OTTAWA – Canada’s top military commander, Admiral Art McDonald, wants his post back, saying he has “been exonerated” and remains a “champion of cultural change” within the Canadian Armed Forces.
McDonald is currently on leave as Commander of the Canadian Armed Forces, but speaking to CTV National News’s Geneviève Beauchemin in an exclusive on-air interview about the alleged misconduct that sidelined her career , he pleads in favor of his reinstatement.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” McDonald said. “I have acted with integrity in response to the allegations. I was exonerated following a rigorous and thorough investigation, and I remained a true champion of culture change, I committed to it. And, I think in defending my job, what I’m saying is just, look, we can’t have a system where allegations alone are enough to fire someone.
The naval officer voluntarily resigned his post as Chief of the Defense Staff in February, after a Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) opened an investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct. against him.
In August, the nearly six-month investigation ended when military police determined there was not enough evidence to lay charges against him.
Now he wants to take back command of the acting chief of defense, General Wayne Eyre, despite the federal government putting him on administrative leave pending a decision on the post.
“Public office holders have an obligation to perform their official duties in a manner which will withstand the closest public scrutiny, an obligation which is not fully fulfilled by simply acting in accordance with the law. law, ”the Privy Council Office said in a statement at the time.
Navy Combat Systems Engineer Lt (N) Heather Macdonald introduced herself as the complainant, although she said little about the details of her complaint.
McDonald says he was eventually told his complaint was related to an alleged incident aboard HMCS Montreal in 2010.
“What was shared by the chief of staff of the minister (it is) that I pushed the commander in the chest of one of his crew members in this public space, in the presence of potential witnesses”, a McDonald said.
He told CTV National News, “I didn’t do what was alleged or any version of it. I haven’t done any wrongdoing here.
McDonald is one of many senior Canadian military officers who have been the subject of allegations and investigated over the past year, which sparked a serious conversation with which the military keeps its promises to eliminate harassment and sexual misconduct in its ranks.
“Let’s be honest, we need to rebuild trust in the Canadian Forces with women, with all subordinates, with subordinates and superiors and with the Canadian public,” he said.
“I absolutely believe I’m the right person to do it. I am not guilty of what I was accused of doing, I insisted on a rigorous investigation, I did everything in my power to make this happen, and when it was done, it’s back now and I want to continue the work. “
McDonald said he salutes the courage of the victims who have come forward, but that the military must fully investigate these situations.
“We have to follow due process,” he said. “We have heard from all sides through this series of allegations that due process must be followed or you have nothing but witch hunts.”
In September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was “obvious” that military leaders “still don’t get it.”
In an interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play, Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, a fellow of the Canadian Institute of World Affairs, said McDonald’s example speaks to an ongoing challenge the military faces: what to do when ‘a person is not charged, even if there has been an allegation.
“I do not agree with his claims that he is able to resume the role of Chief of Defense Staff for the simple reason that he has not been exonerated. What the CFNIS was saying was that there was not enough evidence to charge him, which is completely different, ”she said. “Second, as the best soldier in Canada, any doubt about his ability to lead cultural change and to do so honestly and authentically is problematic,” she said.
With files from writer Ben Cousins of CTVNews.ca
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