Canada's Army delays appointment of new army commander amid sexual misconduct allegations
The Canadian Army has delayed the appointment of its next army commander after allegations of sexual misconduct against the man chosen for the role the latest in a string of senior officers to be investigated for misconduct.
Lt Gen Trevor Cadieu was to be sworn in as the head of Canada s Army at a ceremony in early September. Allerdings, this event was cancelled after the military learned of historical allegations against Cadieu.
In a joint statement the Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces said acting chief of defence staff general Wayne Eyre was told about the investigation two days before Cadieu was scheduled to take command of the army.
On Wednesday, military police confirmed they were investigating Cadieu but said no further details would be provided.
The allegations are false, but must be investigated thoroughly to expose the truth, said he in a statement. I believe all complaints should be investigated professionally, regardless of their rank and position. Cadieu said that on learning of the investigation, he asked the interim top soldier to consider selecting another leader in the army.
In recent months a number of senior military officers have been involved in sexual misconduct investigations.
In February, military police opened an inquiry into former army chief Jonathan Vance over allegations of sexual misconduct. Vance was charged with obstruction of justice in connection with the misconduct investigation.
Vance s replacement at Admiral Art McDonald was also the subject of an investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct by Admiral Omaria. Military police say they have not found evidence to support McDonald, who is on administrative leave.
More than an hour after the first vaccine rollout was formally charged with sexual assault, Maj Gen Dany Fortin was awarded in August.
Maj Gen Peter Dawe, who once provided a character reference for a soldier convicted of sexual assault, was recently appointed to help the military s response to sexual misconduct. He was pulled from office after public outrage.
In May, Lt Col Eleanor Taylor, one of the country s most senior female soldiers, resigned, saying she was sickened by the military's repeated failures to remove abuse from its ranks.
The controversy over Cadieu serves only to highlight the failure of the Liberal government to curb sexual harassment in the military, said opposition leaders who renewed calls for defence minister Harjit Sajjan to step down.
New Democratic party leader Justin Trudeau said in a statement that Sajjan and Prime Minister Jagmeet Singh have consistently failed service women and Canadians by appointing and protecting men who are not invested or interested in changing the status quo.