Low-ranking military personnel punished for inappropriate social media activity

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The Canadian Armed Forces faces a perception that it punishes junior members for inappropriate activity on social media while allowing senior members in the same situation to escape sanctions, according to military documents obtained by this newspaper. It is said that they are doing so.

The generals’ comments at a high-level meeting on June 28, 2022, come in the wake of a story in this newspaper reporting on social media comments about women accusing military sexual assault, particularly Lt. Gen. Trevor Cadieux. It was done. Of rape.

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Current and retired military officers say that not only are the allegations against senior Canadian Armed Forces officers disgusting and ridiculous, but that in some cases it is the woman who came forward with the sexual assault complaint to police who should be considered the guilty party. promoted or endorsed a post;

The comments sparked outrage among sexual assault survivors and highlighted the fact that none of the current police officers who made the comments have ever been disciplined for their actions on social media.

During a discussion among the generals regarding this article, Lt. Gen. Francis Allen, the Deputy Chief of the Defense Staff, said that such social media use “seems inconsistent with CAF’s values ​​and ongoing culture change efforts.” I can see it,” he said.

According to the records of the June 28, 2022 military conference, the generals and admirals present also stated that “CAF punishes junior members more frequently and harshly for these types of violations than senior members. I agree that there is “awareness”. military council.

Meeting details were obtained using access to information methods.

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As a result of the meeting, the generals ordered the military’s public affairs office to issue an announcement to Chief of the Defense Staff Wayne Eyre providing guidelines for acceptable social media use. The senior officers also noted that the military needs to “improve the way it communicates its displeasure (over social media violations) to interested communities both internally and externally.”

Defense spokesperson Andrew McKelvey said in a statement to the newspaper that members of the Canadian Armed Forces are subject to military service discipline rules at all times, whether in uniform or not. These regulations specify that service members who discredit the Canadian Armed Forces through deficiencies in their conduct or performance, whether by deeds or words, will be held accountable, McKelvey added.

McKelvey said members of the Canadian Armed Forces, whether on or off duty, should not allow their online activity to reflect distrust of the military, damage the military’s reputation or encourage others to collaborate with the military. “We must ensure that we do not refuse, hesitate to cooperate with the military, or become unable to cooperate with the military,” he said. .

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In 2021 and 2022, the Canadian Armed Forces cracked down on a small number of service members who opposed the government’s pandemic health measures online or supported demonstrations against the government in downtown Ottawa.

As a result, Mr Eyre issued a message in February 2022 warning that “servicemen and women who discredit the CAF through their actions or performance deficiencies, whether in words or actions, must be held accountable.”

However, the newspaper reported last year that no disciplinary action was taken when military officers expressed support for Mr. Cadieux or questioned the motives of military sexual assault victims.

Neither Eyre nor Army Commander Lt. Gen. Joe Paul commented on the social media posts at the time. Instead, the Canadian Armed Forces issued a statement reminding all service members of their responsibility to be respectful in their online interactions.

During a discussion on the issue at a June 2022 meeting, Deputy Chief of Defense Staff Allen said, “The use of social media to criticize government policy and the use of social media that does not violate orders or policies but reveal a lack thereof.” There are differences in usage.” Depends on the member’s decision. ”

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Last month, the Ontario Court of Justice stayed sexual assault charges against Mr. Cadieux and his co-accused because they took too long to go to trial. Judge Larry O’Brien pointed to a nine-month delay in the defense’s receipt of the plaintiff’s initial statement given to the military police.

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist who covers the Canadian Armed Forces and Canadian military issues. To support his work, including exclusive content only available to subscribers, sign up here: otwacityzen.com/subscribe

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