Court of public opinion swifter than military investigative processes

OTTAWA—Late in the afternoon of Friday, May 14, the Department of National Defence issued a curt, three-line press release announcing that Major-General Dany Fortin was being removed from his post pending the results of a military investigation. Fortin is, of course, no ordinary senior officer. Since his assignment to the Public Health Agency last November, the telegenic Fortin has become the face of Canada’s national vaccine rollout. Given his high profile, the media immediately began to dig for answers. Well-placed government sources advised Bob Fife, the Globe and Mail Ottawa bureau chief, that the misconduct for which Fortin was being investigated was of a sexual nature and that the incident in question had occurred prior to the launching of the 2015 Operation Honour initiative to combat sexual misconduct in the ranks. This timeline also meant that it did not happen on the current Trudeau Liberal government’s watch. Fife’s insight was widely cited by the other media outlets as no one had anything else to go on. Then, on Sunday, May 16, CTV’s Annie Bergeron-Oliver revealed that the complaint against Fortin actually had been filed two months earlier with the Canadian Forces National Investigative Service (CFNIS). The complainant alleges Fortin exposed his genitalia while he was a cadet at the College Militaire Royal in the spring of 1989. While Fortin did not respond directly, his lawyer, Commander Mark Letourneau told the media that his client “vigorously and categorically denies the allegation.” Letourneau also revealed that prior to being contacted by CTV, Fortin was unaware of the nature of the complaint against him. Then on Wednesday, May 19, Brigadier-General Simon Trudeau, the Canadian Armed Forces’ provost marshal, informed the media the CFNIS had concluded its investigation into the Fortin allegation. The findings of its investigation were forwarded to the Quebec public prosecution service to determine whether criminal charges are warranted in this case. According to the provost marshal, the referral of this case to the Quebec prosecutors had taken place “late week.” Which means the investigation was complete and out of the military’s control before Fortin was publicly removed from this assignment with the Public Health Agency’s vaccine rollout. Then there is the claim from counsel Letourneau that the CTV reporter’s revelation of the nature of the allegation against Fortin took his client “completely by surprise.” If that is true, then this would mean the CFNIS wrapped up its investigation into a 32-year-old incident without having questioned the accused. As for the rationale behind putting this in the hands of the Quebec prosecutors, that is explained by the fact that the alleged crime took place before 1998. Prior to that juncture, the military did not have the judicial authority to try cases involving crimes of a sexual nature. The Fortin saga has, of course, sparked the opposition parties to demand answers of who-knew-what-when among the top Trudeau Liberals. Questions are being asked of acting chief of defence staff Lieutenant-General Wayne Eyre as to why he left Fortin at his post for two months after being informed of the complaint. Others want to know why Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan once again did not take any immediate action. The revolving door of departures for Canada’s top generals began on February 2, 2021, with the first allegations against recently stepped down chief of the defence staff General Jonathan Vance. Then it was his successor, Admiral Art McDonald, who stepped aside while military police continue to investigate allegations of a sexual misconduct incident dating back to 2010. Lieutenant-General Chris Coates announced his retirement from the military after revelations of an extramarital affair at NORAD headquarters in Colorado Springs, precluded him from deploying to NATO headquarters in Naples, Italy. Vice-Admiral Haydn Edmundson has been replaced as chief of military personnel after a female sailor alleged she had been raped in 1991. In each of these cases—with the exception of Coates, who is not accused of any crime—the allegations are historical in nature. Perhaps more importantly, in a justice system that is to presume innocence until guilt is proven, all four of these senior officers under investigation have denied any wrongdoing. Yet they have already been stripped of command and condemned in the court of public opinion. Scott Taylor is the editor and publisher of Esprit de Corps magazine. The Hill Times

Court of public opinion swifter than military investigative processes

If it's true the nature of the allegations took Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin 'completely by surprise,' then this would mean the CFNIS wrapped up its investigation into a 32-year-old incident without having questioned the accused.

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Court of public opinion swifter than military investigative processes

If it's true the nature of the allegations took Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin 'completely by surprise,' then this would mean the CFNIS wrapped up its investigation into a 32-year-old incident without having questioned the accused.

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