Interesting article on that in The Hub this AM. I wonder who in DND has an uncle that makes useless sleeping bags?Despite the defence department spending more than $34.8 million on new sleeping bags, the Canadian Army asked late last year that hundreds of soldiers headed to a joint northern exercise in Alaska with the Americans be issued with old, 1960s-vintage bedrolls.
View attachment 24647
Troops who had used the recently issued General Purpose Sleeping Bag System (GPSBS) late last fall in a preparatory exercise found "several critical issues," according to an internal briefing note obtained by CBC News.
During the training exercise last fall (not winter), soldiers reported that even though they used both the inner and outer shells and slept in tents heated by stoves, they were still cold.
According to the internal briefing note, 3 PPCLI's quartermaster concluded the new sleeping bags were "better suited for use in weather conditions that are characteristic of late spring to early fall" and were not practical "for typical Canadian winter conditions nor the extreme cold of Alaska," where the troops deployed for further training in January.
In its statement, DND said it sought feedback from soldiers (after the GPSBS purchase) but the department did not answer directly when asked what sort of cold weather testing was done before it chose to purchase $34,800,000.00 of the sleeping bags.
"The GPSBS was chosen following a rigorous competitive process," said the department's statement.
Defence department spent more than $34 million on new sleeping bags now deemed unsuitable — CBC News
Canadian Army recommended troops heading to Alaskan military exercise earlier this year be issued 1960s vintage sleeping bags after soldiers complain that their new bedrolls, which cost taxpayers $34.8 million, were not suitable for "for typical Canadian winter conditions."apple.news
Canada’s Military current state & equipment
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Former military leader Haydn Edmundson found not guilty of sexual assault
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Sarah Ritchie and Alessia Passafiume
Published Sep 16, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
OTTAWA — Former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson has been found not guilty of sexual assault and committing an indecent act, concluding a trial that began in February.
Edmundson was head of the military’s personnel in 2021 when he was accused of assaulting another member of the navy during a 1991 deployment.
The complainant, Stephanie Viau, testified during the trial that she was 19 years old and in the navy’s lowest rank at the time of the alleged assault, while Edmundson was an older officer.
Edmundson pleaded not guilty and testified that he never had sexual contact with Viau.
In court on Monday, a small group of his supporters gasped when the verdict was read, and Edmundson shook his lawyer’s hand.
Outside court, lawyer Brian Greenspan said his client was gratified by the “clear, decisive vindication of his steadfast position that he was not guilty of these false accusations.”
Justice Matthew Webber read his entire decision to the court Monday, concluding that the Crown did not meet the standard of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
He cited concerns with the complainant’s memory of what happened more than 30 years ago, and a lack of evidence to corroborate her account.
“There are just too many problems, and I’m not in the business of … declaring what happened. That’s not my job, you know, my job is to just decide whether or not guilt has been proven to the requisite standard, and it hasn’t,” Webber said.
During the trial, Viau testified that one of her responsibilities on board the ship was to wake officers for night watch and other overnight duties, and that she woke Edmundson regularly during that 1991 deployment.
The court has heard conflicting evidence about the wake-up calls.
Viau estimated that she woke Edmundson every second or third night, and she told the court that his behaviour became progressively worse during the deployment.
She testified that he started sleeping naked and that one night she found him completely exposed on top of the sheets.
Viau said she “went berserk,” yelling at him and turning on the lights to wake the other officer sleeping in the top bunk.
That incident was the basis for the indecent act charge.
Webber said he did not believe that Viau could have caused such a disruption on board a navy ship at night without notice from others.
“I conclude that (Viau’s) overall evidence on the allegation that Mr. Edmundson did progressively expose himself to her as being far too compromised to approach proof of those allegations that she has made,” he said in his decision.
Viau alleged that the sexual assault happened a couple of days after her yelling at Edmundson.
She testified at trial that he stopped her in the corridor and called her into his sleeping quarters to talk. Viau said Edmundson kept her from leaving the room, and he sexually assaulted her.
When Edmundson took the stand in his own defence he denied having physical or sexual contact with Viau.
During his testimony, Edmundson also said Viau did not wake him regularly during that deployment because his role as the ship’s navigator kept him on mostly day shifts.
Defence lawyer Brian Greenspan took aim at the Crown’s corroborating witness during cross-examination. The woman, whose name is protected by a court-ordered publication ban, was a friend of Viau’s on the ship.
She testified that she remembered the evening of the assault because she and Viau had been getting ready for a night out during a port visit, and she misplaced her reading glasses. She said Viau offered to go fetch them from another part of the ship but never came back, and that she went looking for her friend.
On cross-examination, the woman explained that she had told all of this to a CBC reporter in early 2021.
Greenspan produced a transcript of that interview that he said suggests the reporter told her key details of Viau’s story before asking her any questions.
Greenspan argued the reporter provided information to the witness and she wouldn’t have been able to corroborate the story otherwise.
In his decision, Webber said the woman’s evidence “cannot be relied upon in any respect to corroborate that evidence of the complainant, because it’s it’s clearly a tainted recollection, doesn’t represent a real memory.”
Edmundson was one of several senior military leaders accused of sexual misconduct in early 2021.
He stepped down from his position as head of military personnel after the accusation against him was made public in 2021. The charges were laid months later, in December 2021.
Edmundson testified that in February 2022, he was directed by the chief of the defence staff to retire from the Armed Forces.
The crisis led to an external review by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour in May 2022, whose report called for sweeping changes to reform the toxic culture of the Armed Forces.
The military’s new defence chief, Gen. Jennie Carignan, was promoted to the newly created role of chief of professional conduct and culture in an effort to enact the reforms in the Arbour report.
Outside court, Edmundson declined to comment on whether he was considering legal action against the government or the military.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Sarah Ritchie and Alessia Passafiume
Published Sep 16, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
OTTAWA — Former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson has been found not guilty of sexual assault and committing an indecent act, concluding a trial that began in February.
Edmundson was head of the military’s personnel in 2021 when he was accused of assaulting another member of the navy during a 1991 deployment.
The complainant, Stephanie Viau, testified during the trial that she was 19 years old and in the navy’s lowest rank at the time of the alleged assault, while Edmundson was an older officer.
Edmundson pleaded not guilty and testified that he never had sexual contact with Viau.
In court on Monday, a small group of his supporters gasped when the verdict was read, and Edmundson shook his lawyer’s hand.
Outside court, lawyer Brian Greenspan said his client was gratified by the “clear, decisive vindication of his steadfast position that he was not guilty of these false accusations.”
Justice Matthew Webber read his entire decision to the court Monday, concluding that the Crown did not meet the standard of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
He cited concerns with the complainant’s memory of what happened more than 30 years ago, and a lack of evidence to corroborate her account.
“There are just too many problems, and I’m not in the business of … declaring what happened. That’s not my job, you know, my job is to just decide whether or not guilt has been proven to the requisite standard, and it hasn’t,” Webber said.
During the trial, Viau testified that one of her responsibilities on board the ship was to wake officers for night watch and other overnight duties, and that she woke Edmundson regularly during that 1991 deployment.
The court has heard conflicting evidence about the wake-up calls.
Viau estimated that she woke Edmundson every second or third night, and she told the court that his behaviour became progressively worse during the deployment.
She testified that he started sleeping naked and that one night she found him completely exposed on top of the sheets.
Viau said she “went berserk,” yelling at him and turning on the lights to wake the other officer sleeping in the top bunk.
That incident was the basis for the indecent act charge.
Webber said he did not believe that Viau could have caused such a disruption on board a navy ship at night without notice from others.
“I conclude that (Viau’s) overall evidence on the allegation that Mr. Edmundson did progressively expose himself to her as being far too compromised to approach proof of those allegations that she has made,” he said in his decision.
Viau alleged that the sexual assault happened a couple of days after her yelling at Edmundson.
She testified at trial that he stopped her in the corridor and called her into his sleeping quarters to talk. Viau said Edmundson kept her from leaving the room, and he sexually assaulted her.
When Edmundson took the stand in his own defence he denied having physical or sexual contact with Viau.
During his testimony, Edmundson also said Viau did not wake him regularly during that deployment because his role as the ship’s navigator kept him on mostly day shifts.
Defence lawyer Brian Greenspan took aim at the Crown’s corroborating witness during cross-examination. The woman, whose name is protected by a court-ordered publication ban, was a friend of Viau’s on the ship.
She testified that she remembered the evening of the assault because she and Viau had been getting ready for a night out during a port visit, and she misplaced her reading glasses. She said Viau offered to go fetch them from another part of the ship but never came back, and that she went looking for her friend.
On cross-examination, the woman explained that she had told all of this to a CBC reporter in early 2021.
Greenspan produced a transcript of that interview that he said suggests the reporter told her key details of Viau’s story before asking her any questions.
Greenspan argued the reporter provided information to the witness and she wouldn’t have been able to corroborate the story otherwise.
In his decision, Webber said the woman’s evidence “cannot be relied upon in any respect to corroborate that evidence of the complainant, because it’s it’s clearly a tainted recollection, doesn’t represent a real memory.”
Edmundson was one of several senior military leaders accused of sexual misconduct in early 2021.
He stepped down from his position as head of military personnel after the accusation against him was made public in 2021. The charges were laid months later, in December 2021.
Edmundson testified that in February 2022, he was directed by the chief of the defence staff to retire from the Armed Forces.
The crisis led to an external review by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour in May 2022, whose report called for sweeping changes to reform the toxic culture of the Armed Forces.
The military’s new defence chief, Gen. Jennie Carignan, was promoted to the newly created role of chief of professional conduct and culture in an effort to enact the reforms in the Arbour report.
Outside court, Edmundson declined to comment on whether he was considering legal action against the government or the military.
Former military leader Haydn Edmundson found not guilty of sexual assault
Former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson has been found not guilty of sexual assault and committing an indecent act.
DND didn’t apologize to sexually assaulted employee because Ottawa Citizen would write about it
Newly released documents show Canadian Forces did not send Kristen Adams an apology because it feared she would "be coming back with more media coverage.”
Author of the article
avid Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Published Oct 21, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago • 4 minute read
Management of the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services declined to apologize to an employee who was sexually assaulted in Latvia because they didn’t want the mea culpa reported on by the Ottawa Citizen, newly released documents reveal.
Kristen Adams, a civilian who worked for the welfare services group, was sexually assaulted by a NATO soldier during her shift at the canteen operated by Canada for troops in Latvia, according to military police records.
Details of the assault and how poorly Adams was treated by Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) management were first reported in the Ottawa Citizen in October 2023, prompting staff at the agency to angrily raise concerns about the organization’s failure to help a fellow worker.
That criticism, in turn, forced Chief Executive Officer Ian Poulter to issue an apology to all CFMWS staff for the way the incident was handled, although he excluded Adams.
Now, newly released records show why Poulter never sent Adams a direct apology, even though one was written up.
“Because the story was unfolding in the pages of the Ottawa Citizen, we did not want to correspond with Ms. Adams in writing because we didn’t want to perpetuate that cycle,” Department of National Defence (DND) officials wrote.
The internal records were obtained by Adams through her request using the federal privacy law.
“I never did get an apology from him (Poulter),” Adams told the Ottawa Citizen. “That shows you they don’t think they did anything wrong in all of this. It’s disgusting.”
Poulter, a retired major general, did not respond to a request for comment on why he refused to apologize to Adams.
DND did not provide comment.
The CFMWS, based in Ottawa, provides various programs and services for the military.
Canadian military police reports and documents noted Adams was sexually assaulted when an Albanian soldier grabbed her breast on Dec. 3, 2022.
But, after Adams filed a formal complaint about the assault, she was told in writing by a vice-president at CFMWS that she should have realized she would face such dangers when accepting a job supporting Canada’s military mission in Latvia.
Adams said CFMWS failed to properly respond to the attack or provide her with help. She believes the Canadian military and CFMWS are trying to sweep the incident under the rug because they don’t want to cause any embarrassment for the Canadian Armed Forces high-profile mission in Latvia.
Months after the assault, Adams wrote to Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre and other senior military leaders asking for help. Adams said she didn’t receive a reply from Eyre.
Instead, the DND records indicate that military and department officials were more concerned about whether other news media outlets would pick up on the Ottawa Citizen articles about the incident.
Eyre’s chief of staff Brig. Gen. Brendan Cook warned Poulter in an Oct. 25, 2023 email that “Ms. Adams is likely to be coming back with more media coverage.”
Cook also raised concerns that Defence Minister Anita Anand’s office could take an interest in the matter. “Of note, we recently got some pressure from MNDO [Minister National Defence Office] about the recent internal message to CFWMS staff that was cited in the press for not apologizing to Ms. Adams,” Cook wrote to Poulter in an email.
The documents also showed that some CFMWS managers belittled Adams and claimed that the attack never happened.
But multiple DND and military records do confirm the sexual assault occurred. One of the reports noted that after the assault the Albanian soldier returned to Adams’ work station looking for her.
Shortly after the assault, Adams’ contract was ended two months early by CFMWS. That decision was made “in order to ensure there is no further risk to your health,” according to a Feb. 3 2023 letter sent to Adams by the organization. CFMWS gave her $11,833, which paid her out for the early termination of her contract.
On May 10, 2023, Adams received a letter from CFMWS stating the organization had “gone above and beyond in its efforts to support you” and that it would “no longer entertain further complaints or correspondence from you regarding this issue.”
Canadian military police told Adams that, under NATO rules, they had no jurisdiction to investigate even though the incident took place at a Canadian facility.
Latvian military police were brought in to examine the case, but Adams pointed out they did not interview any witnesses. The only interviews conducted were with her and the Albanian soldier, she added.
On Dec. 14, 2022, Latvian military police decided they would not investigate further. Another review by Latvia concluded no criminal act had taken place.
However, Canadian military police did create a “shadow file” on Jan. 3, 2023, with details of the incident. (A shadow file is a Canadian Armed Forces document about an issue the military has an interest in, but not direct control over.) Those details and that report do not dispute Adams’ version of events, and they termed the incident a sexual assault.
torontosun.com
Newly released documents show Canadian Forces did not send Kristen Adams an apology because it feared she would "be coming back with more media coverage.”
Author of the article
avid Pugliese • Ottawa CitizenPublished Oct 21, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago • 4 minute read
Management of the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services declined to apologize to an employee who was sexually assaulted in Latvia because they didn’t want the mea culpa reported on by the Ottawa Citizen, newly released documents reveal.
Kristen Adams, a civilian who worked for the welfare services group, was sexually assaulted by a NATO soldier during her shift at the canteen operated by Canada for troops in Latvia, according to military police records.
Details of the assault and how poorly Adams was treated by Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) management were first reported in the Ottawa Citizen in October 2023, prompting staff at the agency to angrily raise concerns about the organization’s failure to help a fellow worker.
That criticism, in turn, forced Chief Executive Officer Ian Poulter to issue an apology to all CFMWS staff for the way the incident was handled, although he excluded Adams.
Now, newly released records show why Poulter never sent Adams a direct apology, even though one was written up.
“Because the story was unfolding in the pages of the Ottawa Citizen, we did not want to correspond with Ms. Adams in writing because we didn’t want to perpetuate that cycle,” Department of National Defence (DND) officials wrote.
The internal records were obtained by Adams through her request using the federal privacy law.
“I never did get an apology from him (Poulter),” Adams told the Ottawa Citizen. “That shows you they don’t think they did anything wrong in all of this. It’s disgusting.”
Poulter, a retired major general, did not respond to a request for comment on why he refused to apologize to Adams.
DND did not provide comment.
The CFMWS, based in Ottawa, provides various programs and services for the military.
Canadian military police reports and documents noted Adams was sexually assaulted when an Albanian soldier grabbed her breast on Dec. 3, 2022.
But, after Adams filed a formal complaint about the assault, she was told in writing by a vice-president at CFMWS that she should have realized she would face such dangers when accepting a job supporting Canada’s military mission in Latvia.
Adams said CFMWS failed to properly respond to the attack or provide her with help. She believes the Canadian military and CFMWS are trying to sweep the incident under the rug because they don’t want to cause any embarrassment for the Canadian Armed Forces high-profile mission in Latvia.
Months after the assault, Adams wrote to Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre and other senior military leaders asking for help. Adams said she didn’t receive a reply from Eyre.
Instead, the DND records indicate that military and department officials were more concerned about whether other news media outlets would pick up on the Ottawa Citizen articles about the incident.
Eyre’s chief of staff Brig. Gen. Brendan Cook warned Poulter in an Oct. 25, 2023 email that “Ms. Adams is likely to be coming back with more media coverage.”
Cook also raised concerns that Defence Minister Anita Anand’s office could take an interest in the matter. “Of note, we recently got some pressure from MNDO [Minister National Defence Office] about the recent internal message to CFWMS staff that was cited in the press for not apologizing to Ms. Adams,” Cook wrote to Poulter in an email.
The documents also showed that some CFMWS managers belittled Adams and claimed that the attack never happened.
But multiple DND and military records do confirm the sexual assault occurred. One of the reports noted that after the assault the Albanian soldier returned to Adams’ work station looking for her.
Shortly after the assault, Adams’ contract was ended two months early by CFMWS. That decision was made “in order to ensure there is no further risk to your health,” according to a Feb. 3 2023 letter sent to Adams by the organization. CFMWS gave her $11,833, which paid her out for the early termination of her contract.
On May 10, 2023, Adams received a letter from CFMWS stating the organization had “gone above and beyond in its efforts to support you” and that it would “no longer entertain further complaints or correspondence from you regarding this issue.”
Canadian military police told Adams that, under NATO rules, they had no jurisdiction to investigate even though the incident took place at a Canadian facility.
Latvian military police were brought in to examine the case, but Adams pointed out they did not interview any witnesses. The only interviews conducted were with her and the Albanian soldier, she added.
On Dec. 14, 2022, Latvian military police decided they would not investigate further. Another review by Latvia concluded no criminal act had taken place.
However, Canadian military police did create a “shadow file” on Jan. 3, 2023, with details of the incident. (A shadow file is a Canadian Armed Forces document about an issue the military has an interest in, but not direct control over.) Those details and that report do not dispute Adams’ version of events, and they termed the incident a sexual assault.
DND didn’t apologize to sexually assaulted employee because Ottawa Citizen would write about it
Documents show Canadian Forces did not send Kristen Adams an apology because it feared she would "be coming back with more media coverage.”