The military police have charged a senior military officer in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in relation to a sexual misconduct investigation.
A statement Wednesday from the office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal stated that Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan has been charged with “two counts of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline.”
The matter relates to an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate, the office said.
According to the statement, the military police investigation did not find any evidence that would support laying a criminal charge against Whelan.
“This matter will now proceed through the military justice system and no further information can be released at this time,” the office stated.
Whelan had served as the military’s head of personnel before being placed on leave in October 2021 after facing a sexual misconduct investigation.
He was appointed chief of military personnel in May 2021, taking over from Vice-Adm. Haydn Edmundson, who himself went on leave after military police launched an investigation into an allegation that he sexually assaulted a subordinate officer.
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Over the past year, an ongoing investigation and series of exclusive reports from Global News have sparked a national reckoning over allegations of sexual misconduct against senior leaders in the military.
Those allegations also sparked what experts described as an existential “crisis” for the military as it came under intense public and political scrutiny.
According to former Supreme Court of Canada justice Louise Arbour’s blistering report released in May 2022, the top ranks of the Canadian Armed Forces were described as being “incapable” of recognizing the “deficient” parts of a culture that keep sexual misconduct and abuse of power entrenched.
That highly anticipated report was released exactly one year after the review formally began in May 2021.
In her 403-page report, Arbour described an institution that is fundamentally out of sync with the values of Canadian society, and which poses a “liability” to the country. It also outlined 48 recommendations to help the military make fundamental changes to the way military sexual misconduct allegations are reported and handled.
Speaking to Mercedes Stephenson on The West Block on June 5th, Anand said her ministry has “hit the ground running” to act on the recommendations.
“The analysis is for the officials in my department to present the roadmap forward for implementing the recommendations, not ‘analysis’ writ large,” she said.
“It is very, very important to me in terms of the mandate that I have been given from the prime minister, in terms of living up to the spirit and the content of the Arbour report for us to move forward quickly. And that is exactly what we will do.”
-With files from Marc-And Cossette, Amanda Connolly and Sean Boynton
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