Canada to clean up armed forces
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Doug Young, the Canadian Defence Minister, announced a major shake up of the administration of the country's armed forces yesterday in a move to improve the image of the military and to rebuild morale following embarrassing scandals which plagued peace-keeping operations in Somalia and Bosnia.
The torture and killing of a Somali teenager while in the custody of a Canadian army patrol and the shooting of two other Somali looters, one of whom died, while they were running away from a Canadian camp in March 1993 has severely damaged the Canadian reputation for peace-keeping operations.
That reputation was further damaged by the results of an investigation into the behaviour of Canadian soldiers guarding a mental hospital in Bakovici, Bosnia. The soldiers were accused of beating up patients, of careless use of weapons, excessive drinking and consensual sex with nurses and interpreters.
One of the major changes announced yesterday involved a complete restructuring of the military justice system and the creation of an investigation service which can operate outside the normal chain of command.
A royal commission of inquiry into the Somalia affair has pointed to extensive steps by senior military officers to downplay the murder of the teenager and attempts to block an investigation into the other shooting incident. The initial cover-up took place under the previous Conservative government but there were subsequent efforts under the current Liberal government to shred documents and prevent information from becoming public.
Mr Young, who was given the defence portfolio four months ago, said: "We will put in place a system of military justice that is transparent and ensures that all members of the forces ... will be dealt with in a fair and equitable manner."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments