Minister Anand supports the extension of the term for Chief of Military Police

The term extension was announced late Tuesday, because the same day the Military Police Complaints Commission of Canada called Brigadier-General Simon Trudeau to apologize to two military cadets.

The apology is linked to serious problems in handling a case of alleged sexual misconduct and a suicide attempt at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario.

Although the Complaints Commission said Brigadier-General Trudeau sent letters of apology to the cadet, the incident was followed by numerous questions about the conduct and standards of military police. .

Minister Anand said at a press conference on Wednesday morning that he was however confident in General Eyre’s decision to keep Mr. Trudeau in his position for two more years.

General Eyre announced on Tuesday that Mr. Trudeau to oversee reforms in the military police and the justice system, in response to several recent reports, including one this week from retired Supreme Court judge Louise Arbor.

In a painful report, Ms. Arbor has made dozens of recommendations to address sexual misconduct in the military, including permanently transferring civilian authorities to investigate and prosecute criminal sexual matters.

” It is important to continue to ensure the transfer of cases from the military justice system to the civilian justice system. “

It is important that we remember to strive for values ​​that are very important, and that is what we will do every day [le maintien en poste de M. Trudeau] and all members of the Canadian Armed Forces holding leadership positionshe says.

Ms. also recommends. Arbor to re-examine the need to maintain military colleges to train officers, which some regard as breeding grounds for sexual attitudes in the Armed Forces.

A false investigation

The Military Police Complaints Commission revealed on Tuesday that it had asked Brigadier-General Trudeau to apologize to the two cadets, after an investigative inquiry found that military police had seriously committed a file in 2019.

Among other things, the inquest found that the Military Police failed to conduct a proper investigation after an officer cadet at the Royal Military College in Kingston reported that a classmate had harassed him and had committed crimes in sex against him.

The Commission also found that the military police did little to address the cadet’s fears, or his concerns that other students had experienced mental health issues.

The student also attempted suicide twice after military police told him he would do so most likely faced criminal charges, the commission said. But no charges were ultimately brought in this case.

Mr Trudeau had to defend the independence and professionalism of his investigators on several occasions last year when members of the Commons committee asked him about the way they handled cases of sexual misconduct in the army.

These questions coincide with allegations of sexual misconduct against several senior military personnel, including former Chief of the Defense Staff Jonathan Vance and his successor Art McDonald. General Vance later pleaded guilty to a count of obstruction of justice and was sentenced to 80 hours of community service. Admiral McDonald has not yet been charged.

The extension of Mr. Trudeau’s mandate is among dozens of new appointments announced Tuesday by the army, which also announced the retirement of about 30 senior officers.

Among those retired was Vice Admiral Haydn Edmundson, who was charged last year with sexual assault and indecent acts. He will retire before a trial scheduled for August 2023.

The announcement on Tuesday also confirmed the retirement of Lt. Gen. Trevor Cadieu, who hung up his uniform in April while under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct, before leaving for Ukraine to volunteer to fight the Russian aggression.

Minister Anand would not say Wednesday if he had been informed about Mr Cadieu’s retirement and his departure to Ukraine.