A military in crisis: Here are the senior leaders embroiled in sexual misconduct cases
CBC
It's a leadership crisis without precedent in the Canadian Armed Forces — a fact that only becomes clear when you take a step back and look at the full depth and scope of the sexual misconduct crisis and survey the wreckage in the top ranks.
Since early February 2021, 11 senior Canadian military leaders — current and former — have been sidelined, investigated or forced into retirement from some of the most powerful and prestigious posts in the defence establishment.
Experts say they can't think of another military anywhere else in the world that has seen so many senior leaders swept up in scandal at the same time.
Some senior leaders are facing allegations of sexual misconduct and are under military police investigation. Two people have been charged criminally in connection to the claims. Some have launched public campaigns to fight for their jobs back.
In other cases, military leaders have been placed on leave over their own handling of sexual misconduct files that triggered public backlash and division in the ranks.
The investigations often came to light publicly only after journalists started asking questions of the Department of National Defence (DND).
What follows is a CBC News summary of all the senior leaders' cases and what has been reported to date. The list will be updated with new developments as they emerge. The cases are listed in chronological order.
Global News first reported in February that the former chief of defence staff, retired Gen. Jonathan Vance, was facing separate allegations of misconduct involving Maj. Kellie Brennan and another unidentified woman.
Military police were investigating whether his relationship with Brennan, a former subordinate, was inappropriate and contravened military regulations. Vance was also being investigated for allegedly sending a racy email in 2012 to another woman, who was a junior non-commissioned officer at the time.
Brennan gave explosive testimony before a parliamentary committee in April, telling MPs that Vance fathered but did not support two of her children. She alleged Vance told her that he was "untouchable" and that he "owned" the military.
Brennan claimed she gave military police recordings of phone conversations with Vance in which the retired general told her how to "perjure myself and to lie." Vance said he could not comment on Brennan's statements made at committee.
Vance was later charged with one count of obstruction of justice under the Criminal Code for "repeatedly contacting Mrs. KB by phone and attempting to persuade her to make false statements about their past relationship to the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service," according to provincial court documents.
Vance denied the initial allegations when confronted by Global News. He declined comment when asked about the allegations by CBC News. Two weeks have been set aside for his criminal trial. His case will be back in an Ottawa courtroom on Oct. 29 for pretrial matters.
Vance's successor as chief of the defence staff, Admiral Art McDonald, abruptly stepped aside from the top job on Feb. 25 after CBC News and the Ottawa Citizen received tips that he was being investigated by military police over an allegation of sexual misconduct.
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