The number of white supremacists and other violent extremists within the Canadian military is growing, according to a report on Monday (May 25).
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“The reality is that widespread racism exists within our institution and we need to eradicate it,” Defense Minister Anita Anand told a news conference. The report also points to the spread of Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Black and Aboriginal racism, sexism and homophobia among the Canadian military. The failure of military authorities to combat this extremism “impairs operational capabilities, undermines[soldiers’]welfare and jeopardizes Canada’s security,” the authors said.
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Anita Anand said the previous two federal budgets had allotted a total of CA$326.5 million (US$250 million) for “cultural change in the military.” But supporters of these extremist ideologies are becoming better at hiding, for example by encrypting their communications or going through the dark web, the report notes, while efforts to track them down remain “siloed and ineffective”. In addition, many recommendations in this area have remained dead letter for 20 years, “poorly implemented, buried or even abandoned,” notes Sandra Perron, who co-signed the report. “As soon as we pay attention to them, (these groups) change their names, symbols,” warned Chief of Staff General Wayne Eyre, urging people to remain “very vigilant and informed” to spot them.