Ottawa urged to act amid ongoing privacy leaks in military sex misconduct deal

Jun 16, 2022 | 11:56 AM

Ottawa is facing calls to act amid a growing number of privacy breaches involving military members who experienced sexual misconduct while in uniform.

Epiq Class Action Services has released the personal details of more than 100 current and former Armed Forces members through 20 different privacy breaches since February.

The Canadian Press revealed another breach earlier this month, which came despite repeated promises from the company that it had addressed the problems.

Experts on military sexual misconduct say the breaches threaten to retraumatize affected military members, and some veterans are questioning why the federal Liberal government and Parliament are not taking a harder line with Epiq.

While the government has declined to weigh in, opposition parties say the breaches are unacceptable and that the Liberals are letting down victims of military sexual misconduct by not pressing the company for more transparency and accountability.

The Federal Court appointed Epiq to administer the government’s $900-million settlement deal, which includes processing the claims of the nearly 20,000 people who have applied for compensation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2022.

The Canadian Press