Rate of sexual assault in Armed Forces rising, or the rate of reporting sexual assault in the Armed Forces is rising?
Canada’s Military current state & equipment
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Former head of military HR sues Armed Forces, government after misconduct case
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Sarah Ritchie
Published May 22, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
OTTAWA — A former military leader who was accused of sexual misconduct in 2021 is suing the federal government, the Armed Forces and his accuser, claiming he was maliciously prosecuted for political reasons.
Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan filed a statement of claim in Federal Court asking for damages and a public apology.
The claim says the military and Defence Department should apologize for the “abuse of office, negligent investigation, malicious prosecution and involvement in the media leaks that destroyed his reputation and career.”
The lawsuit names defendants including defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre and vice-chief Lt.-Gen. Frances Allen; Jody Thomas, the former deputy minister of defence; Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan, the military’s chief of professional conduct and culture; the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal; the director of military prosecutions and the investigative arm of the military police.
It accuses the defendants of conspiring to minimize the political fallout.
Whelan’s claim also names his accuser, saying she misrepresented facts and defamed him. And it says the Prime Minister’s Office and Privy Council Office were acting in response to public and political pressure.
“Individuals with inappropriate motives influenced the military justice system, military police processes and career administration processes. The resulting chaos reflects a military that is still unwilling to free itself from improper political influence,” the claim says.
It seeks $10 million for loss of income and loss of enjoyment of life, as well as damage to Whelan’s mental health and reputation.
The allegations in the statement of claim have not been tested in court.
Whelan was accused in late 2021 of having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. He was put on leave from his role as head of the military’s personnel during an investigation.
The military charged him with two counts of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline in 2022.
The case went to a court martial last fall, and military prosecutors eventually dropped both charges.
“I think the military, when it was exposed to be not doing enough to act on sexual misconduct cases, overreacted by commodifying allegations,” said Whelan’s lawyer, Phillip Millar, in an interview.
Millar said Whelan offered to resign when he first learned of the accusation against him. According to his statement of claim, the defence chief told Whelan the complaint was not serious enough to warrant his resignation.
Millar said he believes the government didn’t want the case to be made public before the 2021 federal election. The complaint was the subject of a news story in October, after the election, and Whelan’s statement of claim said he believes “members of his chain of command enabled the leak” about the investigation.
Throughout 2021, the Armed Forces was embroiled in controversy after several high-ranking leaders were publicly accused of sexual misconduct.
The government called for an external review by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour, who recommended sweeping changes to the military’s culture and the way it deals with sexual misconduct cases.
Some military leaders were criminally charged.
That included former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson, whom Whelan replaced as head of military personnel.
Edmundson was charged with sexually assaulting a junior navy member in 1991. The case went to trial earlier this year and a verdict is expected in July.
Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin was removed as head of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout campaign in May 2021 while he was under investigation for an allegation dating back to 1988.
He was charged with one count of sexual assault in August 2021 and was later acquitted after a trial in the civilian Quebec Superior Court. The Armed Forces also cleared him of wrongdoing.
Fortin filed a lawsuit in March 2023 against 16 high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Eyre and the Liberal cabinet ministers who held the defence and health portfolios at the time of the accusation.
He reached an undisclosed settlement with the government last October.
Millar said Whelan filed the lawsuit after discussions with the federal government were “not fruitful.”
Whelan’s statement of claim says he “witnessed firsthand his chain of command receiving direction from the sitting government” in other cases and that his concerns about this became a point of contention with his superiors.
It also accuses the government of destroying the lives of senior officers “on allegations alone.”
“It perpetuated a forever war that has generationally destroyed operational effectiveness, fractured CAF members’ confidence in CAF leadership and sullied the reputation of Canada’s military,” the claim said.
None of the defendants have filed a response with the court.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Sarah Ritchie
Published May 22, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
OTTAWA — A former military leader who was accused of sexual misconduct in 2021 is suing the federal government, the Armed Forces and his accuser, claiming he was maliciously prosecuted for political reasons.
Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan filed a statement of claim in Federal Court asking for damages and a public apology.
The claim says the military and Defence Department should apologize for the “abuse of office, negligent investigation, malicious prosecution and involvement in the media leaks that destroyed his reputation and career.”
The lawsuit names defendants including defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre and vice-chief Lt.-Gen. Frances Allen; Jody Thomas, the former deputy minister of defence; Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan, the military’s chief of professional conduct and culture; the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal; the director of military prosecutions and the investigative arm of the military police.
It accuses the defendants of conspiring to minimize the political fallout.
Whelan’s claim also names his accuser, saying she misrepresented facts and defamed him. And it says the Prime Minister’s Office and Privy Council Office were acting in response to public and political pressure.
“Individuals with inappropriate motives influenced the military justice system, military police processes and career administration processes. The resulting chaos reflects a military that is still unwilling to free itself from improper political influence,” the claim says.
It seeks $10 million for loss of income and loss of enjoyment of life, as well as damage to Whelan’s mental health and reputation.
The allegations in the statement of claim have not been tested in court.
Whelan was accused in late 2021 of having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. He was put on leave from his role as head of the military’s personnel during an investigation.
The military charged him with two counts of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline in 2022.
The case went to a court martial last fall, and military prosecutors eventually dropped both charges.
“I think the military, when it was exposed to be not doing enough to act on sexual misconduct cases, overreacted by commodifying allegations,” said Whelan’s lawyer, Phillip Millar, in an interview.
Millar said Whelan offered to resign when he first learned of the accusation against him. According to his statement of claim, the defence chief told Whelan the complaint was not serious enough to warrant his resignation.
Millar said he believes the government didn’t want the case to be made public before the 2021 federal election. The complaint was the subject of a news story in October, after the election, and Whelan’s statement of claim said he believes “members of his chain of command enabled the leak” about the investigation.
Throughout 2021, the Armed Forces was embroiled in controversy after several high-ranking leaders were publicly accused of sexual misconduct.
The government called for an external review by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour, who recommended sweeping changes to the military’s culture and the way it deals with sexual misconduct cases.
Some military leaders were criminally charged.
That included former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson, whom Whelan replaced as head of military personnel.
Edmundson was charged with sexually assaulting a junior navy member in 1991. The case went to trial earlier this year and a verdict is expected in July.
Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin was removed as head of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout campaign in May 2021 while he was under investigation for an allegation dating back to 1988.
He was charged with one count of sexual assault in August 2021 and was later acquitted after a trial in the civilian Quebec Superior Court. The Armed Forces also cleared him of wrongdoing.
Fortin filed a lawsuit in March 2023 against 16 high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Eyre and the Liberal cabinet ministers who held the defence and health portfolios at the time of the accusation.
He reached an undisclosed settlement with the government last October.
Millar said Whelan filed the lawsuit after discussions with the federal government were “not fruitful.”
Whelan’s statement of claim says he “witnessed firsthand his chain of command receiving direction from the sitting government” in other cases and that his concerns about this became a point of contention with his superiors.
It also accuses the government of destroying the lives of senior officers “on allegations alone.”
“It perpetuated a forever war that has generationally destroyed operational effectiveness, fractured CAF members’ confidence in CAF leadership and sullied the reputation of Canada’s military,” the claim said.
None of the defendants have filed a response with the court.
Former head of military HR sues Armed Forces, government after misconduct case
A former military leader accused of sexual misconduct in 2021 is suing the federal government, the Armed Forces and his accuser.
turdOWE has already given more of our money to foreign despots than would be required to fix the military.
So guessing the decision to pay for 16 F35 fighter jets now for delivery in 2026 (that is never going to happen) is just a way to up the % of money spent on defense. Or just a bunch more money for their friends in the U.S..
Of course we don't have the money so we borrow to do it. Bill Blair is almost as incompetent as Freeland.
www.bnnbloomberg.ca
Of course we don't have the money so we borrow to do it. Bill Blair is almost as incompetent as Freeland.
BNN Bloomberg – Canada Business News, TSX Today & Interest Rates
Get the latest Canadian business news, TSX updates, interest rates and Bank of Canada coverage. Explore stock market investing and get expert financial insights on investment portfolio strategies.
Not likely; when Trudeau and the Libs are tossed out, the Cons will find excuses not to match either.
That's what I was laughing at set the target so far into the future that it would become an after thought
Still can’t figure out how idiot boy could make an announcement like that with a straight face. Have to be a special kind of stupid.
Since TurdOWE has drained the treasury, it is going to be difficult for the Conservatives to promise anything but more taxes to pay the accrued debt.
Hopefully they drain all the excess and leeches in Gov. first
That in itself is going to be expensive. Many have severance deals. Hell even politicians that don’t run again get severance pay.
Come now , why go into politics if not for the entitled entitlements ?
The Liberal government's recent internal budget cutting exercise at the Department of National Defence (DND) has deprived the army's system for maintaining equipment and vehicles of up to $150 million, CBC News has learned.
And when the preservation of older systems — the kind that might have to be pressed into service during an emergency — is factored in, the funding gap grows to $260 million, the army acknowledged in a written statement.
(The above shortfall is less than 1/4 of the annual CBC budget…just say’n…)
The shortage of what DND calls national procurement funding is having an impact on the army's ability to respond to a crisis call from NATO or to domestic emergencies, such as the recent wildfires in Western Canada.
The "overall serviceability of operational [army] fleets is, as of 10 June 2024, 52 per cent," Lt-Col. Sandra Lévesque said in a statement released to CBC News. CBC asked the department a series of questions about maintenance funding, equipment and training systems.
apple.news
That statement means 48 per cent of the army's equipment is unserviceable — a slight deterioration since last year.
CBC News published a leaked document last spring that outlined the state of readiness across the entire military. At the time, the military's figures indicated that 46 per cent of the army's gear was considered "unserviceable."
DND said the army's overall maintenance and upkeep budget amounts to $586 million this year….so about half of the CBC annual budget.
"This covers contracts and the overhead costs associated with industrial support as well as repairs; however, the fund allocation is approximately $150 million short of maintaining the current force's serviceability and roughly an additional $260 million short if considering obsolescence and long-term fleet management obligations," the statement said.
"This shortfall will result in a lower serviceability of many Canadian Army fleets."
Military told to cut $810M this year.
The latest federal budget, tabled last spring in the House of Commons, tasked DND with cutting internal spending by $810 million in the current fiscal year, and by $908 million per year in 2026–27 and beyond.
In an internal department message, posted the day after the budget was tabled, now-former deputy minister of defence Bill Matthews and now-retired chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre told staff that the cuts would target "activities that have a history of underspending their approved funding, and ... initiatives to be delivered in future years."
Defence Minister Bill Blair has insisted that any internal military budget cuts would target the bureaucracy, not military capabilities. Much more at the above link.
And when the preservation of older systems — the kind that might have to be pressed into service during an emergency — is factored in, the funding gap grows to $260 million, the army acknowledged in a written statement.
(The above shortfall is less than 1/4 of the annual CBC budget…just say’n…)
The shortage of what DND calls national procurement funding is having an impact on the army's ability to respond to a crisis call from NATO or to domestic emergencies, such as the recent wildfires in Western Canada.
The "overall serviceability of operational [army] fleets is, as of 10 June 2024, 52 per cent," Lt-Col. Sandra Lévesque said in a statement released to CBC News. CBC asked the department a series of questions about maintenance funding, equipment and training systems.
Government cost-cutting blows $150M hole in army's equipment maintenance budget — CBC News
The Liberal government's recent internal budget cutting exercise at the Department of National Defence (DND) has deprived the army's system for maintaining equipment and vehicles of up to $150 million, CBC News has learned.
CBC News published a leaked document last spring that outlined the state of readiness across the entire military. At the time, the military's figures indicated that 46 per cent of the army's gear was considered "unserviceable."
DND said the army's overall maintenance and upkeep budget amounts to $586 million this year….so about half of the CBC annual budget.
"This covers contracts and the overhead costs associated with industrial support as well as repairs; however, the fund allocation is approximately $150 million short of maintaining the current force's serviceability and roughly an additional $260 million short if considering obsolescence and long-term fleet management obligations," the statement said.
"This shortfall will result in a lower serviceability of many Canadian Army fleets."
Military told to cut $810M this year.
The latest federal budget, tabled last spring in the House of Commons, tasked DND with cutting internal spending by $810 million in the current fiscal year, and by $908 million per year in 2026–27 and beyond.
In an internal department message, posted the day after the budget was tabled, now-former deputy minister of defence Bill Matthews and now-retired chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre told staff that the cuts would target "activities that have a history of underspending their approved funding, and ... initiatives to be delivered in future years."
Defence Minister Bill Blair has insisted that any internal military budget cuts would target the bureaucracy, not military capabilities. Much more at the above link.
Controversial new Canadian Army logo approved at highest levels, documents show
Social-media ridicule prompted National Defence to issue an apology for the confusion and a statement clarifying that the Army’s official emblem wasn’t being replaced.
Author of the article
avid Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Published Aug 20, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
National Defence said the Canadian Army released on May 3 was developed by the department’s internal graphic design team at no extra expense to taxpayers.
National Defence said the Canadian Army released on May 3 was developed by the department’s internal graphic design team at no extra expense to taxpayers. Photo by Canadian Army /X (Twitter)
A new Canadian Army logo that sparked an intense online backlash was approved at the highest level with no objections raised about the image that has since been likened to a bear having sex with a moose.
The senior level military approval process for the new Canadian Army logo started in March 2024 with a plan to roll out the image in May online, according to documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.
But, once made public, the logo — a tilted maple leaf and a pixilated camouflage pattern — met with immediate ridicule.
Some social-media users expressed anger, claiming the army was changing its official emblem. Others compared the new logo to an image of a man or bear having sex with a moose. Memes were created making fun of the new Army icon, which others likened to a pile of feces or pixel art from Minecraft, an online game.
The social-media ridicule prompted National Defence to issue an apology for the confusion and a statement clarifying that the Army’s official emblem wasn’t being replaced. Instead, it noted, the icon was a supplementary design.
But Army documents obtained using the Access to Information law show the new logo was carefully planned and approved by military leadership.
The approval process started on March 21 with the deputy army commander, followed by discussion among army public affairs officers at a townhall and then a briefing April 12 for top army leaders, the records showed. No objections to the new imagery were registered at the time.
But the rollout documents pointed out that the image could only be used a certain way. “Icon should not be flipped horizontally or vertically,” the briefing documents noted, although there was no explanation for that instruction.
The image is supposed to highlight the colours used in the Army’s new camouflage pattern. In particular, the icon resembles the pixels, in shades of brown, topped by a maple leaf and was extracted from this pattern, according to National Defence.
The social-media backlash was immediate after the Army posted its new icon May 3. Besides the sexual references, much of the commentary focused on trying to figure out what the imagery was supposed to represent.
“Looks like something I wipe off my windshield while pumping gas,” one commentator wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Questions were also raised about who came up with the logo and who approved it, with suggestions that those individuals be fired.
Conservative MPs claimed that the Liberal government had forced the new imagery on the Army.
The documents, however, make clear that the icon was an Army initiative developed by in-house personnel.
National Defence spokesman Alex Tétreault says the new logo is in use. “The icon design will be displayed in the bottom left corner of various internal and external products and presentations,” he stated in an email to the Ottawa Citizen. “It will also be used in video animation and content generated for social media.”
The icon was part of a new Army branding and communications strategy. That strategy had a goal to “establish and maintain credibility,” noted then-Army commander Lt. Gen. Jocelyn Paul in the service’s new public affairs strategy released in May. Paul has since retired.
Tétreault said the army did not produce a follow-up report to examine what went right or wrong with the rollout of the logo or to examine what was behind the resulting social-media backlash.
But a retired senior military public affairs officer says that was the wrong approach to take.
“Not conducting lessons-learned on initiatives such as this to understand the positive and negative is an abdication of professional responsibility and a failure of senior leader oversight of the communications function,” retired army Col. Brett Boudreau said. “Going forward, it essentially guarantees a repeat of bad process, decisions, planning and outcomes in similar undertakings.”
He said the new icon initiative, “while surely well-meaning, was a failure.”
Tétreault noted the imagery was developed by the department’s internal graphic design team at no extra expense to taxpayers.
David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, subscribe: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe
![canadian-army-branding-may-2-2024[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/22/22499-11228f7200b65c0b412f06a4b1fd3be6.jpg "canadian-army-branding-may-2-2024[1].jpg")
torontosun.com
Social-media ridicule prompted National Defence to issue an apology for the confusion and a statement clarifying that the Army’s official emblem wasn’t being replaced.
Author of the article
avid Pugliese • Ottawa CitizenPublished Aug 20, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
National Defence said the Canadian Army released on May 3 was developed by the department’s internal graphic design team at no extra expense to taxpayers.
National Defence said the Canadian Army released on May 3 was developed by the department’s internal graphic design team at no extra expense to taxpayers. Photo by Canadian Army /X (Twitter)
A new Canadian Army logo that sparked an intense online backlash was approved at the highest level with no objections raised about the image that has since been likened to a bear having sex with a moose.
The senior level military approval process for the new Canadian Army logo started in March 2024 with a plan to roll out the image in May online, according to documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.
But, once made public, the logo — a tilted maple leaf and a pixilated camouflage pattern — met with immediate ridicule.
Some social-media users expressed anger, claiming the army was changing its official emblem. Others compared the new logo to an image of a man or bear having sex with a moose. Memes were created making fun of the new Army icon, which others likened to a pile of feces or pixel art from Minecraft, an online game.
The social-media ridicule prompted National Defence to issue an apology for the confusion and a statement clarifying that the Army’s official emblem wasn’t being replaced. Instead, it noted, the icon was a supplementary design.
But Army documents obtained using the Access to Information law show the new logo was carefully planned and approved by military leadership.
The approval process started on March 21 with the deputy army commander, followed by discussion among army public affairs officers at a townhall and then a briefing April 12 for top army leaders, the records showed. No objections to the new imagery were registered at the time.
But the rollout documents pointed out that the image could only be used a certain way. “Icon should not be flipped horizontally or vertically,” the briefing documents noted, although there was no explanation for that instruction.
The image is supposed to highlight the colours used in the Army’s new camouflage pattern. In particular, the icon resembles the pixels, in shades of brown, topped by a maple leaf and was extracted from this pattern, according to National Defence.
The social-media backlash was immediate after the Army posted its new icon May 3. Besides the sexual references, much of the commentary focused on trying to figure out what the imagery was supposed to represent.
“Looks like something I wipe off my windshield while pumping gas,” one commentator wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Questions were also raised about who came up with the logo and who approved it, with suggestions that those individuals be fired.
Conservative MPs claimed that the Liberal government had forced the new imagery on the Army.
The documents, however, make clear that the icon was an Army initiative developed by in-house personnel.
National Defence spokesman Alex Tétreault says the new logo is in use. “The icon design will be displayed in the bottom left corner of various internal and external products and presentations,” he stated in an email to the Ottawa Citizen. “It will also be used in video animation and content generated for social media.”
The icon was part of a new Army branding and communications strategy. That strategy had a goal to “establish and maintain credibility,” noted then-Army commander Lt. Gen. Jocelyn Paul in the service’s new public affairs strategy released in May. Paul has since retired.
Tétreault said the army did not produce a follow-up report to examine what went right or wrong with the rollout of the logo or to examine what was behind the resulting social-media backlash.
But a retired senior military public affairs officer says that was the wrong approach to take.
“Not conducting lessons-learned on initiatives such as this to understand the positive and negative is an abdication of professional responsibility and a failure of senior leader oversight of the communications function,” retired army Col. Brett Boudreau said. “Going forward, it essentially guarantees a repeat of bad process, decisions, planning and outcomes in similar undertakings.”
He said the new icon initiative, “while surely well-meaning, was a failure.”
Tétreault noted the imagery was developed by the department’s internal graphic design team at no extra expense to taxpayers.
David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, subscribe: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe
Controversial new Canadian Army logo approved at highest levels, documents show
Among the social-media criticism of the imagery released on May 3 were comparisons to feces and sexual intercourse among animals.
Verdict delayed in sexual assault trial for former head of military HR
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Aug 28, 2024 • 1 minute read
Edmundson, who is accused of sexually assaulting a woman on board a navy ship in 1991, is testifying in his own defence.
OTTAWA — An Ottawa judge says he needs more time to finish the decision in the sexual assault trial for former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson.
Edmundson was the head of military personnel in 2021 when he was accused of raping a woman on board a navy ship in 1991.
The two-week trial was held in February and the verdict has been delayed twice so far.
At trial the complainant testified that she was 19 years old at the time of the alleged assault, and in the navy’s lowest rank, while Edmundson was an officer.
She told the court she didn’t tell anyone about what happened and only came forward years later.
Edmundson pleaded not guilty, and during his own testimony he denied having any sexual contact with the woman.
The case was among a series of high-profile accusations made against senior military leaders in 2021, which resulted in an independent review that called for sweeping changes to the Armed Forces’ culture.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Aug 28, 2024 • 1 minute read
Edmundson, who is accused of sexually assaulting a woman on board a navy ship in 1991, is testifying in his own defence.
OTTAWA — An Ottawa judge says he needs more time to finish the decision in the sexual assault trial for former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson.
Edmundson was the head of military personnel in 2021 when he was accused of raping a woman on board a navy ship in 1991.
The two-week trial was held in February and the verdict has been delayed twice so far.
At trial the complainant testified that she was 19 years old at the time of the alleged assault, and in the navy’s lowest rank, while Edmundson was an officer.
She told the court she didn’t tell anyone about what happened and only came forward years later.
Edmundson pleaded not guilty, and during his own testimony he denied having any sexual contact with the woman.
The case was among a series of high-profile accusations made against senior military leaders in 2021, which resulted in an independent review that called for sweeping changes to the Armed Forces’ culture.
Verdict delayed in sexual assault trial for former head of military HR
The two-week trial was held in February and the verdict has been delayed twice so far.