Karen McCrimmon, Veteran
Photo Credit: Government of Canada
Esprit de Corps Magazine May 2021 // Volume 28 Issue 4
Let's Talk About Women in the Military – Column 26
By Military Woman
Question:
How can we all do our part to fix the "military sexual misconduct crisis"?
Answer:
First, we need to agree the military has a problem in need of being fixed. Only then can we all work together to hold our Members of Parliament (MPs) accountable to do their jobs, which includes the provision of civilian oversight of the military.
Do you think most Canadians who have been hearing about the sexual misconduct stories from the military would entrust their daughters and sons to the Forces right now? Add to that, the breach of trust felt by many serving members towards their senior leadership, the genuine fear many of those leaders now have of becoming tomorrow's front-page headline (deservedly or not), and the national security implications of lowered military recruitment and retention. Yet despite the dire seriousness of this all, many media and partisan veterans are focusing on "who is to blame". So would you like to know the answer? We all are to blame. Surprised?
Canada is, for now, still a democracy. We are all responsible to vote and select our MPs who then act as our voice federally.
MPs do a lot. MPs decide when, where and how our military will be used (at home and abroad). MPs also decide the military's budget, the number of people allowed to work in the military, the location of military bases, what system of military rank will be used, what colour military planes will be painted, and what oversight mechanisms will be in place to monitor the military's workplace environment and its resulting culture. MPs decide just about everything important for the military, including who the Chief of Defence Staff is.
Military sexual misconduct has been a problem for decades – spanning both Conservative and Liberal governments alike and impacting, by gross numbers, more men than women.
Conservatives stake claim to caring about the military, but traditionally haven't paid out for the needed big-ticket military and veteran support items. The Conservatives have also traditionally shown more interest in women choosing to serve as civilian spouses then as uniformed servicewomen. The Liberals may still fixate on bygone UN peacekeeping days, but generally have funded needed military equipment and care programs for still serving and released/retired members. Both political parties have historically been blind to the injurious military workplace situations experienced by those that were not "ideal" white heterosexual male soldiers. It's time now to move beyond the finger-pointing blame game, but how?
First, agree there is a problem.
This might sound obvious, but many senior leaders, politicians and journalists continue to express "shock" at the latest sexual misconduct stories. This being despite so many of us who have been shouting from the hilltops for years about the presence and devasting impact of military sexual trauma.
Seriously, how can people still claim to be "shocked"?
The fact is that many men and women in the defence team live in well-guarded echo chambers, and truly believe that today's crisis is unrelated to them and their own past actions. This same group often serves to source the cultural gatekeepers who perpetuate and inflict a "death by a thousand paper cuts" for those of us seeking military culture change. This group still prefers to think the problem is "bad apples" rather than the culture that groomed, supported, and rewarded the "bad apples".
Second, let your MP know that serving members and veterans need them to step up. Every MP is accountable to you (their constituent) for carrying out their federal responsibilities which include oversight of the military and ensuring care for injured veterans. Demand that your MP become an ally for military and veteran issues. If your MP is not supportive of serving and veteran members, then find and support a political candidate that does in time for the next election.
Admitting there is a culture problem in the military allows us to better define the problem and develop the action plan to fix it. The bright side of acknowledging we all are part of the problem is that we can then all work together to be part of the solution.
Update:
2024. LCol (Retired) Karen McCrimmon was federal Member of Parliament (MP) for Kanata-Carleton from 2015-2021. She returned to politics after winning a 2023 by election to become the same riding’s Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP).
