OTTAWA — Survivors of sexual misconduct within the military say they feel they weren’t heard by the Liberal government that is pushing ahead with its military justice reform bill, now nearing its end stages in Parliament.

The bill would remove from the military its jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute sexual offences committed within the country and hand it over to civilian police.

Christine Wood, a former air force logistics officer who experienced sexual misconduct in the military, says survivors of sexual offences deserve to choose which system will handle their case.

Donna Van Leusden, co-founder of the Survivor Perspectives Consulting Group, says she worries about transferring these cases to an already overburdened civilian criminal justice system.

Defence Minister David McGuinty, who is promoting the bill before a Senate committee today, has argued it will modernize the military justice system and bring about cultural change.

It follows several past recommendations from Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour, who led an independent review in 2022 that found Canadian Armed Forces members did not trust their own military justice system to handle these cases.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press