Articles by Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

Oct 15 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Military police say they are investigating “historic” allegations of sexual misconduct involving yet another senior commander, this time the officer responsible for human resources in the Canadian Armed Forces. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service revealed the investigation involving Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan on Friday night, five months after he was installed as the […]

Oct 15 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Military police say they are investigating “historic” allegations of sexual misconduct involving yet another senior commander, this time the officer responsible for human resources in the Canadian Armed Forces. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service revealed the investigation involving Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan on Friday night, five months after he was installed as the […]

Oct 15 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — A war of words broke out at the very top of Canada’s military on Friday, as Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and acting defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre blasted Adm. Art McDonald’s decision to write a letter to senior officers about why he should be reinstated as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces. The […]

Oct 13 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Incoming Canadian Army commander Lt.-Gen. Trevor Cadieu is denying any wrongdoing after the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service revealed Wednesday the senior officer is under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct. Cadieu was recently promoted and a ceremony to install him as head of the army was slated for Sept. 7. A 29-year veteran […]

Oct 12 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — A Federal Court judge has struck down Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin’s request for reinstatement as the head of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution campaign after he was abruptly removed from the high-profile position in May. In rendering her decision, Justice Ann Marie McDonald sided with the government’s view that if Fortin was unhappy with the […]

Oct 6 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — A senior officer who wrote a reference for a convicted sex offender has been removed from his new job reviewing ways to eliminate military sexual misconduct, following an uproar from survivors, opposition parties and experts. Vice-chief of the defence staff Lt.-Gen. Frances Allen acknowledged that outrage in announcing Maj.-Gen. Peter Dawe was being […]

Oct 5 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan's office is standing by the military's decision to reassign a senior officer who wrote a reference for a convicted sex offender to a new job that involves reviewing ways to eliminate sexual misconduct from the Canadian Armed Forces. Yet survivors and experts of military sexual misconduct are expressing outrage […]

Oct 4 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The Supreme Court is being asked to determine whether Canada’s military judges are truly independent. The request filed on behalf of several service members whose criminal cases are on hold represents the latest — and possibly last — twist in a landmark legal battle whose genesis dates back to 2018, when Canada’s chief […]

Oct 4 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The Supreme Court is being asked to determine whether Canada’s military judges are truly independent. The request filed on behalf of several service members whose criminal cases are on hold represents the latest — and possibly last — twist in a landmark legal battle whose genesis dates back to 2018, when Canada’s chief […]

Oct 4 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The Supreme Court is being asked to determine whether Canada’s military judges are truly independent. The request filed on behalf of several service members whose criminal cases are on hold represents the latest — and possibly last — twist in a landmark legal battle whose genesis dates back to 2018, when Canada’s chief […]

Oct 2 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — A key argument from government lawyers last week as to why the Federal Court should not reinstate Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin as head of Canada’s vaccine rollout campaign was that if he wasn’t happy with the decision, he should have filed a grievance with his commander. The comment was a reference to the military’s […]

Sep 29 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — A Federal Court judge is now considering whether to reinstate Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin as the head of Canada’s vaccine distribution campaign following two days of arguments between his lawyers and the government around who ultimately decided to remove the senior military officer from his high-profile post in May — and why. Fortin’s legal […]

Sep 29 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — A Federal Court judge is now considering whether to reinstate Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin as the head of Canada’s vaccine distribution campaign following two days of arguments between his lawyers and the government around who ultimately decided to remove the senior military officer from his high-profile post in May — and why. Fortin’s legal […]

Sep 28 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — A lawyer for Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin painted the senior military officer’s abrupt removal as head of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout in May as a threat to the independence of the Canadian Armed Forces. The comments came Tuesday during the first day of a two-day hearing in which Fortin’s legal team led by Thomas […]

Sep 26 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The return of two detained Canadians may have ended the most contentious dispute in Canada’s relationship with China, but experts say Ottawa faces a number of other extremely difficult challenges and choices in its dealings with Beijing. Those include immediate issues such as whether to let Chinese telecom giant Huawei participate in Canada’s […]