Sexual Malfeasance in the Elite Echelon of the Canadian Military

"For a full 24 hours I was running in circles."

"Senior officers appear to get special treatment when there are sexual misconduct allegations."

"I think that maybe the people who are responsible for sexual misconduct allegations are senior officers and they may have some connections with respondent officers. I've heard  in terms of an old boys' network' amongst the senior ranks." 

"I wish there had been more guidance for me. There are many policies, but I am unsure if Operation Honour has been widely accepted within the Canadian Armed Forces yet."

"At this point I felt like I had been running in circles all day, and I said I was willing to talk about it."

"[He’s had worse experiences related to another sexual-harassment complaint, involving a comment made during a video conference.] In fact I was berated in a very demeaning manner for following through on my reporting. I believe I was treated this way because the complaint was also about another senior officer,"

"In this environment, I can certainly understand why so many victims of sexual misconduct would be reluctant to come forward."

"[During a video conference where a senior officer made a comment about a female service member’s bedroom, visible in the background], He referred to it as her ‘red room,’ which many on the call took to be a reference to the movie `Fifty Shades of Grey.’ Several other members in that Zoom call followed up to echo this comparison and make inappropriate sexual remarks. There were many women on this call."

Lt.Cmdr.Raymond Trotter, Canadian Armed Forces

Lt. Cmdr. Raymond Trotter testified before the House of Commons Defence committee on Friday. Photo by Handout photo /Postmedia

Testifying before the Commons Defence Committee of the Canadian Parliament, Lt.Cmdr.Trotter described his flailing efforts to report serious allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Art McDonald, who had held that office for a mere month or so, after his predecessor General Jon Vance had stepped down. Both Admiral McDonald and General Vance had publicly committed themselves to eradicating sexual malfeasance from the Canadian military.

Both are now under investigation for having committed sexual offences and indiscretions before and after taking command of the highest military position in the Canadian military. A female military colleague had approached Lt.Cmdr Trotter of the allegations identifying Admiral McDonald as a sexual abuser. When he made an attempt to have an investigation launched he was repeatedly rebuffed, both by the Defence Department and by Canada's Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan; each sent him from one to the other.

 

MPs on the House of Commons defence committee voted today to expand their inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct against former chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance to include an examination of separate allegations against his successor, Adm. Art McDonald (pictured here), who stepped aside in February. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)

 

Now, he has testified before the Commons Committee looking into sexual misconduct allegations against both ex-Chiefs of the Defence Staff. He explained his reluctance to take his message to the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service for the logical reason that the military police organization reports directly to the Chief of the Defence Staff. It is not an independent body. As well, he reported another incident.

That third incident was reported to officials at his home base of CFB Esquimalt in British Columbia where a senior naval officer on a Zoom call to a female subordinate, in front of over 100 military personnel posed an inappropriate sexual innuendo. One of the subordinates to the accused officer was tasked with investigating the allegations.

Once he was placed under investigation by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service,  Admiral McDonald stepped away from the top military position that had been his for a mere month. The same body is investigating Admiral McDonald's predecessor General Vance, for the very same explicit reasons of sexual improprieties.

 

Gen. Jonathan Vance is under investigation for an improper sexual relationship while he was chief of the defence staff.

 

When Lt.Cmdr Trotter assented to testifying before the Commons Committee he was threatened, a matter now also under police investigation. He testified that he had been berated for coming forward to testify, and then another former officer who now serves as a federal bureaucrat berated him with raised voice that "I had f-cked up. I had ruined the respondent's career over nothing". 

Earlier testimony by former Canadian Forces Ombudsman Gary Walbourne had described his approach to Defence Minister Sajjan to advise over the sexual misconduct of General Vance, and when he made an attempt to provide material evidence, Minister Sajjan refused to receive it. As it happened, General Vance was Minister Sajjan's superior officer when the minister was in the military himself. They were known to be personal friends.

Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan is under fire after former military ombudsman Gary Walbourne alleged before the defence committee that Sajjan refused to look at evidence of possible misconduct involving former chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)