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    • Former Supreme Court justice's report on military sexual misconduct expected May 20

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    National Defence Minister Anita Anand told a Senate committee on Monday that a highly anticipated report on sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is expected to be released on May 20.

    Anand said she’s been meeting regularly with former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour, who is leading the review.

    “I know that her process has been very thorough and that she herself has undertaken a number of consultations and meetings, so I will accord her recommendations the highest respect. I look forward to receiving them. I look forward to acting on them,†she said at the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence.

    Last April, the government tasked Arbour with shedding light on the prevalence of harassment and sexual misconduct in the ranks of the Forces and providing recommendations about how best to set up an independent, external reporting system for defence team members.

    The review was launched amid a year of multiple misconduct investigations among the CAF’s highest-ranking members, deepening the call for a complete internal culture shift.

    The revolving door of senior officers stepping down or stepping aside stirred up criticism not only of the military leadership, but also of the federal government for not taking action to protect victims.

    Anand one of Arbour’s suggestions to transfer cases involving sexual assault, and other criminal offences of a sexual nature under the Criminal Code, to civilian authorities.

    Former Supreme Court judge Morris Fish also called for this transfer of authority in a separate report released last summer.

    The objective of Arbour’s assigned review isn’t unlike the one initiated in 2015 and undertaken by another former Supreme Court justice, Marie Deschamps.

    One of the key takeaways of Deschamps’ 100-page report was the need for an independent reporting and accountability body, “with the responsibility for receiving reports of inappropriate sexual conduct, as well as prevention, coordination and monitoring of training, victim support, monitoring of accountability, and research, and to act as a central authority for the collection of data.â€

    Asked at the time why, six years later, the government proposed to conduct yet another review if one of the key solutions is already known, then Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Deschamps’ work was a “good start†but more needs to be done.

    Anand said on Monday that the government is not waiting for Arbour’s report to take action on this issue.

    “Time is of the essence and that is why we’ve been implementing the number of reforms that I have indicated and we will continue to be very, very forthcoming in terms of our efforts in this area,†she said.

    The defence minister pointed to new government funding, an expanded Sexual Misconduct Response Centre, enhanced expert training, and the implementation of the long-awaited victims' bill of rights, as examples of reforms.

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    Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

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    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    • Two people emerged unhurt after a float plane had a hard landing late Friday morning on Lake Temiskaming.

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    • Video of a brazen daylight auto theft which shows a suspect running over a victim in a stolen luxury SUV has been released by police west of Toronto.

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    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

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    • A field trip aimed at educating Toronto students about the plight of a northern Ontario First Nation ended with them taking part in a protest where pro-Palestinian slogans were shouted.

    • Defence counsel for accused murderer John-Christopher Arrizza argues he was in an “altered state of mind†due to days of drug and alcohol use, sleep deprivation and not eating, when he fatally stabbed a man at a Banff nightclub in 2022.

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    • The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

    • The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    • A man who asserted his right to work in French has won his case before the Tribunal, invoking the new provisions of the province's French-language law (Bill 96) to that effect.

    • Mounties say there was an increased police presence in the Emerald Hills area of Sherwood Park on Friday morning as officers searched for a man who is wanted by police.

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    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes 'indescribable' pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

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    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • Two people emerged unhurt after a float plane had a hard landing late Friday morning on Lake Temiskaming.

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    • Members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and supportetrs greatly outnumbered the people attending a '1 Million March 4 Children' event along Central Avenue.

    • Today, the 71 year old is marking 50 years a paramedic. He said he never aspired to move into management or a desk job, he enjoys being on the road, helping patients too much.

    • Two men from Barrie have been charged after a deadly shooting at a park in Keswick on Wednesday.

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    • A truck driver from Orillia is proof that saying yes to Encore can pay off in a big way.

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    • The Municipality of Lakeshore is honouring long-serving members of the Lakeshore Fire Department.

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    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

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    • A Vulcan, Alta., man has been charged with a Lethbridge woman's murder after her body was found in the Oyen area.

    • A Lethbridge couple got a good reminder as to why you should keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.

    • Lethbridge residents who live near the police range can expect to hear plenty of shots fired Wednesday and Thursday.

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    • Three northern Ontario residents are charged with drug trafficking after the vehicle they were in got stuck along a bush road off Highway 17 on Monday.

    N.L.

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