Conservative leader Erin O’Toole called on voters in Vancouver – South, Sajjan’s riding,  to fire Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan in the next election. Women in the Canadian Armed Forces do not feel safe or heard. And why should they? The Liberal government and the Minister of Defence have done nothing to address the pervasive and well documented toxic culture against women within the CAF, said NDP Critic for Women and Gender Equality, Lindsay Mathyssen, and the NDP Critic for Defence, Randall Garrison. “It is for that reason that we will be supporting the Conservative Party’s Opposition Day Motion. The Minister of Defence has shown no leadership when it comes to addressing this issue. The buck stops with him.

By PD Raj – Senior Writer DESIBUZZCanada

OTTAWA – In a rare team-up, the NDP joined their Conservative counterparts in calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fire Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan over incompetence in dealing with meltdown in the Canadian Armed Forces over sexual harassment and other issues.

Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, went one step further in  calling on voters in Vancouver – South, Sajjan’s riding,  to fire the Minister in the next election.

“Harjit Sajjan misled Canadians about the nature of his service. He presided over the Vice-Admiral Mark Norman scandal. And, he covered up sexual misconduct allegations. This is not the record of a Minister, or a Member of Parliament, who can be trusted to implement the changes necessary to eliminate sexual misconduct in the military or represent the important issues of Vancouver – South in Parliament.

“Justin Trudeau won’t fire Harjit Sajjan, and Harjit Sajjan won’t resign. If you care about ending sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, and ending the cover-up by the Trudeau government, you have to take matters into your own hands and fire Harjit Sajjan. It is up to you, the voters of Vancouver – South to help put an end to the scandals, corruption, and culture of cover-ups that have taken root in Liberal Ottawa.

“The women of the Canadian Armed Forces can’t afford more of the same. There is only one choice to end the corruption in Ottawa, and that is Canada’s Conservatives.”

NDP Critic for Women and Gender Equality, Lindsay Mathyssen, and the NDP Critic for Defence, Randall Garrison, joined the call for Sajjan’s ouster.

“Over the past few months, the scandal surrounding former General Vance and the Canadian Armed Forces has been a constant reminder of the lack of action and leadership from the Liberals to address the toxic culture within the CAF.

“Women in the Canadian Armed Forces do not feel safe or heard. And why should they? The Liberal government and the Minister of Defence have done nothing to address the pervasive and well documented toxic culture against women within the CAF.

“It is for that reason that we will be supporting the Conservative Party’s Opposition Day Motion. The Minister of Defence has shown no leadership when it comes to addressing this issue. The buck stops with him.

“Canadians have had enough of a Minister who prefers to look the other way whether we are talking about sexual misconduct or war crimes. Instead  it is time for a new Minister who will lead on these issues.

“Women and all service people deserve better than empty apologies and promises to do better from the Minister and Prime Minister.”

New Democrats will continue to push this government to implement the changes from the Deschamps report –which they have been ignoring for years, said NDP’s Mathyssen and Garrison.

The latest episode involved major-general Dany Fortin who was removed in mid-May from his position as vice-president for logistics and operations with the Public Health Agency of Canada, due to an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct that occurred three decades earlier.

Fortin had led Canada’s vaccination program after being seconded to the PHAC last November. Now, his lawyers have filed a case in a court alleging improper interference into the military chain of command with Sajjan, health minister Patty Hajdu and Trudeau, along with the senior-most bureaucrat in the country, the Clerk of the Privy Council, taking the decision for political reasons.

As Fortin’s legal team challenged the government, lieutenant general Mike Rouleau, the second-in-command in the Canadian Armed Forces or CAF, resigned after it was discovered he went golfing with retired general Jonathan Vance, the former chief of staff. In fact, the entire controversy started with reports of Vance’s alleged sexual misconduct. Vance resigned in January amidst allegations of impropriety of a sexual nature and is facing an investigation.

“More scandals. More corruption. More cover-ups. That is what Canadians can expect from Justin Trudeau and the Liberals. There is only one choice to end their corruption and secure accountability in Ottawa – Canada's Conservatives,” O’Toole added.