Sexist, Predatory Canadian Armed Forces Elite : The Closed-Shop's Closet

 Gary Walbourne. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

"Yes, I did directly tell him [Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan] about an allegation of inappropriate behaviour against the chief of defence staff. 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'."

"The only thing I ever wanted the minister to do was his job. Doing nothing was not the response I was looking for."

"I knew it was a hit job [military brass taking steps to sideline the ombudsman]. I don't know if it was a coverup, but I know it was a full-court press to get rid of me."

"What we need to do is get the dinosaurs [members of the military who prey on women] off the table."

Canadian Forces Ombudsman Gary Walbourne

The public scandal surrounding the harassment and sexual misconduct that seems to permeate the Canadian military and which has been brought to light over the past few years, necessitating a commission of enquiry, recommendations and a number of pledges from military brass that this kind of misconduct will not be tolerated and must come to an end, continues. As they appealed to the rank-and-file to respect the women in their ranks and treat them with due courtesy, in a bid to bring the situation under control, who might imagine this to be rank hypocrisy?

 

Then-Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance in Ottawa on Remembrance Day, 2020. (Giacomo Panico/CBC)

 

Former Chief of the Defence Staff Jon Vance made it his personal mission to put a stop to the scandalous behaviour of some members of the military toward their female counterparts. It must, and would come to an end he pledged, as he appealed to the troops to bring honour back to the Canadian military. His mandate recently came to an end, and a successor was chosen, Admiral Art McDonald. The new Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral McDonald, like his predecessor, also pledged his full support to ending the predatory behaviour that permeated the military.

And then, several weeks ago, a ranking female officer revealed that she had been sexually abused by General Vance for many years in a relationship she had reported on a number of occasions to senior officers only to be ignored. He was also accused of having made a hugely inappropriate invitation to another female officer. All this before he was appointed Chief of the Defence Staff, although it was common knowledge among other high-ranking officers of Vance's hugely inappropriate behaviour.

 

Former military ombudsman Gary Walbourne told a parliamentary committee that he warned Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan about allegations of sexual misconduct against former chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance three years ago. Sajjan said last week the allegations came as a surprise last month

 

Bombshells just kept dropping. Only a month or so after having been appointed Chief of the Defence Staff after General Vance, Admiral McDonald too stepped down from the job. He too has been placed under military police investigation, just like his predecessor, and for the very same reasons. Allegations of sexual misconduct. 

Canada's top military commander Art McDonald has stepped aside pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)

 

Now it has been revealed that Lt.-Gen.Chris Coates who was to become deputy commander of Joint Force Command in Naples Italy has been set aside. He had been selected to fill a top NATO position but the discovery was made that he too had an affair with a co-worker. In all of this, Canada's Minister of Defence, himself part of the military before becoming Minister of Defence, as a top reservist, claims to have discovered these issues of malfeasance after the fact, and had taken all due steps to refer the matter onward to authorities whose job it was to deal with them.

Lt.-Gen.Coates had an affair with a U.S.civilian co-worker while deputy commander of the North American Aerospace Defence Command in Colorado. In all of this murk, the Minister of Defence claims he had no prior knowledge, but nor would he explain why General Vance, a personal friend of  his, never informed him of the situation relating to Lt.-Gen.Coates. The deputy minister at National Defence happens to be Coates' sister-in-law, and she too kept quiet.

"Management and discipline of officers of the Canadian Armed Forces is the responsibility of the Canadian Defence Staff, in this case, General Vance", explained National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier. "These types of personal relationships are dealt with inside the respective national chain of command and subject to the nation of origin's regulations on fraternization." The U.S. takes these issues seriously. Remember General Stanley McChrystal, the celebrated intellectual who had made such a difference in Afghanistan whose career came crashing down as a result of an affair with a journalist...?

Now, it has been revealed through Omburdsman Walbourne's testimony before a House of Commons committee that the Minister of Defence knew, but had no wish to know, about all the sordid details of sexual misconduct by senior military. When Ombudsman Walbourne met with Minister Sajjan in March of 2018 it was to apprise him of sexual misconduct, despite Sajjan's having denied he had had any knowledge beforehand when the issue of General Vance's conduct recently surfaced.

Gary Walbourne described to the committee that he lacked permission from the victim of General Vance's conduct to investigate; his approach to Minister Sajjan was for advice on how to proceed. He had asked Sajjan that the information be kept confidential to protect the victim; he wanted only to know how to proceed. "I was absolutely shocked they knew about it", he said, when he was summoned to the Privy Council Office a day later to be questioned about the victim, who had entrusted him with her privacy.

But nor did the Privy Council Office take action against Vance and when Walbourne asked to meet again with Sajjan he was refused. But then came a studied game of retribution from senior National Defence leadership against a man whose job it was to support Canadian military personnel. National Defence placed Walbourne under investigation,  his requests for details refused by deputy minister Jody Thomas. Seven months after his meeting with Sajjan over the matter, he resigned his position, with no other option left to him.

When Sajjan and Thomas, Minister and his Deputy, appeared before the same commission, they acknowledged that members of the file-and-rank Canadian Forces have little trust in the processes meant to protect individuals who complain about misconduct. The fear among them, evidently, is that they might face reprisals should they come forward. One can only wonder with incredulity where on earth they might get that idea?

Gary Walbourne, former Ombudsman for the Department of National Defence, testified before the House of Commons defence committee Wednesday. Photo by Julie Oliver /Ottawa Citizen

Resignation Required  :  Reinstatement Desired

"Vice-Admiral Norman, you entered a plea of not guilty."
"You are presumed to be innocent and you remain so."
"You are free to leave."
Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey  -- April 9, 2019

"[Norman is] a highly experienced and successful officer."
"VAdm Norman has had, and will continue to have, the trust of senior military and civilian leadership."
Chief of the Defence Staff General Jon Vance/Deputy Minister Jody Thomas  -- April 10, 2019

"I have compelling, sobering and frightening information."
Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
General Vance to Vice-Admiral Norman -- January 2017

Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance and Vice-Admiral Mark Norman on their way to court, separately, on Jan. 30, 2019. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, the second-ranking officer in the Canadian Forces was accused of leaking information relating to a shipbuilding contract for the government to a lobbyist and reporter. The previous Conservative government had contracted with a Quebec-based shipyard to convert a ship for the Canadian Navy to a supply vessel, badly needed for Canada's military to fulfill its NATO obligations. When Justin Trudeau and the Liberals came to power, Trudeau set about reversing as many decisions made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government as he could manage.

Then-head of the Treasury Board, Scott Brison, introduced to the newly-installed Cabinet at a meeting a lobbying request from a rival shipbuilder in Nova Scotia known to be a Liberal supporter, and planned to cancel the Quebec-based contract in favour of the Nova Scotia shipbuilder, paying a penalty of $96-million in the process. When the news was leaked to the media, a great controversy embarrassing the government ensued, and the Prime Minister's Office was determined to identify who leaked that information.

It could have been any of a dozen people. The Privy Council Office itself, identified about six suspects, all privy to the same information that Vice-Admiral Norman was chosen by the PMO and obviously Trudeau himself, to pay a penalty for. That penalty was the utter destruction of his long and honourable career, and the penury that comes with trying to defend himself with mounting legal costs that the government with its deep coffers had no concerns with itself.

Stunned and declaring himself innocent of such charges, but resourceful enough to employ the services of a formidable legal team, the end result of a two-and-a-half-year effort to destroy this man ended with the Public Prosecution Service withdrawing the government's legal case against Norman. Vice-Admiral Norman, relieved of the elephant that had sat on his back for so long, thanked his legal team, his supporters and well-wishers and noted his intention to return to duty.

Justin Trudeau, whose spitefully petty sense of entitlement was wholly responsible for the agony this man suffered, spoke not a word of apology, an apology that came readily to his lips when it was directed toward Canadian Islamists found guilty of terrorism, accompanied by handsome a cheque of multiple millions in compensation for his 'ordeal' in facing justice. It took a full year for legal charges to fall on Norman after he was suspended from duty, but in the interim Trudeau had informed the news media that a trial would be forthcoming, even before charges were laid.

Now, to the issues revolving around the honourable Canadian Chief of Defence Staff General Jon Vance. When Vance called for Norman to meet with him in January 2017, briefed by the RCMP, he planned to suspend the vice-admiral despite an absence of proof, but based on vague allegations. Vance informed his second-in-command he was suspended from command, having lost confidence in Norman's ability to act in the capacity he held.

No explanation, no opportunity given him for a hearing so Norman could respond to allegations, based only on unproven claims supporting the search warrant the RCMP used to invade Norman's home and carry away all documents, files, devices in his possession with which to build a case against him. It took a year after that for a formal charge of criminal action to be lodged. The letter from Vance relating to Norman's approval forwarded to senior staff was itself leaked to news media from an insider at National Defence but no investigation was launched.

Vance refused to explain why the vice-admiral was removed, not to Norman not to the news media, not to his law team, much less what 'evidence' existed to charge him. A civil servant in fact, was charged with releasing documents on the very same issue -- whereas Norman was charged with verbally passing information. Norman's request for his legal bills to be paid by the Defence Department -- normal procedure -- was turned down with the claim he was guilty of disclosing confidential information. This, before any charges were actually laid.

At trial, a name-protected senior naval officer came forward to explain that a brigadier-general had informed him that no efforts were to be made to secure documentation and files required by Norman's defence. His name not revealed to safeguard him from retribution. His decision to come forward a reflection of his personal sense of honour in defence of a fellow member of the military unjustly accused. Neither Vance nor Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan searched their records as required and requested by Norman's defence team.

In the final analysis, the Public Prosecutors were unable to mount a case against Norman for lack of evidence. And after carefully scrutinizing the files assembled in defence of Vice-Admiral Norman by his defence team, the prosecutors concluded there was no possibility of defending the charge against the vice-admiral. As to Vice-Admiral Norman's stated desire to return to his office and resume his post as second-in-command of Canada's military, one can only wonder at the man's fortitude; that he could envision working alongside someone of the ilk of his commanding officer.

This drama is not concluded. The day following his acquittal and his statement of returning to work, Canada's Minister of Defence, Harjit Sajjan, a creature of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stated that Norman would not be granted his previous job of vice-chief of the defence staff. For a military man himself, albeit in the reserves, he betrays the ignorance of entitlement in not understanding that this is a decision not to be made by him, but by another of Trudeau's vassals, Jonathan Vance.

Vice-Admiral Mark Norman and his lawyer Marie Henein attend a press conference in Ottawa on May 8, 2019.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press