Wednesday, June 29, 2022
No Result
View All Result
  • Media
Support Us
Macdonald-Laurier Institute
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Justice
      • Social issues
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Justice
      • Social issues
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media
No Result
View All Result
Macdonald-Laurier Institute

The lessons Canada’s military didn’t learn from the Somalia inquiry: Richard Shimooka in the National Post

May 13, 2021
in Columns, Domestic Policy Program, Foreign Policy Program, In the Media, Latest News, National Defence, Richard Shimooka, Social issues
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A

The sexual misconduct crisis now facing the Forces points to broader systemic issues the Somalia inquiry tried, and failed, to address, writes Richard Shimooka in the National Post. Below is an excerpt from the article, which can be read in full here.

By Richard Shimooka, May 13, 2021

Exactly 25 years ago, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) were in the midst of a profound crisis with troubling news emerging daily from the Commission of Inquiry into the Deployment of Canadian Forces to Somalia. Originally convened to investigate the brutal murder of Shidane Arone in Canadian custody during operations in Somalia three years earlier, it quickly uncovered evidence of mass hazing of soldiers and other troubling incidents, as well as a brazen coverup by senior officials at National Defence Headquarters. It ultimately resulted in the chief of the defence staff resigning after being implicated in manipulating documents for public release two years earlier, and a sweeping set of reforms to the military.

As the government announces a second independent review of sexual misconduct in the Forces, the Somalia commission and its outcome provides some useful lessons for this new review’s ultimate success or failure. The Somalia commission’s immediate challenge was to reform the culture of the CAF. It was effective at weeding out the immediate problems localized within the airborne regiment and significantly raised the military’s overall professionalization. However, the military is now facing a second, larger and far more diffuse crisis with deeply ingrained cultural roots. It points to broader systemic issues around leadership and accountability within the Forces that the Somalia inquiry tried, and failed, to address.

The Somalia affair was, in reality, two separate scandals — first, the immediate atrocities committed by the Canadian Airborne Regiment in Somalia and its toxic culture, and second, the broader coverup that occurred afterwards. At every step of the way, senior officials sought to diminish the problem and obscure its reach, until it became impossible to do so. Overall, it highlighted a leadership failure within the CAF that pervades the forces to this day.

***TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, VISIT THE NATIONAL POST HERE***

Tags: Canadian Armed ForcesDomestic Affairsdomestic policynational defenceRichard ShimookaSomalia Inquiry
Previous Post

Protecting Innocents in Combat: New proposed legislation to deter the use of human shields

Next Post

Beijing’s threats against Taiwan’s foreign minister deserve condemnation: J. Michael Cole for Inside Policy

Related Posts

The possibilities and limits of Japan-NATO cooperation: Stephen Nagy in the Japan Times
Foreign Policy Program

The possibilities and limits of Japan-NATO cooperation: Stephen Nagy in the Japan Times

June 28, 2022
Taiwan in Japan’s security puzzle and Abe’s ‘uncontroversial’ Taiwan statement: Stephen Nagy for 9DASHLINE
Foreign Policy Program

Taiwan Wants (And Has) Independence: Here’s Why – J. Michael Cole for 1945

June 28, 2022
Exposing 12 myths that support drug price controls and harm our health system
Releases

Exposing 12 myths that support drug price controls and harm our health system

June 28, 2022
Next Post
Beijing’s threats against Taiwan’s foreign minister deserve condemnation: J. Michael Cole for Inside Policy

Beijing’s threats against Taiwan’s foreign minister deserve condemnation: J. Michael Cole for Inside Policy

Macdonald-Laurier Institute

323 Chapel Street, Suite #300
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 7Z2 Canada

613.482.8327

info@macdonaldlaurier.ca
MLI directory

Follow us on

Newsletter Signup

First Name
Last Name
Email Address

Support Us

Support the Macdonald-Laurier Institute to help ensure that Canada is one of the best governed countries in the world. Click below to learn more or become a sponsor.

Support Us

Inside Policy Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Back Issues
  • Advertising
  • Inside Policy Blog
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Justice
      • Social issues
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

IDEAS CHANGE THE WORLD!Have the latest Canadian thought leadership delivered straight to your inbox.
First Name
Last Name
Email address

No thanks, I’m not interested.