Canada Strips Military of Powers to Investigate Sexual Misconduct

OTTAWA—Canada on Thursday stated all allegations of sexual misconduct within just the country’s armed forces would now be investigated and prosecuted by civilian authorities, citing skepticism among the troopers and the community about the military’s ability to law enforcement alone.

Policy analysts say this marks a rare transfer among the big Western democracies to strip sure obligations away from their very own military’s justice process. The determination is also the initially substantial reaction from the country’s Liberal governing administration to a collection of sexual-misconduct allegations in the armed forces that sparked a community outcry and a probe by parliamentarians. The uproar also threatened to undermine Primary Minister Justin Trudeau and his superior-profile pledge to protect women’s legal rights and fight harassment in the place of work.