just over half of the 285 cases were referred to civilian police since then, with only 103 of them accepted. In 64 other cases, the victim wanted military police to investigate."We want choice, we want agency, that's what we were denied in the very first place," she said.
"I think that's a direct comment on what we've seen happening with the transfer of cases to the civilian courts, and the number of them that have been dismissed or thrown out because too much time has passed," Wood said.