Military 'tone-deaf' to appoint general who supported sex offender to role reviewing sexual misconduct
CBC
Survivors of sexual assault and former soldiers say the Canadian military needs to explain why it has assigned a major general who once wrote a positive reference letter for a sex offender to a role examining sexual misconduct within the armed forces.
Maj.-Gen. Peter Dawe has been tasked with reviewing recommendations from an ongoing investigation into military sexual misconduct by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour.
In 2017, Dawe submitted positive character references to a judge ahead of the sentencing of Maj. Jonathan Hamilton, who earlier that year was found guilty of sexually assaulting a retired military officer and physically assaulting her husband.
"The main feeling behind it is just one of confusion and surprise and shock," said Annalise Schamuhn who was sexually assaulted by Hamilton.
"The people who are genuinely hurting, who have lost a lot of faith in the system, they can look at this and just see how potentially tone-deaf it comes across."
News of Dawe's position reviewing the recommendations was first reported by the Ottawa Citizen.
"I don't even know if I have the right words to express how disgusted and disappointed I am," said Megan MacKenzie, a professor at Simon Fraser University who studies military culture.
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