Personal information about more than 100 military sex misconduct claimants leaked | Canada News Media
Connect with us

News

Personal information about more than 100 military sex misconduct claimants leaked

Published

 on

OTTAWA — The company overseeing the federal government’s $900-million settlement deal with military members who experienced sexual misconduct in uniform is admitting to more privacy breaches, despite repeated promises to have fixed the problem.

Epiq Class Action Services Canada confirmed the additional errors after a third veteran came forward to The Canadian Press to report having received an email containing the personal details of a different claimant earlier this month.

The veteran, who asked not to be identified because she still works for the federal government, said the information was contained in an attachment as she was fighting Epiq after the company sent her settlement cheque to the wrong address.

The Federal Court appointed Epiq to administer the settlement process after the government reached an agreement in November 2019 with plaintiffs in three overlapping class-action lawsuits dealing with sexual misconduct in the military.

“I feel betrayed and worried that my personal information has been sent to other members,” the veteran said. “I submitted over 180 pages of documents and I’m sick with worry that someone has my information. It’s victimizing all over.”

Epiq has previously said the inadvertently released information does not include testimonials and other such documents, but only claimants’ names, contact details and randomly generated claim numbers.

It has nonetheless apologized for the errors since the first was reported in March, and repeatedly promised that it was taking the appropriate disciplinary and procedural steps to ensure more claimants are not affected.

The leaks also prompted a panel of claimants, lawyers and government officials tasked with overseeing the settlement to order an independent audit of Epiq’s claims process to prevent further problems.

The company has since retained an external auditor to review and recommend changes to its procedures, Epiq vice-president Angela Hoidas said in an email, adding: “We sincerely regret these additional disclosures.

“While inadvertent human errors have affected a small fraction of the claims we have successfully administered in this class, we believe that any inadvertent error is unacceptable, and have already taken substantial steps to improve our policies and procedures.”

Lawyer Jonathan Ptak, who represents some of the veterans and active service members involved in the three lawsuits settled by the government, said the audit has started.

Yet neither Epiq’s promises to address the problem nor the decision to order an audit stopped the latest breach, which according to a statement on Epiq’s website brings the total number of claimants whose private information has been compromised to 109.

While Epiq has not revealed the total number of actual incidents in which a breach has occurred, Defence Department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande said the company has reported 20 individual breaches since Feb. 8.

That includes 15 previously unreported incidents discovered by the company during an internal review in late February.

“National Defence takes the issue of privacy very seriously,” Lamirande said in an email. “We have requested that Epiq investigate and take steps to ensure that this matter is contained, resolved, and does not happen again.”

Nearly 20,000 people have applied for compensation as part of the class-action settlement.

Retired master corporal Amy Green and fellow veteran France Menard said they have not heard anything more from the company, government or law firms involved in the settlement since receiving private information about other claimants from Epiq earlier this year.

“It’s disappointing, that’s for sure,” Menard said. “They’re trying to put everything under the rug.”

The veteran who most recently received another claimant’s information said she and others had already been having problems with Epiq even before the privacy breaches, including incorrect information and settlement payments sent to the wrong addresses.

The information sent to Menard and Green consists of the names of individual claimants as well as their claim numbers, which can be used to submit documents through a secure link on the class-action website.

Hoidas has said such documents would then be reviewed by Epiq, and that individual files cannot be accessed, but Menard and Green say they are unsatisfied with Epiq’s response, particularly given the sensitive nature of the claims and settlement deal.

While the office of the privacy commissioner said in March that it was looking into the issue after receiving a privacy breach report from Epiq, spokesman Vito Pilieci said there was no update to the watchdog’s probe.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2022.

 

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

News

Quick Quotes: What Liberal MPs have to say as the caucus debates Trudeau’s future

Published

 on

OTTAWA – Here are some notable quotes from Liberal members of Parliament as they headed into a caucus meeting Wednesday where they are set to debate Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership.

Comments made after the caucus meeting:

“The Liberal party is strong and united.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

———

“Justin Trudeau is reflecting and he’s standing strong and we’re standing strong as a Liberal party.”

“We as a party recognize that the real threat here is Pierre Poilievre and that’s what we’re fighting for.”

“Trudeau has made very clear that he feels he’s the right choice but he appreciates all of what is being said because he’s reflecting on what is being done across Canada. I respect his decision, whatever that may be.”

Charles Sousa, MP for Mississauga—Lakeshore

———

“We had some open and frank discussions. People are relentlessly focused on serving Canadians and win the next election. This was really a rallying call to win the next election.”

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, MP for Saint Maurice—Champlain

———

“I don’t know how many people spoke, well over 50 I’m sure. They came at this from all angles and now (we’ve) got to go back and process this.

“We’re on a good path.

“It was very respectful. You know, caucus has always had the ability to get into some tough conversations. We did it again today and it went extremely well. Where we land? Who knows? You know we have to go and really process this stuff. But one thing that is absolutely, you know, fundamental is that we are united in the fact that we cannot let that creature from the Conservative party run the country. He would ruin things that people greatly value.”

Ken Hardie, MP for Fleetwood—Port Kells

———

Comments from before the caucus meeting:

“There’s a — what would you call it? Some palace drama going on right now. And that takes us away from the number 1 job, which is focusing on Canadians and focusing on the important policies but also on showing the really clear contrast between our government, our party and Pierre Poilievre.”

Randy Boissonnault, Employment Minister, MP for Edmonton Centre

———

“We’re going to go in there and we’re going to have an excellent discussion and we are going to emerge united.”

Treasury Board President and Transport Minister Anita Anand, MP for Oakville

———

“I think caucus is nervous because of the polling that has been constantly going down in favour of Liberals, and there’s a lot of people who do want to run again. I’m not running again, although I already told the prime minister that. But there are people there that want to run again and they’re nervous because of what polls are saying.”

“He has to start listening.”

Ken McDonald, MP for Avalon

———

“We’re going to have a good caucus meeting. MPs should be free to air their perspectives, I’m sure they will, and we’ll come out of it united.”

Peter Fragiskatos, MP for London North Centre

———

“I have to read the room. There’s all sorts of wheels within wheels turning right now. I’m just going to go in there, I’m going to make my mind a blank and just soak it all in.”

“I’m not going to say anything about (the prime minister) until I have my say in there.”

Ken Hardie, MP for Fleetwood—Port Kells

———

“I wish there was a mechanism for it, yes,” he said, responding to whether he wanted a secret ballot vote in caucus to determine Trudeau’s leadership.

Sean Casey, MP for Charlottetown

———

“The prime minister will always be on my posters and he is welcome in Winnipeg North any time.”

Kevin Lamoureux, MP for Winnipeg North

———

“Absolutely I support the prime minister.”

Yvonne Jones, MP for Labrador

———

“When you look divided, you look weak.”

Judy Sgro, MP for Humber River—Black Creek

———

“I think Pierre Poilievre is absolutely beatable, he’s ripe for the picking with the right vision, the right leadership and the right direction for our party. The Liberal party is an institution in this country. It’s bigger than one person, one leader, and it’s incumbent on us as elected officials to make sure we put the best foot forward.”

Wayne Long, MP for Saint John—Rothesay

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.



Source link

Continue Reading

News

With Liberal election win, First Nations in N.B. look forward to improved relations

Published

 on

FREDERICTON – Chief Allan Polchies says he is excited about New Brunswick’s new Liberal provincial government.

Polchies, of St. Mary’s First Nation, says he looks forward to meaningful dialogue with premier-designate Susan Holt after years of tense relations with the outgoing Progressive Conservatives under Blaine Higgs.

He is one of six Wolastoqey Nation chiefs who have filed a land claim for a significant part of the province, arguing treaty rights have not been respected by corporations and governments, both of which have exploited the land for hundreds of years.

The December 2021 court challenge has been a sore point between Indigenous Peoples and the Higgs’s government.

Eight Mi’kmaw communities are also asserting Aboriginal title to land in the province, and they say they hope to work with Holt and her team on “advancing issues that are important to our communities.”

Holt’s campaign didn’t give details on the Liberal government’s position on the Indigenous claims, but she has said she wants to rebuild trust between the province and First Nations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

News

Abdelrazik tells of despair when Ottawa denied him passport to return home from Sudan

Published

 on

OTTAWA – Abousfian Abdelrazik told a court today about the roller-coaster of emotions he experienced during the tense days of early 2009 when he awaited the green light to return to Canada from Sudan.

The Sudanese-born Abdelrazik settled in Montreal as a refugee and became a Canadian citizen in 1995.

During a 2003 visit to his native country to see his ailing mother, he was arrested, imprisoned and questioned about suspected terrorist connections.

Abdelrazik says he was tortured during two periods of detention by the Sudanese intelligence agency.

He is suing the federal government, claiming officials arranged for his arbitrary imprisonment, encouraged his detention by Sudanese authorities and actively obstructed his repatriation to Canada for several years.

In March 2009, he made arrangements to fly home to Canada and asked Ottawa to issue him an emergency passport, but his hopes were dashed — at least temporarily — when the request was turned down.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version