‘Urgent need for reform’ of military justice system: Fish

OTTAWA — A retired Supreme Court judge is calling for urgent reforms to Canada’s military justice system to prevent victims of misconduct, sexual and otherwise, from continuing to suffer.

Morris Fish says the current system is rife with areas where the potential for interference in police investigations and courts martial from the chain of command exists, which is why action is needed now.

“Reform of the military justice system along the lines developed by my recommendations is no longer an option: It’s essential to protect present and future generations of military members,” Fish said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. “So that’s why I say there is an urgent need for reform of the military justice system in order to prevent present and future victims of sexual misconduct and other misconduct from continuing to suffer needlessly and unduly.”

Fish’s comments follow the release of an explosive 400page report earlier this month on the system that the Canadian Armed Forces uses to investigate and try everything from minor disciplinary infractions to heinous criminal acts.

Fish spent six months starting last November quietly studying the system, which functions separately from its civilian counterpart and is subject to mandatory reviews every decade or so, with his final report tabled in Parliament on June 1.

Much of Fish’s review coincided with the military’s latest reckoning with sexual misconduct as several senior commanders have been accused of improper, and in some cases criminal, behaviour.

Underlying much of the current crisis are questions of fairness and accountability in how the military handles such allegations, with concerns that those higher up in the ranks are treated less severely than those near the bottom.