Systemic sexual misconduct and racism in the military and RCMP and the complicity of the Liberals and generals

The former military ombudsman, Gary Walbourne, says he warned Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan about allegations of misconduct against General Jonathan Vance, the Chief of Defence Staff, responsible for making the Trudeau government's Honour program, aimed at eliminating sexual misconduct in the military, during a "hostile" meeting three years ago on March 1st 2018. However, instead of dealing with the problem when Walbourne went to present the evidence, Sajjan pushed away from the table with his hands in the air and refused to look at it. Instead Walbourne alleges that he faced workplace harrassment until he resigned in frustration. This once again seems to fit the pattern of the way the Trudeau government deals with all scandals.  Sajjan has refused to discuss what happened in detail. 

Canada's former military ombudsman said today he warned Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan about possible sexual misconduct involving Gen. Jonathan Vance in his final meeting with the minister three years ago.

Gary Walbourne appeared before a Parliamentary committee today to deliver a blistering indictment of Sajjan's handling of the allegation against Vance — chief of the defence staff at the time — during a private meeting on March 1, 2018.

"I did tell the minister what the allegation was. I reached into my pocket to show him the evidence I was holding. He pushed back from the table and said, 'No,' and I don't think we exchanged another word," Walbourne said.

The meeting ended, Walbourne said, when he asked Sajjan for direction on what to do about the allegation.

"I wanted the minister to do his job," he said. "There was no book. There was no manual about what to do with an allegation against the chief of the defence staff."

Walbourne refused to get into the substance of the allegation against Vance, saying the complainant had told him she was not filing a formal complaint.

"I had explained to minister Sajjan that the complainant has approached me only after the assurance of confidentiality," he said. "I will not reveal the name of the complainant or the details of the complaint, for this is their story to tell, not mine."

Much of what Walbourne had to tell the committee was first reported by CBC News, quoting confidential sources, in a series of stories over the past month....

The meeting represented the nadir of a poisoned relationship between Walbourne and Sajjan that led to the watchdog's resignation and early departure from the post later that year.

Walbourne walked the committee through a separate workplace harassment investigation of his office, suggesting it was a political vendetta that only accelerated after the acrimonious meeting with Sajjan. ...

Walbourne said that, the day after he told Sajjan about the complaint, he was called to the Privy Council Office, where he was asked about the allegation.

"I was shocked they knew about it. I was completely floored when they asked about the allegation involving the chief of the defence staff," he said, noting that he had asked Sajjan to keep the matter confidential.

The Privy Council Office review, however, was stymied by Walbourne's refusal to separately turn over potentially incriminating emails and the name of the female military member who had complained informally to him about Vance.

Without those leads, senior officials appeared unable to pursue concerns he had raised, both in writing and in the meeting with Sajjan.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/vance-sajjan-walbourne-misconduct-1.593...

cco wrote:

The problem with Sajjan is simple, and yet it's one that nobody's brought up since he was problematically appointed in the first place. Active-duty military officers should under no circumstances be allowed to get "promoted" to defence minister.

I agree that having active-duty military officers become defence minister should not happen. However the problem is much deeper than that because the accusations against General Vance went to the Privy Council Office, which co-ordinates the activities of Cabinet and Cabinet committees and acts as a liaison with government agencies and departments on Cabinet matters and it also went to the Prime Minister's Office, the latter being confirmed today by the Globe and Mail. Trudeau claims he did not not any of the "specific" allegations involving Vance in response to this article by the Globe and Mail (PMO was alerted to Sajjan's concerns about Vance in 2018 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-pmo-senior-adviser-aler...). This sounds like weasel words to give Trudeau plausable deniability. It follows a typical pattern for this government of not admitting there is a problem, doing nothing about until evidence about the problem is brought by the media or opposition, and then trying to shut down any attempt to find out fully what happened: this can be seen previously in Trudeau's initial reaction to questions about his Blackface episodes where he on the first day hesitated to admit they were true; the coverup of the Governor General's abuse of workers until they could hide it no longer; the resignation of Judy Wilson Raybould and Gerald Butts, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Trudeau, over the SNC Lavalin scandal; the failure of the government to provide documents regarding the We charity scandal to a parliamentary committee that related to payments to Trudeau family members and other issues; the lack of details provided about the resignation of CDS Jonathan Vance; the settlement of a lawsuit by Vice Admiral Mark Norman, who was accused by the government of leaking government documents over which company would get a shipbuilding contract.

The Trudeau Liberals rather than deal with problems tend to sweep them under the rug until they blow up in their face. The tragedy for women and men in the military in this case is that the sexual abuse they face continues to go on under this approach to governing.

A third senior officer was allegedly involved in inappropriate sexual behaviour, some of which dates as far back as the 1990s. Vice-Admiral Haydn Edmundson, who was promoted to the commander in charge of human resources for the Canadian Forces in 2019 when the Trudeau Liberals were in power, has power "over career consequences for military members found to have engaged in sexual misconduct". On Power and Politics today, it was reported that he had a widely nickname, "Mulligan",  in the military, because he had been given so many no consequences do-overs despite his actions. This shows how widespread and deep the acceptance of sexual abuse in the military is. Furthermore, allowing such a person to be in charge of human resources, means he has enormous influence over who gets promoted and who gets disciplined, an enormous power that could be used to  disrupt any investigation of sexual abuse. With such an officer in charge of human resources, it is no wonder fear of reprisal kept so many abuse cases hidden. After being investigated, a rear admiral apologized to Edmundson, showing how systemic sexual abuse was. 

Defence Minister Sajjan claims that he only learned of this situation yesterday. There are only to two possibilities: he is telling the truth or he is lying. If he is telling the truth, this points to the utter failure of vetting of senior officers, governor generals etc. to identify problem candidates despite widespread knowledge of their problematic behaviour. The alternative is that he knew of the sexual misconduct and chose to ignore it. Either way there is little evidence that this government is going to carry out meaningful change in this area, with lower levels of the military and government workers, mostly women, facing ongoing sexual and workplace abuse. 

A gay female former warrant officer's, who is involved in a class-action lawsuit over the widespread abuse, sad comment was "I'm not surprised. ... the military is an old boys club apt to protect each other." Others question how deeply the Trudeau government's Operation Honour, aimed at rooting out sexual abuse in the military, involved meaningful investigation of the problem. 

The commander in charge of human resources for the Canadian Forces was himself investigated over allegations of inappropriate behaviour with female subordinates in the late 1990s, CBC News has learned.

Despite that, former chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance promoted Vice-Admiral Haydn Edmundson in 2019 to manage military personnel command, which gives him authority over career consequences for military members found to have engaged in sexual misconduct, multiple sources said.

The claims against Edmundson date back more than two decades to when he was a lieutenant-commander overseeing training at the naval officer training centre in Esquimalt, B.C.

The Department of National Defence said Edmundson was never charged or subjected to any type of administrative discipline. The department said it investigates all such claims and responds with penalties or charges where warranted.

But four sources with knowledge of the allegations describe an alleged pattern of behaviour by Edmundson aimed at female instructors and students under his command at the time. The allegations include claims of suggestive or unwelcome comments, sexual advances, predatory behaviour and inappropriate relationships with female subordinates, the sources said. ...

Multiple sources said Edmundson's behaviour wasn't taken seriously back then and said his track record of avoiding consequences earned him a nickname — "Mulligan man" — suggesting he got a do-over. Sources with direct knowledge of the alleged incidents say the investigation of the allegations against Edmundson was flawed and claim that not all witnesses and complainants were interviewed. 

A source with knowledge of the military police probe said that after military police looked into the matter, a rear admiral apologized to Edmundson for how he was treated by his chain of command during the investigation.

CBC News spoke to four other sources with knowledge of the allegations involving Edmundson. Fearing career reprisals, they asked not to be named. ...

The sources said it was "ironic" and "cringeworthy" that someone accused of inappropriate behaviour was put in charge of the directorate that provides advice on administering career consequences for those accused of sexual misconduct.

CBC News has asked Edmundson to comment multiple times since Sunday; he has not responded. ...

Former warrant officer Krista Ley left the military in 2016. She said she was harassed for being gay, beaten and sexually assaulted at CFB Gagetown, where she was the only woman on a sergeant's course at the time. She claims the complaint process is "full of conflicts of interest" that can come with threats, loss of promotions and "terrible" treatment.

Ley, who is taking part in a class action lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct in CAF, said it "looks terrible" that Edmundson is in charge of human resources after being investigated in the past. "I'm not surprised," said Ley. "It makes me angry for sure. We're only at stage one of where we're supposed to be ... The military is an old boys club apt to protect each other." ...

Dawn McIlmoyle formally left the Canadian Forces in September 1993 after she said a male colleague raped her. She said she questions how thoroughly the military investigated misconduct claims before Operation Honour — the Canadian Forces campaign against sexual misconduct in the ranks — was launched in 2015. She said Edmundson's continued service in his current role is disheartening. ...

The sources claim Edmundson made comments about female subordinates' appearances and made sexual advances that in some instances were unwanted. There are also claims that Edmundson dated subordinates in his chain of command in possible violation of good order and discipline under the National Defence Act.

Retired colonel Michel Drapeau, an expert in military law, said these latest allegations will deal another blow to serving members' confidence in senior leadership. "It is catastrophic," said Drapeau. "My reaction is just shock. It's devastating news for all those serving members ... It's a crisis of leadership. It's a crisis of credibility in high command. The successive allegations made against the highest ranking members of the military — there is a dark cloud over the entire military profession." ...

The Department of National Defence said in a statement that commenting further "on cases for which no charges were laid would be both inappropriate and irresponsible, as it would impact an individuals' right to dignity and equality."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/military-commander-haydn-edmundson-past...

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan on Friday argued with members of the Standing Committee on National Defence over the minister’s handling of the inappropriate behaviour allegations against former chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance. Today Sajjan was forced to acknowledge that an allegation of sexual misconduct against the country's former top military commander was raised with him three years ago by the Canadian Forces ombudsman and was also forced to "confirm  he did not look at the evidence" presented by military Ombudsman Gary Walbourne of sexual misconduct by Chief of Staff General Vance. Nevertheless, he tried to imply it was Walbourne's fault that nothing further was done rather than dealing with his own failure or that of the Privy Council or the Prime Minister's Office. Trudeau continues to dance around how much he knew about the problem, saying he knew there was a problem but didn't know the specifics, which, even if true, simply sounds like he didn't want to know because he didn't want to deal with it. 

Lt.-Cmdr. Raymond Trotter, the naval officer who helped bring sexual misconduct allegations against the current Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Art McDonald, also testified before the committee today, describing how he had togo through a maddening maze of bureaucracy, institutional and political, to report the allegation against McDonald, thereby further suggesting that both military and political leadership have designed this system to fail because of its byzantine bureauracy that ensures few if any complaints of sexual misconduct go anywhere. Trotter also told the committee that he faced threats from a more senior person because of his reporting on sexual misconduct, further illustrating how warped this whole system is. If this is what happens to a Lt.-Commander who was not abused, think about how many more problems and less faith a lower rank would have in reporting sexual misconduct that they had faced personally. 

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan acknowledged today that an allegation of sexual misconduct against the country's former top military commander was raised with him three years ago by the Canadian Forces ombudsman.

He confirmed he did not look at the evidence but insisted, however, that he instructed ombudsman Gary Walbourne to use the powers of his office, which would have allowed him to hand over information about the allegation to military police investigators.

Today's dramatic testimony before the House of Commons defence committee marks the first time Sajjan has revealed what took place in a private meeting on March 1, 2018 with the former watchdog. It's also the first substantive account the minister has provided since allegations of sexual misconduct involving Gen. Jonathan Vance first surfaced over a month ago.

Sajjan defended his decision to not look at the information Walbourne presented, saying he was trying to "protect the integrity of the investigation." ...

The Commons defence committee is trying to find out who in the Liberal government knew about the allegations and when. Global News first reported in early February on the claim that the former chief of the defence staff had a long-standing, inappropriate relationship with a female subordinate and that he allegedly had sent a racy email to another woman, a junior member of the military.

Military police are now investigating whether a violation of the Code of Service Discipline or anything criminal has taken place. ...

Meanwhile, the naval officer who helped bring sexual misconduct allegations against the current chief of the defence staff also testified before the defence committee today.

Lt.-Cmdr. Raymond Trotter said he became aware of misconduct claims against Admiral Art McDonald through the alleged victim.

Under the military's campaign to stamp out misconduct in the ranks, Trotter was required to report what he had been told, even though the woman had asked for confidentiality.

He described going through a maddening maze of bureaucracy, institutional and political, to report the allegation against McDonald.

At one point, Trotter said, he was contacted by the chief of staff to the defence minister — a woman who initially thought he was trying to report about Gen. Vance.

"That senior person raised his voice and spoke to me in a very demeaning manner, indicating, and pardon my language, that I had f--ked up and that I ruined the respondent's career over nothing," he said.

Trotter told the committee he is worried about reprisals when he returns to duty, but added his superiors have assured him he has their support.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/sajjan-sexual-miscondut-military-walbou...

In another sign of the deep problems created by the Canadian military culture and unaddressed under Liberal and Conservative governments, Lt.-Col. Eleanor Taylor, "One of the most prominent women in the Canadian military has resigned, saying she is "disgusted" by ongoing reports of sexual misconduct in the Armed Forces and dismayed that it has taken this long for the problem to come to the fore." She has the guts that she herself has been too silent on the issue in the past while Sajjan and the Liberals admit nothing. 

Taylor, the deputy commander of the 36th Brigade Group and a distinguished veteran of combat in Afghanistan, delivered a scathing resignation letter to senior military leaders — a letter that has been circulating around army headquarters in Ottawa.

"I am sickened by ongoing investigations of sexual misconduct among our key leaders," Taylor wrote in the letter, which was posted to Facebook on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, I am not surprised. I am also certain that the scope of the problem has yet to be exposed. Throughout my career, I have observed insidious and inappropriate use of power for sexual exploitation." ...

The fact that two high-ranking officers are both facing claims of inappropriate behaviour involving female subordinates has rocked the Department of National Defence to its foundations.

Taylor, who is from Antigonish, N.S., is retired from the regular force but serves in the reserves. She is considered an important role model for young women in uniform.

"Some senior leaders are unwilling or (perhaps unable) to recognize that their behaviour is harmful both to the victim and to the team," Taylor wrote in her letter. "Some recognize the harm but believe they can keep their behaviour secret. Perhaps worst of all are those in authority, who should know better, but lack the courage and tools to confront the systemic issue." ...

The scourge of sexual misconduct, Taylor wrote, has been accepted for far too long by everyone — including Taylor herself — as an unchanging aspect of military life. "I have been both a victim of, and participant in, this damaging cycle of silence, and I am proud of neither," she wrote.

"I am not encouraged that we are 'investigating our top officers.' I am disgusted that it has taken us so long to do so."

"I have spent the past decade speaking publicly and passionately about the gains women have made in the CAF," Taylor wrote. ...

"While I remain fiercely proud of parts of our organization, on the issue of addressing harmful sexual behaviour, we have lost all credibility." ...

In her letter, Taylor suggested the military drop the name "Operation Honour" from its campaign to stamp out sexual misconduct in the ranks. The effort should continue, she said, but the name has lost all meaning.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/eleanor-taylor-canadian-forces-sexual-m...

Global News is now reporting that an investigation into sexual misconduct among senior members in the Canadian navy was shut down before all witnesses and complainants were talked to, revealing the hear no evil, see no evil approach taken by  the military and the government. When the recommendation is that subordinate female officers should confront their superiors directly, you know what the chances of anything being done about the issue are.

An internal probe into sexual misconduct allegations against senior naval officers has been closed before all witnesses or complainants were spoken to, Global News has learned, with investigators concluding no wrongdoing occurred.

Yet the investigation into alleged inappropriate comments — where the senior officers allegedly joked that a female member wanted to show off her “red room” while on a Zoom call — did not look into the alleged comments that followed, which sources say involved BDSM and “kinky sex.”

Internal emails obtained by Global News show at least one woman naval officer took issue with the limited nature of the Unit Disciplinary Investigation, saying its conclusion “only serves to reduce faith in the system even further, and at a time when faith is already at an all-time low.”

“I think this is an issue that’s counteracting our ability to maintain cohesion in our forces,” the officer wrote. ...

The investigation also didn’t address whether senior officers on the call should have intervened. Instead, it concluded with military leadership suggesting subordinate women officers should confront their superiors directly over such issues, according to the emails.

That suggestion is not sitting well among women in the military, according to a military source. The source, who requested anonymity to discuss the issue, also told Global News they were “outraged” that the investigator did not contact or interview everyone involved. ...

The complaint involved senior naval officers who allegedly said during a Zoom meeting in January that a female member in attendance, whose background had a wall with red paint, wanted to show off her “red room.”  “Red room” is the reference given by a character in the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey to the red room where he engages in BDSM sexual activities with partners. The comment is alleged to have quickly led other senior naval officers on the call to make comments about BDSM and sexual activities.

Yet an email sent Tuesday to naval members by Capt. Chris Peschke, the chief of staff to the Commander of the West Coast Navy, announcing the closing of the investigation made no mention of those alleged further comments. Instead, it says the investigation focused entirely on the initial alleged “red room” comment and whether it alone could be considered sexual or inappropriate. It also suggests the term “red room” itself has multiple meanings, including murder or “simply … the colour of a room.” ...

“As a result, this investigation did not reveal that a service offence was committed based on the evidence obtained by the investigator and is now closed,” the email reads. ...

In a reply to that email obtained by Global News, a woman naval officer says the conclusion of the investigation “minimizes the issue at hand” by focusing entirely on the phrase “red room,” and not acknowledging what allegedly followed. The officer also says the explanation provided in the initial email reinforces a feeling that troops must follow the rules established by Operation Honour — the military-wide initiative meant to combat sexual misconduct — while senior officers are not held to the same standard. “What I get from the below explanation is that it’s okay for the older cadre to make inappropriate comments because they don’t know any better,” the response reads. ...

Military members have also voiced frustration with the process complainants have to go through to bring allegations forward, which they described as “running in circles” to find the proper investigative office. ...

A top officer who quit the military in protest over the growing crisis, Lt.-Col. Eleanor Taylor, told Global News that the tight-knit team environment of the military makes it difficult for individuals to come forward with experiences of sexual misconduct because they risk being alienated. “I’ve told my story many times, but I have never shared the fact that I too have struggled with this behaviour,” she said. “Because in so doing, I feel that I risk the reputation of the team and risk alienating myself from the team.” ...

Anger over the crisis has also been directed at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, who have both been accused of not acting immediately when first learning of allegations against Vance in 2018. The pair have defended their actions and insisted that they followed the processes in place for forwarding allegations to the proper authorities. 

https://globalnews.ca/news/7715206/military-misconduct-red-room-probe/

Another of Canada's senior military officers has stepped aside because of a sex scandal, Vice Admiral Haydn Edmundson, who a female sailor said raped her, according to CBC's Power and Politics. This further demonstrates the systemic nature of sexual misconduct in the senior military. Furthermore, Edmundson was in charge of military personnel, giving him the power to discipline anyone who brought a sexual complaint forward.

Although the woman wants an independent police investigation because she doesn't trust military investigations, there will be a military investigation despite the failure of the military to deal with other major sex scandals in 1998 and 2014. Edmundson, himself, had already been investigated over allegations of sexual misconduct with female sailors in the late 1990s without facing any discipline.

Liberal Defence Minister Sajjan has not shown any willingness to deal with the situation effectively. 

Another top Canadian military officer is under police investigation after a former member of the navy alleged she was sexually assaulted on board a supply ship. Vice Admiral Haydn Edmundson has temporarily left his job as commander of Military Personnel Command in Ottawa. He is under investigation by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, the Department of National Defence confirmed Wednesday.

The CFNIS began the investigation into Edmundson after CBC News notified the DND that it was about to release a story featuring on-the-record remarks by the woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by Edmunston onboard HMCS Provider in November 1991. At the time the woman was a 19-year-old member of the Canadian navy. She told CBC she didn’t originally report the assault because she was afraid to speak up against the third-highest ranking officer on the ship. She described to the CBC a pervasive culture of silence surrounding sexual misconduct, a lack of support from the military’s chain of command and fear of career reprisals. ...

Edmundson has denied the allegations. ...

Over the last several months, the Canadian Forces has been rocked by allegations of sexual misconduct by its top leaders. Chief of the Defence Staff Adm. Art McDonald voluntary stepped down Feb. 24 from that job after being put under military police investigation. The admiral had only been in the job since Jan. 14. McDonald has declined to comment. Former Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance is also under military police investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct. He has said he did nothing wrong.

Two House of Commons committees are looking into the issue of sexual misconduct in the military, and the Liberal government have promised changes.

The Canadian Forces has faced previous sex scandals in 1998 and 2014, but its leadership successfully fought against attempts to impose independent oversight on the military justice and police system, which critics say punishes the victims and protects sexual predators.

Military police, and not a civilian police force, will investigate the alleged sexual assault involving Edmundson. “As the allegations are reported to have taken place onboard a Royal Canadian Navy ship outside of Canada, the Acting Chief of the Defence Staff Wayne Eyre has referred the matter to the CFNIS,” the Canadian Forces statement noted. ...

The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service looks into serious allegations involving military personnel, but there has been criticism of its past performance and concerns that it is not independent. The CFNIS ultimately reports to the chief of the defence staff. ...

Some military members have been reluctant to report sexual misconduct and assaults to the CFNIS because of the perception it is not independent of senior leadership.

The alleged victim has told CBC she wants an independent investigation because she doesn’t trust the military to properly investigate and prosecute her case.

The CBC reported on March 9 that Edmundson was investigated over allegations of inappropriate behaviour with female subordinates in the late 1990s. The claims against him dated back to when he was a lieutenant-commander overseeing training at the naval officer training centre in Esquimalt, B.C.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/another-top-milita...

The allegations about former defence chief General General Vance and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan became even more serious with the testimony of Maj. Kellie Brennan, an army staff officer a woman at the centre of the sexual misconduct scandal. Vance fathered two children by Brennan although he has not supported them. Brennan said that Vance told her "Vance often told her that he had Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan under his control." Brennan also says she served with Vance and Sajjan in Toronto, while Sajjan claims he never served in Toronto. She claims Vance tried to intimidate into silence. Brennan also pointed out that the military has all the recordings of Vance telling her to lie about their past, but has done nothing about it. The acting head of military personnel, Maj-Gen. Steve Whalen, said the lack of trust in the leadership of the military has been devastating for morale. 

Why is Sajjan still Defence Minister?

Maj. Kellie Brennan, an army staff officer, told the status of women committee the former chief of the defence staff considered himself "untouchable" and that he fathered but does not support two of her children.  ...

The former defence chief is facing separate allegations of misconduct involving Brennan and another unidentified woman. Military police are looking into whether his relationship with Brennan, a former subordinate, was inappropriate and contravened military regulation.  He is also being investigated for apparently sending a racy email almost nine years ago to another woman, who was a junior non-commissioned officer at the time.

Brennan painted a portrait of Vance as a senior leader who acted with impunity, professionally and personally.  She claimed Vance often told her that he had Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan under his control. "Those were comments to me personally," she said. "I can't discuss their working relationship. I was not privy to that."

Although, there was some confusion over that portion of her testimony. Brennan said she, Vance and Sajjan all served together in Downsview, a neighbourhood in north Toronto. Sajjan, a former lieutenant-colonel in the reserves based in Vancouver, told the Commons defence committee a few weeks ago that he had never served in any capacity in Toronto.

By far, the most devastating new allegation involved her claim that Vance was the father of two of her eight children, but refused accountability for them.

"In my experience, in many different areas, the law does not apply to him," Brennan said of the recently retired general. "On a personal note, he fathered two children with me. He's not responsible to pay or to have those children under his responsibility." ...

When the first story broke with allegations of misconduct, Brennan claimed Vance tried to intimidate her into silence and told her to lie to investigators. ...

"It's recorded and the [Canadian Forces National Investigation Service] has all of the recordings of him directing me what to say, what not to say, how to say it, what not to say, what to exclude, how to perjure myself and to lie," she said, adding that, while there was no threat of bodily harm, the impression was left that there "were consequences for not following his orders." ...

In earlier testimony Thursday night before the status of women committee, the acting head of military personnel, Maj-Gen. Steve Whalen spoke about how the loss of trust in leadership has been devastating for the military. "That was reinforced to me when I listened to the testimony on Tuesday," said Whalen, referring to the appearance of four survivors of sexual assault before the committee.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/defence-committee-military-misconduct-1...

The best response to the Trudeau government's appointing of former Supreme Court judge Louise Arbour to examine sexual harassment and misconduct in the military was made by  Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, who studies gender integration and leadership in the Canadian armed forces during the 1990s, who said ‘Are we in 2015 again?', referring to the previous report by a Supreme Court judge that identified extensive sexaul misconduct and make many recommendations for improvement, but gathered dust on the shelves while nothing was done to implement change with regard to this issue. 

Megan MacKenzie, Simons chair in international law and human security at Simon Fraser University  said there have been two consistent messages for years from military survivors and advocates: that there must be an independent system to report allegations, and that this is a “systemic problem.” ...

“Today’s announcement by Minister Sajjan is not action, but another review to take pressure off the Liberal coverup of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces,” said Conservative defence critic James Bezan in a statement. 

https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2021/04/29/ottawa-announces-ind...

I am changing the title of this thread to reflect the systemic failure of our military and the Liberal government to deal with the ever broadening epidemic of sexual misconduct in the Canadian military. Six years into the Canadian military's formal crackdown on sexual misconduct under the Trudeau Liberals "some victims still report being bullied, harassed and singled out by superior officers" according to a late 2020 Defence Department report. It noted that "while  victims experienced some moments of humanity and compassion when reporting incidents to their superiors, an atmosphere of disdain persists." (https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/sexual-abuse-harassment-canadian-armed-...)

Its Just 700, the name of the support group formed by victims of military sexual assault, reflects the attitude they encounter when dealing with superior officers right up and including the top generals and the Liberal government. Marie-Claude Gagnon, a member of It's Just 700, had to do a Google search and request the report by name to get a copy of the report despite assurances that she and others who participated would get copies and that it would be released publicly. The Trudeau Liberals and top military command have been not only hiding their failure to do anything meaningful about sexual misduct, the command structure has shown disdain and engaged in retribution for those who have reported sexual abuse incidents, meaning that many more than the reported 700 sexual abuse cases have actually occurred, but not been reported out of fear of reprisals. 

All of this has resulted in a morale crisis within the military rank and file and "Growing anger over the actions of a general who supported a sex offender has prompted an apology from the country’s top soldier on how the situation was handled."  chief of defence staff  Jonathan Vance had to resign in January to be replaced by acting chief of staff Art McDonald, who had to resign less than a month later over his own sexual misconduct. The officer in charge of personnel, Vice Admiral Edmundson, whose position gave him control of promotions and therefore of possible retribution against any who spoke out on the issue, has also had to resign over sexual misconduct. 

Now his replacement, acting chief of the defence staff Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre is in trouble over failing to see nothing wrong with another general, Peter Dawe, giving a letter of recommendation to an officer already convicted of sexual assault on another officer. Dawe is not just any general: he is" seen as a potential candidate in the future to become chief of the defence staff." (https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/top-soldier-apolog...)  I am sure he would have fit right in with the last three chiefs of staff in the military.

The Trudeau Liberal program to address military sexual misconduct, Operation Honour, is in disgrace, betrayed not only by the top generals but the Liberal government, that once again created something with a great PR name that had no substance. The Liberals have attempted to hide the report discussed above that described the epidemic of sexual abuse in the military, and the top generals disregard, and even disdain, for those who reported sexual misconduct cases, some of which they were engaged in. Defence Minister Sajjan waved off with a hand gesture the military ombudsman report of a sexual abuse case, then lied about taking it to the Privy Council, when he took it to the Prime Minister's Office to be handled as a politial issue by Trudeau's chief of staff, Katie Telford. "Elder Marques, a former senior adviser in the Prime Minister's Office, testified to a [parliamentary]committee that he was first made aware of the allegation through Katie Telford, chief of staff to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau". (https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/telford-vance-elder-marques-sexual-misc...)

Trudeau's reaction to all this damning evidence? He claims that he only vaguely knew about allegations of sexual misconduct in the military. If he cared a whit about this, he would have demanded investigation of the problem and actions to deal with it. None of this has happened except the PR campaign called Operation Honour run by three succeeding top generals and a general in charge of personnel matters, three of whom have engaged in sexual misconduct and the last of whom, General Eyre, saw nothing wrong with another general writing a leter of recommendation for an officer who had been just been convicted of sexual assault against a female officer. Only under immense pressure from the ranks about the many failures to deal with sexual misconduct and abuse, did he relent by removing the letter-writing general from command and putting him on leave. Eyre was then surprised to see the rank and file still angry and demanding the general's removal, saying instead that the letter writing general was a "good general".

And the Liberal government stays in reaction mode, only responding when the news becomes public and could damage their image and voting intentions. With morale so low, and no evidence of nothing changing, I fully expect that many of the military rank and file will not be signing up for another term of service, because they see nothing changing. 

Defence Minister Sajjan's comment on General Dawe writing a letter of recommendation for a officer convicted of sexually assaulting an officer directly under Dawe's command summarizes the failure of the Liberal government to engage in nothing but PR on the issue: "Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has said he had serious concerns about Dawe’s judgement but the minister did not take further action." (https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/top-soldier-apolog...)

ETA: CBC's the Current had an excellent interview with Leah West, who served in the military for ten years, during which she was sexually assaulted in a military culture that allows and even facilitates sexual misconduct and abuse. West got no help following the sexual  assault from a military that also devalues the role of women in the military. 

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-63-the-current/clip/15841514-leah...

Even more evidence came out today of how widespread sexual abuse is thoughout the Canadian military. Seven Canadian Armed Forces veterans and first responders who are sexual assault survivors are" outraged to learn their peer mentor at a women's trauma retreat was himself a registered sex offender." Not only is sex offender, Jonathan Hamilton, a former major in the military, the doctor in charge of the program,  Dr. Manuela Joannou, and  retired Brig. Gen Paul Rutherford, chair of the Project Trauma Support board where this occurred, knew that Hamilton was a registered sex offender. 

So far we have seen the chief of defence staff  Jonathan Vance have to resign in January to be replaced by acting chief of staff Art McDonald, who had to resign less than a month later over his own sexual misconduct. Now his replacement, acting chief of the defence staff Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre is in trouble over failing to see nothing wrong with another general, Peter Dawe, giving a letter of recommendation to an officer already convicted of sexual assault on another officer. And of course we have had Defence Minister Sajjan allow this to continue throughout his six years in office, while Trudeau's Katie Telford claims she didn't know that the case brought to her involved sexual abuse despite emails that said so travelling around the government. And, of course, Trudeau didn't "the details" of any incidents. 

And now another general, Rutherford, not seeming to give a damn about how placing a registered sex offender in charge of running a program for sexually abused women. There seems to be not a ounce of concern for the sexually victimized in the entire senior military command structure. 

Some Canadian Armed Forces veterans and first responders who are sexual assault survivors said they were outraged to learn their peer mentor at a women's trauma retreat was himself a registered sex offender.

Project Trauma Support is a residential treatment program. Its medical director is Dr. Manuela Joannou, a family physician and ER doctor in Perth, Ontario. The program, which launched in 2015, works with military personnel, veterans and first responders who've experienced post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and operational stress injury through outdoor group exercises. Some participants have credited the program with saving their lives.

Seven female participants who attended one of the six-day retreats in early July 2018 said the program failed to warn them that one of their peer mentors — retired army major Jonathan Hamilton, who came home with PTSD from multiple deployments to Afghanistan — had a history of sexual assault. They said the program put Hamilton's health and safety ahead of the needs of 12 women traumatized by sexual assault.

"I drove away from the program suicidal," said retired Canadian Forces corporal Tina Sharp. "I wasn't in a good place for a very long time." ...

Multiple retreat participants contacted CBC News. Many said they only learned the full extent of Hamilton's criminal history after reading a recent CBC News story about one of his court cases. CBC News spoke to several retreat participants who wanted to share their stories because of what they believe was a violation of trust. ...

Marie-Julie Cosenzo, a Quebec paramedic with PTSD who took part in the retreat, said she had to get professional help last week because she couldn't sleep and was having nightmares about being kidnapped and assaulted.

"I am hurt that [Joannou] decided to shield us from the truth, judging that we were safe from a sex offender," said Cosenzo. "We were a group of 12 women, raw, vulnerable, battling a variety of demons …"

 Joannou and retired Brig. Gen Paul Rutherford, chair of the Project Trauma Support board, in a letter to the CBC, said that it asks program participants not to share details of the work. "The safety and well-being of our participants and alumni is our first priority," they wrote. "We maintain regular and open communication with our alumni and are available to address any alumni concerns directly at any time. ...

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) investigated a complaint about Hamilton's participation in the program. According to a 2019 CPSO report viewed by CBC News, Joannou was aware of his criminal conviction, which was under appeal at the time. ... The committee reported that Joannou did not show appropriate judgment in this case and advised her to be mindful of her hiring practices in the future. ...

In 2017, a justice found Hamilton guilty of unlawfully entering a Kingston home and sexually assaulting retired Capt. Annalise Schamuhn on two different occasions. Hamilton also was convicted of twice physically assaulting Schamuhn's husband, retired major Kevin Schamuhn.

Hamilton was sentenced to three years parole as a result, according to the attorney general's office.

In a second, unrelated case, Hamilton was sentenced to three years in custody on April 20, 2018 after a jury found him guilty of two counts of sexual assault.

Both cases were under appeal at the time of the retreat. One of Hamilton's appeals was later dismissed and the other was abandoned in 2020, according to court documents. ...

Julie Lalonde, a public educator and women rights advocate, said CPSO should have taken further action after learning about what she calls a "deplorable" case. "I've worked in this sector for almost 20 years," said Lalonde. "I don't know a single professional mental health worker who would have approved this decision, let alone endorsed it and doubled down and maintained the decision was appropriate." The CPSO said in a media statement that the safety of patients is always its primary concern. 

Lalonde is now calling for Project Trauma Support to be put on hold until the agencies funding it conduct an in-depth review.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/project-trauma-support-sex-offender-pee...

The second general forced out today is one many of you will recognize, Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin,  major-general leading Canada's vaccine logistics at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), who is on TV regularly with Covid annoucements. Once again it involves "military investigation into a sexual misconduct allegation." Of course the Liberal government once again shows no transparency on this, issuing a three line statement that says little beyond that. The fact that the statement was released came out late Friday is not an accident; it is the classic way that governments deal with bad news because it tends to become old news and die on the weekend. Once again the Liberal government shows no leadership in dealing with the issue by being bold in confronting the problem publicly with bad news and addressing an issue that is causing enormous anger and low morale in the ranks. 

Here's a quick summary of what has happened so far as following the trail of fallen generals and the Liberals we just didn't know anything about this statements is hard to do when so many are involved. The chief of defence staff  Jonathan Vance, who evidence shows had been involved in known sexual misconduct cases going back to the 1990s that even involved the birth of two children of his according to the female officer mother as well as other cases as he became chief of staff and held the job for years, of  have to resign in January to be replaced by acting chief of staff Art McDonald, who had to resign less than a month later over his own sexual misconduct. Now his replacement, acting chief of the defence staff Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre is in trouble over failing to see nothing wrong with another general, Peter Dawe, giving a letter of recommendation to an officer already convicted of sexual assault on another officer. Dawe was so highly thought of, he was considered a likely future commander-in-chief. 

Lt.-Gen. Christopher Coates,  deputy commander of NORAD, was allowed to retire after the media, not the government, found out he had an affair with a U.S. defence department civilian, which against military regulations that require soldiers not to become sexually involved with people from other militaries in case they are compromised. Lt.-Col. Raphaël Guay, is being investigated for sexual misconduct, although no details what was involved have been released. Retired General Paul Rutherford, chair of the Project Trauma Support board, knowingly hired retired Major Jonathan Hamilton, a registered sex offender convicted of three sexual assaults in two trials, to work in a program for military and first responder women, whose trauma was brought on by sexual assault, thereby giving them even more trauma when they found out who he was. Once again nothing was done about this by the Liberal government until it broke a few days ago in the news. 

The entire senior general staff and the Liberal government do not seem to give a damn about what happens to the rank and file soldiers with regard to sexual abuse and misconduct until it hits the media years later. In fact, many of the generals are the assaulters. 

Defence Minister Sajjan allowed this to continue throughout his six years in office, raising serious questions not only about him but about having a former officer as Defence Minister, while Trudeau's Katie Telford claims she didn't know that the case brought to her involved sexual abuse despite emails that said so travelling around the government. And, of course, Trudeau didn't "the details" of any incidents.

Jenni Byrne, a top advisor to former PM Harper, said if Trudeau didn't know what was going on when many in his PMO, he would be the first Prime Minister for which this would be true on such a troublesome file. It sure looks like Trudeau is using the plausable deniability alibi to coverup his involvement. 

The major-general leading Canada's vaccine logistics at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is stepping down under the cloud of a military investigation into a sexual misconduct allegation.

The Department of National Defence issued a terse three-line statement late Friday, saying that Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin is leaving his post and his future will be decided by the acting chief of the defence staff.

Neither the military nor the department would say what kind of investigation has been launched, whether it involves military police or is some other kind of internal review.

CBC News has confirmed the investigation involves an allegation of sexual misconduct that predates 2015 and the military's now defunct campaign, Operation Honour, which was intended to stamp out inappropriate behaviour. Three separate confidential sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly because of the sensitivity of the file, described it as an older claim, but declined to be more specific. The Globe and Mail was the first to report the allegation against Fortin was sexual in nature.

His departure came about suddenly.

As late as Friday morning, Fortin was listed as being seconded to the public health agency in a Department of National Defence statement involving the assignments of general officers.

In an interview with CBC Radio's The Current last March, he spoke forcefully about the unfolding allegations of misconduct.

"This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable," Fortin said. 

"Members of the military, on the battlefield, should feel safe that the person next to you has your back. That's not unique to the battlefield. You should feel safe at home, as well."

It is unclear how Fortin's departure will affect the vaccine distribution campaign. 

The news is another sharp blow to the military, which is reeling under the weight of a string of high-profile sexual misconduct cases.

Allegations of inappropriate behaviour were levelled against the country's former top commander, retired general Jonathan Vance, two weeks after his retirement last winter. Weeks later, his successor, Admiral Art McDonald voluntarily stepped aside after it was revealed he was under military police investigation over an allegation of sexual misconduct. ...

The military's former head of personnel, Vice-Admiral Hayden Edmundson, was permanently replaced on Friday and is under a pending investigation after a three decade-old allegation of sexual assault was levelled against him.

The country's former military operations commander, Lt.-Gen. Christopher Coates, is retiring after a published report in Postmedia revealed he had an affair with a U.S. defence department civilian while serving as deputy commander of NORAD. 

Maj.-Gen. Peter Dawe, the former commander of special forces, was put on paid leave after writing a letter of support for a soldier convicted of sexual assault. Last week, Global News reported that the commander of the military's intelligence school,  Lt.-Col. Raphaël Guay, had been temporarily removed while an investigation took place. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fortin-military-investigation-removed-1...

With so many generals being caught in the sexual misconduct scandal, I missed one, Lt.-Gen. Christopher Coates, who was  second-in-command at NORAD headquarters in Colorado, who left the military weeks after the reporting of his sexual misconduct. Last year he returned to Canada to become commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command. That's the seventh senior officer caught up in this scandal, with nearly all of them being identified by the media, not by the Liberal government's actions. This reflects the passive lets-not-rock-the-boat attitude with which Liberal Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Trudeau himself have dealt with the problem over six years. Trudeau himself admitted today that he knew about  Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin's case "for weeks". Fortin led Canada's vaccine logistics at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC),  and was on TV regularly with Covid annoucements. The Liberal government's cover-it-up attitude until it is revealed by someone else is reflected in the fact the government replaced him with another general with no comment on why until the issue broke in the press. 

The only time the Liberals respond with action is when something becomes public. Sexual misconduct in the military or anywhere will never be rooted out with this approach. 

A senior military officer who had an affair while deputy commander of North America’s early-warning system is leaving the military.

Lt.-Gen. Christopher Coates announced his pending departure in a message to service members Monday morning, weeks after the affair with an American civilian while he was second-in-command at NORAD headquarters in Colorado became public.

“Last week I asked the (chief of the defence staff) for my release,” Coates wrote in his message, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press. “I want to emphasize that this is my decision. After much reflection, I made this decision for my own personal reasons, including what I believe would be in the best interests of the Canadian Armed Forces.” ...

The affair nonetheless cast a spotlight on Coates, who was not mentioned in the military’s recent round of postings and retirements for senior military officers, raising questions about his future. ...

Coates returned to Canada from Colorado last year to take over as commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command, which is responsible for running all military operations in Canada and around the world.

Then earlier this month, Rear-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie was promoted to vice-admiral and was named as the new commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command and there was no mention of what would happen to Coates.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7711334/military-misconduct-coates-affair-for...

A  just released CBC review of  RCMP conduct board decisions found that more than half of RCMP officers involved in sexual misconduct were allowed to stay in the police force, with whatever discipline that was administered being extremely inconsistent for similar offences. The Chief Superintendent defended the board's record, saying the goal wasn't to be punitive, but to make sure an incident doesn't happen again. They sure don't treat other criminals this way. 

The director of the Battered Women's Services, Angela Marie MacDougall, "sees these disciplinary decisions as the RCMP protecting its own. 'Really, this sort of Mafia-like code of silence is such a huge part of the culture,' she said."

And, like the military, both Liberal and Conservative governments have done nothing for decades to correct the sexual abuse problem. The Trudeau government continues with the same approach, mouthing a few platitudes when it covered in the news but doing nothing serious to change the culture that allows this to go on. 

Even though RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki has vowed that there is "no room" for sexual assault and harassment in her organization, the penalties meted out to Mounties for sexual misconduct vary widely and range from dismissal all the way down to transfers and pay cuts.

A CBC News review of publicly available RCMP conduct board decisions also found that the reasons cited for retaining an RCMP officer found to have engaged in sexual misconduct can be quite subjective and can include evaluations of on-duty performance, past misconduct allegations or expressions of remorse.

Over the past five years, six Mounties found guilty of discreditable sexual activity by the conduct board have been let go for their actions. One captured and printed a photo of a naked woman being held in a detachment's detox cells. Another exposed himself to a subordinate, pulled her ponytail and asked her to perform oral sex.

Another 14 RCMP officers have been punished for sexual misconduct while ultimately being allowed to stay on. Their conduct ranged from non-consensual touching to voyeurism to starting a relationship with a minor.

Another three implicated in acts of domestic violence were allowed to continue their careers in the RCMP.

Some of those allowed to stay on with the force were fined, transferred or declared ineligible for promotion for a period of time.  ...

One RCMP officer was demoted and transferred after he rubbed the inside of a co-worker's legs, touched her vagina and told her to "just relax."  The constable "has a record of strong performance throughout his career," the board ruled in that case. "This is a case of an honest, but mistaken, belief in consent." ...

While deciding whether to dismiss a civilian member who got drunk at a function, groped one woman and made sexual comments to another, the board referred to other cases where the men weren't dismissed for similar activity. That civilian member was given a temporary demotion and reassigned. ...

The board ruled that when an Alberta constable filmed two women performing oral sex on him without their consent, he "violated the sexual integrity of the two complainants." The decision in his case also noted his nine years of "productive service. His performance evaluations are very positive and describe him as a member with excellent work ethics and great potential," reads the decision. That constable's pay was docked and he was ineligible for promotion for two years. ...

Chief Superintendent Stephane Drouin, director general of the RCMP's workplace responsibility branch, said the guiding principle in discipline is to ensure the incident does not happen again, "with the emphasis being placed on remedial, educated measures versus being solely punitive in nature.

Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of Battered Women's Support Services in Vancouver, said she sees these disciplinary decisions as the RCMP protecting its own.

"Really, this sort of Mafia-like code of silence is such a huge part of the culture," she said.

"We are talking about a culture, of a blue wall of silence. On one hand, there's a desire to present that the RCMP is taking police-involved sexualized violence and domestic violence seriously. On the other hand, that blue wall of silence is in effect when it comes to actually holding their own members accountable."

The RCMP continues to struggle with allegations of sexual misconduct. As part of the historic Merlo-Davidson settlement agreement — the result of a class action lawsuit related to sexual harassment of women within the RCMP — 2,304 women received compensation out of a total of 3,086 claims. (The settlement cost the government $125,266,500). ...

MacDougall said the perception of abusers in the force has real-world impacts for the women she serves. "Women are left with very little recourse in terms of accountability. It takes a lot for a survivor to come forward and share their story. It's even harder when we talk about police and sharing an experience of sexualized violence or domestic violence at the hands of a member of the RCMP. It's very challenging and the reports are extraordinarily low," she said. "Those individual members have so much power over people and places. When there is domestic and sexual violence perpetrated by a member of the RCMP, I think that they lose their right to to have that [authority]."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rcmp-discipline-decisions-1.6033809

NDPP wrote:

I'n wondering if the culture of a disfunctional, hierarchical institution charged with assembling and training a group of mostly men for hyper-aggressive, systematic violence, including 'defence' aka mass murder on command, might possibly be found to somehow influence or induce such malign, abusive behaviour towards the women in such institutions, not to mention the subsequent denial, evasions or coverups by higher-ups of this apparently frequent feature of our military?

This is also true of the RCMP which was set up as a paramilitary organization. "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" (Lord Acton)