The report, dubbed "Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Military," was compiled between October 2022 and January 2023.
"Approximately 1,960 regular force members, or 3.5%, were sexually assaulted in the military workplace or in an incident involving military members in the 12 months preceding the survey. This represented an increase from 2016 (1.7%) and 2018 (1.6%)," the report said.
Fifty-two percent of the regular force members who said they were sexually assaulted identified a peer as the perpetrator in at least one instance, the report said. Thirty-four percent of women in the regular forces said they experienced some kind of sexualized or discriminatory behavior, twice the number of their male counterparts.
Most cases involved sexual jokes, as well as inappropriate sexual comments and discussion about sex life, the report also said.
However, the incidents reported to the competent authorities fell to 21% in 2022, down from 25% in 2018 and 23% in 2016, due to the belief that nothing would change as a result of reporting.
The Department of National Defense issued a statement saying that the continued prevalence of sexual misconduct is "incredibly disappointing" given its sustained focus to address the problem.
"We remain resolute in our commitment to eliminating this issue and we believe our current approach ... will lead to enduring change," the statement said.
Although many servicemen have a critical perception of sexual misconduct in the Canadian military, Department of National Defense said the majority agree that improvements have been made - a fact presented in the Statistics Canada report.