Canada’s Defence Minister Anita Anand says boosting and protecting the country’s armed forces is a “top priority” amid a changing global geopolitical landscape, recruitment problems and ongoing efforts to address sexual misconduct in the military.
“I’ve continually said that my top priority is to make sure that all members of our armed forces are protected and respected when they put on a uniform in service of this country,” Anand told CTV’s Your Morning on Friday, during an interview to mark Remembrance Day.
“The world is getting darker for a number of reasons, one of which is Russia’s illegal, further invasion of Ukraine,” Anand said. “I definitely take note of that changing global strategic environment where we have aggressors trying to make their mark against the allied nations, and what we need to continue to do, and will continue to do, is to be unified.”
The Canadian government has been supporting Ukraine with multi-million dollar aid packages, military equipment and training for Ukrainian soldiers, and Anand said that support will continue in the long term.
In the meantime, the Canadian military has been struggling to recruit new members. Earlier this fall, the Canadian Armed Forces sounded the alarm over a severe shortage of recruits to fill thousands of vacant positions. Part of the problem was the fact that military recruitment and training centres were shuttered because of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in only 2,000 people being enrolled in the military in 2020-21 – less than half of what was needed — The Canadian Press reported.
The military has also been grappling with numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, some involving high-ranking officers, which led to calls for an internal culture shift. Anand told Your Morning that since her appointment as defence minister, she has been working to address the issue and that includes bringing in an external monitor, Jocelyne Therrien, to oversee efforts addressing sexual misconduct within the Canadian Armed Forces.
“We’re continuing to make progress by increasing resources for the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre,” Anand said.
Anand was also asked about the more than 23,000 veterans whose disability claims have yet to be processed by Veterans Affairs Canada. She said that addressing the backlog “is extremely important to our government…since 2020, we’ve committed $340 million in an effort to make sure that that backlog is reduced.”
Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay has told The Canadian Press that the initial claims are taking 25 weeks to process. However, that does not take into account how long the paperwork sits before it’s processed.
“By spring/summer 2023, we expect service standards to return to normal,” Anand said.
Watch the full interview by clicking the video at the top of this article.
VICTORIA – Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau has lost her seat in the legislature after changing ridings to Victoria-Beacon Hill.
Furstenau lost to Grace Lore, the minister of children and family development in the previous NDP government.
The Green leader was first elected 2017, when her party played a key roll in helping the New Democrats form government with a confidence and supply agreement between the two parties.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
VANCOUVER – British Columbia Premier and NDP Leader David Eby has won re-election in the riding of Vancouver-Point Grey.
Eby was first elected to the riding in 2013, when he defeated then-premier and former B.C. Liberal leader Christy Clark.
He is a former executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association who became premier in 2022 after John Horgan stepped aside.
Eby was challenged in Vancouver-Point Grey by B.C. Conservative candidate Paul Ratchford, who says on a social media profile that he is the owner of a private real estate company.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
British Columbians have gone to the polls on an election day marked by torrential rain and high winds across much of the province.
Here’s the latest on the race to form the next provincial government between the New Democrats, led by David Eby, and John Rustad’s B.C. Conservatives, with Green Leader Sonia Furstenau hoping her party can maintain a presence in the legislature:
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5:45 p.m.
An election-day storm stalled voting in several areas of the province.
Torrential rain and high winds knocked out power to voting places in more than half a dozen locations.
Voters on Haida Gwaii, on Denman, Hornby and Mayne islands, in Kamloops, the Bulkley Valley, Langley and Port Moody had to delay their votes because of power outages.
The lights remain out at Alexander Robinson Elementary school in the riding of Maple Ridge East and election officials are on site to direct voters to other polling stations.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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