Women and the Military…

    May 1, 2015

National Newswatch – Stephanie Levitz — The Canadian Press
Military, judge agree on sexual misconduct problem, but not on how to solve it 

At first, General Tom Larson, Chief of Defence Staff, said there was no problem.  Now a year after asking former Supreme Court Justice Marie Deschamps to conduct an inquiry, Larson, a lame duck in the position, agrees there is a systemic problem and is reacting to a series of 10 recommendations, accepting only 2 outright.  A key issue is in the report’s recommendation for an outside agency to deal with the problem since there is extreme difficulty around reporting and the accuracy of the data to date based on reluctance both to report and respond to reports.    http://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2015/04/30/militarys-sexualized-culture-hostile-to-women-inquiry-says/#.VUOWIZNQRUZ    Related article:  Globe and Mail:  Chris Hannay    Why victims of sexual harassment or assault in the military stay silent    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/why-victims-of-sexual-harassment-or-assault-in-the-military-stay-silent/article24200256/   Related article: Toronto Star – Alex Boutilier    MP Christine Moore faced military harassment first hand     http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/04/30/mp-christine-moore-faced-military-harassment-first-hand.html    Related article:  Toronto Star – Bruce Campion-Smith and Alex Boutilier     Canada’s military suffers ‘sexualized culture,’ report says – Women in uniform are subject to sexual jokes, harassment and assaults, damning report finds    http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/04/30/canadas-military-suffers-sexualized-culture-report-says.html   Related article:  Toronto Star Editorial (May 1, 2015)   Canada’s military needs an about-face on sexual misconduct    http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/04/30/canadas-military-needs-an-about-face-on-sexual-misconduct-editorial.html   Related article: Globe and Mail – Daniel Leblanc   ‘Cultural shift’ required to address sexual harassment in Canadian Forces    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/report-says-canadian-armed-forces-marred-by-sexualized-culture/article24187636/   Related article: Ottawa Citizen – Lee Berthiaume    Military culture ‘hostile’ to women, gays, says damning report   http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/military-releases-report-on-sexual-assault-in-its-ranks

 National Newswatch – Canadian Press
B.C. man wrongly imprisoned for 27 years can sue, Supreme Court says

The Supreme Court of Canada has changed the rules around why a wrongly convicted person can sue a prosecutor for failure to fully disclose evidence.  Ivan Henry was convicted in 1983 of eight counts of sexual criminal acts and declared a dangerous offender but in 2010 the BC Court of Appeal overturned Henry’s convictions citing a failure by crown and police to fully disclose the evidence.  The SCC gives Henry the right to use the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to pursue the lawsuit for 27 years of wrongful imprisonment against the crown.   http://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2015/05/01/b-c-man-wrongly-imprisoned-for-27-years-can-sue-supreme-court-says/#.VUOOM5NQRUZ  Related article:  Globe and Mail – Sean Fine   B.C. man can sue over wrongful sex-assault conviction, top court rules  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-man-can-sue-over-wrongful-sex-assault-conviction-top-court-rules/article24207519/

 Toronto Star – Nicholas Keung
Court dismisses Ottawa’s attempt to crush discrimination case  

A federal court has refused to dismiss a case brought by 150 immigrant construction workers that claims that a new immigration program targeting skilled workers is discriminatory.  The workers claim that the Federal Skills Training program accepts only workers from English speaking countries and refuses permanency to workers from Spain, Portugal and Poland.  The Federal Court has given the government 30 days to file a statement of defence. http://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/2015/04/30/court-dismisses-ottawas-attempt-to-crush-discrimination-case.html

 CBC News
Mandatory minimum drug sentence appeal to be heard by Supreme Court – B.C. judge called sentence for Downtown Eastside Vancouver man ‘cruel and unusual’ at lower court  

Joseph Ryan Lloyd had less than 10 grams combined of heroin, crack cocaine and crystal methamphetamine and the mandatory minimums required a sentence of one year.  Judge Joseph Galati said no to the mandatory and the BC Court of Appeal sided with the crown and that sent the case to the SCC.  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/mandatory-minimum-drug-sentence-appeal-to-be-heard-by-supreme-court-1.3055453

 National Post – Richard Warnica
Toronto police chief won’t abolish controversial practice of carding: ‘There will be an increase in crime’  

Toronto’s new Police Chief Mark Saunders appeared before a Black issues summit shortly after his appointment and made it clear that the controversial practice of carding – stopping people without reason, requiring identification and the recording the encounter – is not going to stop.  Black people in particular claim that the practice is discriminatory and targets Black people.  Saunders acknowledged what he called the “social cost” of carding but appears ready to live with the mounting distrust from the community.  Saunders has already ruled out abolishing carding in the mandated six month review of the current policy.  http://news.nationalpost.com/toronto/torontos-new-police-chief-wont-abolish-controversial-practice-of-carding-there-will-be-an-increase-in-crime