CDS Op Order – Op HONOUR

Alternate Formats

CDS Op Order – Op HONOUR (PDF, 4726 kB)

Section Links

CDS Op Order - Op HONOUR Annex A Annex B Annex C

Situation

General. Earlier this year, former Supreme Court Justice and External Review Authority (ERA) Marie Deschamps reported on sexual misconduct within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The report, issued at reference A indicated the existence of an underlying sexualized culture in the CAF, which if not addressed, is conducive to more serious incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Indeed this conduct is wrong and runs contrary to the values of the profession of arms and ethical principles of DND/CAF.
The cornerstone of any military is the ability to be ready to respond to a wide variety of challenges at a moment’s notice. Personnel readiness is a function of many factors, the most basic of which is a high degree of physical and mental fitness. Harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour grievously erodes the confidence that members need to successfully carry out military duties. It is from this perspective that harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour involving members of the CAF is an operational readiness issue, incongruent with our ethics and values, and wrong.
Harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour is a real and serious problem for the CAF which requires the direct, deliberate and sustained engagement by the leadership of the CAF and the entire chain of command to address. Sustained engagement on this issue is critical to our effectiveness as a military force and the continued support of the Canadian people.
Problem Definition. There are behaviours that are inconsistent with the Profession of Arms. Harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour includes but is not limited to actions that perpetuate stereotypes and modes of thinking that devalue members on the basis of their sex, sexuality, or sexual orientation; unacceptable language or jokes; accessing, distributing, or publishing in the workplace material of a sexual nature; offensive sexual remarks; exploitation of power relationships for the purposes of sexual activity; unwelcome requests of a sexual nature, or verbal abuse of a sexual nature; publication of an intimate image of a person without their consent, voyeurism, indecent acts, sexual interference, sexual exploitation, and sexual assault.

Mission

To eliminate harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour within the CAF.

Execution

CDS Intent. My intent is to eliminate harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour within the CAF by leveraging the unequivocal support of my Commanders and all leaders in the CAF. Any form of harmful and Inappropriate sexual behaviour is a threat to the morale and operational readiness of the CAF, undermines good order and discipline, is inconsistent with the values of the profession of arms and the ethical principles of DND and CAF, and is wrong. I will not allow harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour within our organization, and I shall hold all leaders in the CAF accountable for failures that permit its continuation.
All CAF members have a duty to report, to the proper authority, any infringement of the pertinent statutes, regulations, rules, orders and instructions applicable to military members. Furthermore, where a complaint is made or where there are other reasons to believe that a service offence has been committed, an investigation shall be conducted as soon as practicable.
Predators and bullies who act contrary to the betterment and wellbeing of any in our ranks are neither useful in operations nor in garrison and are not welcome in the CAF. Commanders will ensure that prompt and decisive action is taken in response to any harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour, consistent with all applicable laws and policies.
Eliminating harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour within the CAF depends on its members demonstrating the integrity to act in a manner that bears the closest scrutiny and the courage to overcome difficult challenges through determination and strength of character. There shall be no grace period for the application of our values and ethics. Proper conduct starts now.
The increased attention that I have directed the CAF to place on this issue will likely lead to a surge in reporting of harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour, as victims who in the past would have suffered in silence now have the confidence to come forward. This should be seen as progress. Some reports will concern events dating back several years. Others will be more recent. Regardless, CAF must accept this as another opportunity to address the problem and win-back members’ trust.
To retain the trust and confidence of Canadians, the CAF will maintain transparency in all actions taken under Op HONOUR.
This OPORD supersedes the Initiating Directive promulgated at ref B.
Lines of Effort. Any harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour is a real and serious problem within the CAF. A single act of wrong-doing, regardless whether it is conducted inadvertently or without malice, is one too many. Even unintentional harm or offense undermines good order and discipline, threatens morale, and reduces operational effectiveness. We will use a strategy involving four lines of effort:

a. Understand. The CAF shall establish a clear understanding of what constitutes harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour, the means to identify members who are in need of support, and improved reporting and assessment measures;

b. Respond. The CAF shall institutionalize a cultural change, framed by clear direction and training for leaders on how to better direct and effect culture change throughout the institution;

c. Support. The CAF shall provide support and better facilitate services to CAF members affected by harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour including the establishment of a Sexual Misconduct Response Centre (SMRC). To the extent possible, support to those affected by harmful and inappropriate sexual behavior shall be guided by “do no harm”; and

d. Prevent. The CAF shall develop a unified policy approach to specifically define what constitutes harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour in plain language, enhance education and training on harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour, and establish an objective and enduring capability to measure performance and effect.

Conduct of Operations. This will be a whole-of-CAF effort. The CAF will initially use the CAF Strategic Response Team – Sexual Misconduct (CSRT-SM) to coordinate the development of policies, education, training, and additional member support. Op HONOUR shall be executed in four phases:

a. Phase One - Initiation. (Ongoing) VCDS will complete a comprehensive strategy and associated action plan to address the remaining recommendations of the ERA report while taking the necessary steps to develop the mandate, governance and operational model of the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre (Interim) (SMRC(I))(See Annex B). Commanders and the Senior Leadership of the CAF shall personally receive my detailed direction and intent on the actions needed to achieve the mission. Commanders will formally and personally communicate this down and oversee the development of Formation and Unit-level orders. Phase One is to be complete no later than (NLT) 30 Sep 15;

b. Phase Two – Preparation. Commanders shall personally oversee the communication and application of discipline, extant leadership doctrine, and orders and policies specifically in relation to inappropriate sexual behaviour. The Supported Commander, assisted by the Supporting Commanders, will develop and deliver education on harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour to CAF. Concurrent with the execution of this phase, the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre (Interim (SMRC(I)) will commence operations as outlined in Annex B. The effectiveness of Phase Two activities is to be measured, with the results reported to me NLT 1 Jul 16;

c. Phase Three – Deployment/Employment. Concurrent with Commanders’ continued communication and application of discipline, the CAF will issue revised policies and deliver mission-specific training to its leaders. Concurrent with the execution of this phase, SMRC(I) will transition to a full operational capability. The effectiveness of each of Phase Three activities are to be measured, with the results reported to me NLT 1 Jul 17; and

d. Phase Four – Maintain and Hold. In this phase, the CSRT-SM coordination functions will be re-absorbed into a DND/CAF that is better oriented, educated and trained to administer them in a manner that is fully consistent with DND and CAF Code of Values and Ethics. Commanders will continue to personally oversee the maintenance of values and the application of administrative and/or disciplinary measures. The SMRC will continue to function at full operational capability .

Main Effort. Leveraging CAF leadership at all levels to stop wrong and harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour and provide better support to affected members.
End State. The end state shall be achieved when all CAF members are able to perform their duties in an environment free of harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour and are able to fully enjoy the support of an institution that fosters mutual trust, respect, honour, and dignity. Meeting this end state requires the following conditions to be met:

a. Leadership-Driven Culture Change: The strengthening of the CAF culture and ethos in a manner that reinforces mutual trust, respect, honour, and dignity;

b. Uphold the Profession of Arms: The CAF is founded on a core Canadian value; the respect for dignity of all persons at all times. Honour flows from practicing Canadian military values and ethics. It is every member’s duty to uphold the Profession of Arms and, above all, do the right thing; and

c. Support for CAF Members: CAF members who have been affected by harmful and inappropriate sexual behavior will be better supported with discretion and empathy, and appropriately informed about the resources that are available to them from an effective, comprehensive, and coordinated network.

CDS Critical Information Requirements (CCIR). The CCIRs below apply to all phases of Op HONOUR:

a. Extent and nature of harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour within CAF;

b. Any alleged or confirmed acts of sexual misconduct or other breaches of these orders by Formation Commanders, Commanding Officers, and their Chief Petty Officers 1st Class/Chief Warrant Officers; and

c. Issues that prevent Commanders from achieving the mission.

Groupings and Tasks. See Annex A
Coordinating Instructions

a. Key dates and timings. The key dates frame CAF activities:

(1) 20 Aug 15: CDS Leadership Engagement;

(2) 01 Sep 15: Stand-up of SMRC(I);

(3) 15 Sep 15: SMRC(1) reaches initial operational capacity;

(4) NLT 30 Sep 15: Orders issued down to the lowest tactical level;

(5) 01 Oct 15: CSRT-SM from VCDS to CMP;

(6) Winter 15/16: Symposium for CAF Senior Leaders and Stakeholders on Harmful and Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour;

(7) APS 18: Stand-down CSRT-SM and transfer of functions to applicable DND/CAF OPIs; and

(8) FY 18/19: SMRC Full Operational Capability (FOC).

Service Support

The JAG is committed to ensuring that those findings and recommendations within reference A that touch upon the military justice system are closely reviewed, in coordination with CSRT-SM, to ensure that any changes to military justice legislation, policies and practices are consistent with the approaches being developed by that team.
The CFPM is committed to ensuring that those findings and recommendations within reference A that touch upon military police investigations, training or professional standards are closely reviewed, in coordination with JAG and CSRT-SM, to ensure that any changes to policies and practices in these areas are consistent with the approaches being developed by that team.
Force Allocation. Op HONOUR will be conducted from within the extant establishment of the CAF, with support provided by DND. Human and other resources for Op HONOUR will be acquired through the CFTPO, civilian secondments, and/or the extant Level 0 Business Plan.
Task Coordination. Personnel will be tasked through the National Personnel Tasking System to ensure filling of essential tasks and provide reports to the CDS as required.
Commanders shall continue to coordinate their efforts through CSRT-SM. CAF mission success will depend on the development of effective staff linkages between Commanders and CSRT-SM. CSRT-SM will work closely with SMRC(I). Both will operate within their respective mandates to inform actions undertaken by the CAF leadership to achieve the mission.
Public Affairs Posture. The CAF will pursue an active PA posture, with ADM (PA) responsible for developing the public affairs strategy and leading and coordinating its execution. CSRT-SM Public Affairs will coordinate and staff PA products for ADM (PA) approval through the Supported Commander.

Command and Signals

This operation is command-centric, supported by an accountability framework that extends throughout the CAF.
Commanders at all levels are to personally issue their own formal, written orders down to the lowest tactical unit to ensure consistency of messaging. These shall be used as the basis for the development of tactical orders, which shall be reviewed two levels up prior to their issuance. Supported and Supporting Commanders will verify to me personally that orders have been reviewed, communicated and understood at all levels.
Supported Commander. VCDS is the supported commander for Phase One. CMP is the supported commander for Phases Two, Three and Four.
Supporting Commanders/Group Principals. All other Commanders and Group Principals.
Transfer of Command Authority (TOCA). On 1 Sep 15, SMRC(I) will stand-up.
On 1 Oct 15, authority for CSRT-SM will transfer from VCDS to CMP.
Points of Contact:

a. VCDS:

(1) Cmdre BWN Santarpia, COS VCDS, 613-992-6091

b. CMP:

(1) BGen N Eldaoud, COS CMP, 613-992-7702

c. CSRT-SM:

(1) LGen CT Whitecross, Commander, 613-996-2347;

(2) Col GMH Fontaine, Deputy Commander, 613-996-2365;

(3) Ms. N. Neault, Strategic Advisor, 613-996-2952;

(4) LCol JPS Lapointe, Chief of Staff, 613-996-3522;

(5) Cdr P Grimshaw, Deputy Director Policy, Education and Training, 613-996-3181;

(6) LCol JAM Villeneuve, Deputy Director Programme Effectiveness Measurement, 613-996-3158;

(7) Ms. M. Lamothe, Communications Advisor, 613-996-3133; and

33. SMRC(I): To be promulgated

J.H. Vance
General

Annexes:

Annex A – Op HONOUR Tasks and Support Requirements
Annex B – Sexual Misconduct Response Centre (Interim) Operating Concept
Annex C – Soldier’s Card

Distribution List

Action

VCDS
SJS DOS
Comd RCN
Comd CA
Comd RCAF
CMP
Comd CJOC
Comd CFINTCOM
Comd CANSOFCOM
ADM(IE)
ADM(HR-Civ)
ADM(IM)
ADM(RS)
JAG
ADM(PA)
Corp Sec

Information

MND
DM
Senior Assoc DM
DCDRNORAD
ADM(Pol)
ADM(Mat)
ADM(Fin)/CFO
ADM(S&T)

Page details

Date modified:: 2017-09-29

Language selection

Search