OTTAWA – Canada’s top military officer has temporarily stepped down as chief of defense staff after military police launched an investigation into unspecified allegations against him.
The top military officer, adm. Art. McDonald’s stepped aside on Wednesday amid a separate investigation into former defense chief Jonathan Vance, a now retired Army general. Reports have surfaced this month that Mr. Vance acts improperly with two female subordinates.
Referring to the police investigation, Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan declined to comment on Admiral McDonald’s decision to set aside. The Department of National Defense also did not provide any details, and Admiral McDonald did not comment publicly on the allegations.
“I take all allegations of misconduct seriously and continue to take strong action against any allegation of misconduct raised,” he said. Sajjan in a statement released late Wednesday night on Twitter. “No matter the rank, no matter the position.”
Canada’s military has long struggled with allegations of sexual misconduct and sexism.
In 2019, the government set aside $ 690 million to settle claims of sexual harassment and misconduct within its military that have been filed in five class actions.
The settlement follows an external inquiry by a retired Supreme Court judge who found that the military has an “environment that is hostile to women and LGBTQ members, and conducive to more serious incidents of sexual harassment and assault.”
During his tenure, Mr. Vance, who served as chief of defense from 2015 until his retirement last month, launched a well-known program to ensure that misconduct is never minimized, ignored or excused.
When Admiral McDonald was sworn in as chief of defense staff, he spoke of the need to change the culture in the military and apologized to its members “for experiencing racism, discriminatory behavior and / or hateful behavior.” He told reporters that he inadvertently continued some of the problems he now plans to address.
But less than a month into his new job, Admiral McDonald has come under fire post a tweet promoting diversity and cultural change, accompanied by a photo of eight white senior military commanders around a table with a single woman in civilian clothes and a ninth man appearing on a video screen behind them.
Lt. Gen. Wayne D. Eyre, the commander of the Army, will temporarily act as the top officer of the Army.
Last week, Mr. Sajjan – a former lieutenant colonel in the army who served in Bosnia and Afghanistan – refused to tell the House of Representatives committee on national defense when he first learned of the allegations against Mr. Vance, and only said he was ‘shocked’ ”When they were first broadcast by Global News, a Canadian broadcaster, earlier this month.
Mr. Vance, who twice led the Canadian forces in Kandahar, Afghanistan, was appointed by the previous Conservative government.
Global News aired an interview on Sunday with Kellie Brennan, a former army officer, who said she had had a sexual relationship with Mr. Vance had, including periods when she was under his command in Toronto and Ottawa.
Asked if this is a consensus, Ms. Brennan said: ‘What does’ personal’ mean, did I get ‘consensus’? Yes. ”
But she added: ‘Can I say no to him? No. The reason I say this is because I was forced to return to him when he called me or he texted me. ‘
She said her efforts to raise the issue within the military are going nowhere.
“It was a hot potato that no one knew what to do with,” she said.
Mr. Vance denied having sex with Mrs. Brennan had while she was under his command, but said they went out in 2001.
Cases with improper sexual relations usually go to a military council.
Michel W. Drapeau, a retired army colonel who is now a lawyer specializing in military law, said that under the army’s legal system, officers can be prosecuted for having intimate relationships with anyone under their command.
Mr. Vance’s resignation, Mr. Drapeau added, does not prevent him from facing charges of misconduct he committed while on active duty.
But Mr. Drapeau said the court battle required cases to be approved by a senior official, making it nearly impossible to file charges against Admiral McDonald should the investigation cause misconduct.
Earlier this week, the Conference of Defense Associations Institute, a Canadian policy group led primarily by former military officers, issued a statement expressing concern about the impact sexual misconduct has on the military.
“Allegations of this nature undermine public confidence in the Canadian military and ultimately affect morale and undermine efforts to recruit the future protectors of our country,” the group said.