Military drops general from sexual misconduct file after uproar

Amid a growing public backlash and mounting anger from sexual assault survivors, the military has pulled Maj.-Gen. Peter Dawe from his new role working on the military's response to reviews of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Journalists reported Monday that Maj.-Gen. Peter Dawe quietly returned to work in the role. The military failed to issue a public statement or explain its rationale until late Tuesday night.

Dawe was placed on leave from his role as commander of the Special Forces in May after CBC News reported that he had written a positive character reference for a soldier facing sentencing for sexually assaulting the wife of another soldier.

In a statement issued at 9:38 p.m. the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, Lt.-Gen. Frances Allen, said Dawe will no longer be in that role but will be engaging in some sort of restorative process.

"It has been made clear to us by the survivor community that this kind of restorative engagement is critical for members to undertake, to truly appreciate the lived experience of survivors," Allen wrote in a statement to CBC News.

"Many, including Canadian Armed Forces members, victims, survivors and stakeholders, were informed of Major-General Dawe's return to the workplace through the media," Allen wrote. "This is not in keeping with our commitment to transparency. I recognize and apologize for the harm this has caused. The release of this news should have been handled by us with greater care and consideration."

Meanwhile, opposition parties renewed their call on Tuesday for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fire Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan over this latest case they called troubling and an example of poor leadership.