By Scott Taylor
It was on Sunday Feb. 2 that the current military sexual misconduct scandal first emerged.
Global National reporter Mercedes Stephenson broke the story that recently stepped down Chief of Defence Staff, General Jonathan Vance was accused of two counts of sexual misconduct.
What made these allegations newsworthy was the fact that during his entire five-year tenure as CDS, Vance had been the driving force behind his own Operation Honour, an initiative intended to stamp out sexual misconduct within the Canadian Armed Forces.
Vance was no longer the CDS but he was still a serving general. His successor, Admiral Art McDonald announced that in addition to a military police investigation into the allegations against Vance, there would be a separate, independent investigation into the former CDS’s actions.
In an attempt to bolster morale and restore confidence in the senior leadership, McDonald put out a message to the rank and file on Feb. 24.
In his memo McDonald encouraged any other potential victims of sexual misconduct to come forward. That very same day word was leaked to the media that McDonald was himself under military police investigation for an alleged case of sexual misconduct dating back to 2010.
By nightfall it was announced that McDonald would step aside as CDS until the police investigation had run its course.
Losing two top generals in three weeks proved to be just the tip of the iceberg.
The next revelation was that Lt-Gen Chris Coates had an extramarital affair while serving at NORAD headquarters. This incident prevented his posting to NATO Headquarters in Naples, and Coates has since retired from the CAF.
Far more startling was the allegations of rape against Vice Admiral Haydn Edmundson. That incident allegedly occurred aboard a RCN warship in 1991. Edmundson has since stepped down from his post as Chief of Military Personnel. The rape investigation remains ongoing.
One of Canada’s most noted generals is Major-General Dany Fortin who was seconded to the Public Health Agency of Canada to oversee the roll out of COVID-19 vaccines. Fortin’s telegenic appearances on nightly newscasts had become a reassuring fixture for Canadians eagerly anticipating an end to the pandemic.
Then on May 14, DND issued a brief three line press release announcing that Fortin was relieved of his Public Health post because he too, was under investigation. News reports pointed to allegations of past sexual misconduct. In Fortin’s case the complaint dates back to 1989 when he was a cadet at the College Militaire Royale in St. Jean, Quebec.
Also turfed from his secondment at the Public Health Agency was Brig-Gen Simon Bernard for allegedly uttering a racial slur while on duty.
For writing a letter to a judge in support of a convicted perpetrator of sexual assault, Major-Gen Pete Dawe was relieved as Commander of Canada’s elite Special Operations Force Command (CANSOFCOM). Dawe’s character reference was for an officer convicted of sexually assaulting a fellow officer’s wife.
The most recent purge of the senior ranks involves the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, Lt-Gen Mike Rouleau and Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy Vice Admiral Craig Baines.
News outlets reported on June 12 that Baines and Rouleau had played a game of golf on June 2 with former CDS General Vance.
The optics of them associating with one of the accused was grounds for Rouleau to resign as VCDS. For his part, Baines has apologized and has taken personal leave.
Critics of Rouleau’s casual outing with Vance were quick to point out that as VCDS, the military police are technically under his control. Add this to the fact that Major Kellie Brennan, one of Vance’s accusers, testified before a parliamentary committee that the former CDS bragged to her that he was ‘untouchable’ and that he had the CFNIS [Canadian National Investigation Service] “under control.”
Within this scenario, the CFNIS are now in a no-win situation. If they investigate and uncover no grounds for criminal charges against Vance, the public will presume the investigation was thwarted from within.
My advice to Provost Marshal Brigadier General Simon Trudeau is to pre-empt such a predicament by announcing that Rouleau’s actions and Brennan’s allegations have already tainted any possible CFNIS conclusion.
Admit the obvious and call in the RCMP to conduct an independent investigation.
The truth will set you free.
