![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6968093.1721265304!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
DEVELOPING Live updates from the RNC: Donald Trump makes an appearance
Follow for the latest updates on the third day of the Republican National Convention.
A former military leader who was accused of sexual misconduct in 2021 is suing the federal government, the Armed Forces and his accuser, claiming he was maliciously prosecuted for political reasons.
Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan filed a statement of claim in Federal Court asking for damages and a public apology.
The claim says the military and Defence Department should apologize for the "abuse of office, negligent investigation, malicious prosecution and involvement in the media leaks that destroyed his reputation and career."
The lawsuit names defendants including defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre and vice-chief Lt.-Gen. Frances Allen; Jody Thomas, the former deputy minister of defence; Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan, the military's chief of professional conduct and culture; the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal; the director of military prosecutions and the investigative arm of the military police.
It accuses the defendants of conspiring to minimize the political fallout.
Whelan's claim also names his accuser, saying she misrepresented facts and defamed him. And it says the Prime Minister's Office and Privy Council Office were acting in response to public and political pressure.
"Individuals with inappropriate motives influenced the military justice system, military police processes and career administration processes. The resulting chaos reflects a military that is still unwilling to free itself from improper political influence," the claim says.
It seeks $10 million for loss of income and loss of enjoyment of life, as well as damage to Whelan's mental health and reputation.
The allegations in the statement of claim have not been tested in court.
Whelan was accused in late 2021 of having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. He was put on leave from his role as head of the military's personnel during an investigation.
The military charged him with two counts of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline in 2022.
The case went to a court martial last fall, and military prosecutors eventually dropped both charges.
"I think the military, when it was exposed to be not doing enough to act on sexual misconduct cases, overreacted by commodifying allegations," said Whelan's lawyer, Phillip Millar, in an interview.
Millar said Whelan offered to resign when he first learned of the accusation against him. According to his statement of claim, the defence chief told Whelan the complaint was not serious enough to warrant his resignation.
Millar said he believes the government didn't want the case to be made public before the 2021 federal election. The complaint was the subject of a news story in October, after the election, and Whelan's statement of claim said he believes "members of his chain of command enabled the leak" about the investigation.
Throughout 2021, the Armed Forces was embroiled in controversy after several high-ranking leaders were publicly accused of sexual misconduct.
The government called for an external review by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour, who recommended sweeping changes to the military's culture and the way it deals with sexual misconduct cases.
Some military leaders were criminally charged.
That included former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson, whom Whelan replaced as head of military personnel.
Edmundson was charged with sexually assaulting a junior navy member in 1991. The case went to trial earlier this year and a verdict is expected in July.
Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin was removed as head of Canada's COVID-19 vaccine rollout campaign in May 2021 while he was under investigation for an allegation dating back to 1988.
He was charged with one count of sexual assault in August 2021 and was later acquitted after a trial in the civilian Quebec Superior Court. The Armed Forces also cleared him of wrongdoing.
Fortin filed a lawsuit in March 2023 against 16 high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Eyre and the Liberal cabinet ministers who held the defence and health portfolios at the time of the accusation.
He reached an undisclosed settlement with the government last October.
Millar said Whelan filed the lawsuit after discussions with the federal government were "not fruitful."
Whelan's statement of claim says he "witnessed firsthand his chain of command receiving direction from the sitting government" in other cases and that his concerns about this became a point of contention with his superiors.
It also accuses the government of destroying the lives of senior officers "on allegations alone."
"It perpetuated a forever war that has generationally destroyed operational effectiveness, fractured CAF members' confidence in CAF leadership and sullied the reputation of Canada's military," the claim said.
None of the defendants have filed a response with the court.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2024.
Follow for the latest updates on the third day of the Republican National Convention.
U.S. President Joe Biden, under pressure from fellow Democrats to drop his re-election campaign, tested positive for COVID-19 while visiting Las Vegas on Wednesday and is self-isolating after experiencing mild symptoms, the White House said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising to fire Canada’s consul general in New York City if the Tories wins the next federal election.
The War Amps is speaking out after one of its members who lost most of his hand in an airplane propeller accident was denied coverage by Quebec for a mechanical hand.
A donated clawfoot bathtub has become the preferred lounging spot for a pair of B.C. grizzly bears, who have been taking turns relaxing and reclining in it – with minimal sibling squabbling – for the past year.
This year's Republican National Convention continued Wednesday with a packed list of speakers including vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump Jr. and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Rare images of the Mashco Piro, an uncontacted Indigenous tribe in the remote Peruvian Amazon, were published on Tuesday by Survival International,
The heartbreak over the death of an Indigenous 11-year-old Fraser Valley boy, tortured and then ultimately killed by his foster parents, was felt by all who knew him.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet is expected to meet on Friday, CTV News has learned. The agenda sets aside 30 minutes for ministers to meet virtually Friday morning, to talk about 'appointments.' The meeting comes amid speculation around the prime minister shaking up his inner circle.
A donated clawfoot bathtub has become the preferred lounging spot for a pair of B.C. grizzly bears, who have been taking turns relaxing and reclining in it – with minimal sibling squabbling – for the past year.
A pair of cemetery investigators are cleaning and preserving as many gravestones they have permission to work on, as they conduct their research and document gravestones.
After more than three years, a B.C. woman has been reunited with a lost family heirloom.
One of Edmonton’s main contributors to Google Street View is a man who dresses up as an alien.
Nearly 10 years after it was first proposed, an interactive piece of public art is officially open in Vancouver's Hastings Park.
An event July 22 at Dynamic Earth in Sudbury will mark the 60th anniversary of the iconic Big Nickel, the largest coin in the world.
Cyclist Jagjeet Singh cruised through Montreal on Sunday morning as he rides across the country to raise money for a children's charity.
A rare ammonite fossil – about 75 million years old - has been discovered in eastern Saskatchewan.
Seven-year-old goalie Hudson Hardill is an unlikely Calgary Flames fan, being that he lives in Peterborough, Ont., and his dad Chris is a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.