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The Canadian Military admitted yesterday that a highly sexualized culture exists among the rank and file.
A long-awaited review into sexual misconduct in our military says soldiers face a hostile environment even among their own.
Today a young woman told CHCH that she has filed a lawsuit and asked not to be identified.
We also spoke with a number of other victims over the phone from right across Canada who have been sexually assaulted or experienced sexual harassment within the Canadian Military.
The woman who asked not to be identified said ” It happened in October of 2009 and I was going in for my recruiting medical exam.”
She was just 20 years old at the time.
“He asked me to remove my gown as i was sitting on the table so my breast were exposed.”
“From asking me to bend over and he was standing right behind me as I was touching my toes. He said he was checking my spine. Bending over my back. Wanting to check over my whole body. Doing a breast exam.”
Bobbie Bees from Vancouver is also a victim of sexual assault.
” In 1980 on Canadian Forces Base Namao as a child, a military dependent I was sexually assaulted over the course of a year and a half.”
Dee Brasseur told us her story as well.
“The last incident that occurred was in a Canadian Air Force mess in Alberta. A senior commanding officer of a flying training school from behind grabbed the cheeks of my butt with both hands left and right and said yep the buns are fresh.”
Harvey Gingras, from Winnipeg recalls what happened to him.
” A regular Force One officer in the reserve unit attempted to perform oral sex on me at one point and constantly exposed himself in front of me”
” In 1981 I was gang raped while in a change room in the hanger on the Air Force Base and it was ordered by a Sargent of mine.”
These are just some of the people who have been victimized allegedly by Canadian Military personal.
Phil Millar is a retired Infantry Combat Officer turned lawyer.
“I get weekly phone call requests for meetings. People who want to talk to me about what their options are.”
Millar has first hand experience of the masculine aggressive culture within the military.
“I look back now and think there were times people were saying things when there were no females around and I could tell they thought it was cool to talk like that. I wish I could go back and say that’s not cool.”
Millar represents a number of victims who have filed lawsuits. Many claim it’s not for the money.
