Dany Fortin retires from Canadian Armed Forces after reaching settlement in lawsuit

Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin speaks to members of the media following an acquittal in his case at a Gatineau, Que., courthouse on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA — Dany Fortin, who recently settled a lawsuit over how the Canadian military and federal government handled an allegation of sexual misconduct, has retired from the Armed Forces.

A source close to Fortin, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, said a small gathering to mark his departure was held at the Canadian Army Officers' Mess in Ottawa last Friday.

A screenshot of a Facebook post about the event, shared with The Canadian Press, referred to the occasion as a "departure with dignity."

Fortin, who had reached the rank of major-general, 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, when he was at military college.

He was charged with one count of sexual assault in August 2021 and was acquitted last December after a civilian trial in Quebec Superior Court.

The Canadian Armed Forces cleared him in an internal review process the next month, but he was not reassigned to a new posting and his terms of service were up last July.

Neither Fortin nor his civil lawyer responded to requests for comment on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, Fortin settled his lawsuit against the military and top government officials for an undisclosed amount.

At the time, a joint statement from the Defence Department and the Canadian Armed Forces said the legal proceedings had been resolved and that the parties would not be commenting.

Asked Tuesday about Fortin's retirement, the Defence Department said it had nothing to add.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2023.