Hon. Mary Coyle: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, in April of last year, the government announced that former Justice Louise Arbour would lead a review looking into sexual misconduct and sexual harassment in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces.

This week, the final report of this review was released. A key recommendation from Justice Arbour’s report is that civilian authorities have exclusive jurisdiction over Criminal Code sexual offences against Canadian Armed Forces members. This recommendation was built on former Justice Fish’s and former Justice Deschamps’s reports’ findings and recommendations in 2021 and 2015, respectively, where they both recommended sexual offences be referred to civilian authorities.

Senator Gold, we know that the military justice system has been ineffective in dealing with matters related to sexual misconduct and sexual harassment. Senator Gold, I’m sure you will agree that all Canadians deserve equal access to justice, be they civilian or military.

Senator Gold, will the government commit to implementing these centrally important recommendations?

Senator Coyle: Thank you, Senator Gold. I look forward to hearing further updates on that process, as you have described it.

Senator Gold, another important recommendation made by former Justice Arbour was that the civilian human rights organizations have adequate access and resources to assess and address these complaints from military personnel.

Senator Gold, will the government take action on this recommendation as well?