CAF, Sajjan look at 'next steps' after reports senior military leaders golfed with Vance amid misconduct probe
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is determining "next steps" after being made aware that senior military leaders, including one who can issue orders regarding military police investigations, went golfing with former defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance, who is currently under military police investigation for alleged sexual misconduct.
In a statement to CTV News, the CAF said it has been made aware that Lt.-Gen. Michael Rouleau and Vice-Admiral Craig Baines, head of the Royal Canadian Navy, went golfing with Vance earlier this month at a private club in Ottawa.
"We recognize the seriousness of the matter and, as such, we will gather facts and advice in order to determine next steps," the CAF said in the statement.
Rouleau has oversight authority for the military police who launched an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Vance in early February following his retirement.
"It’s a conflict of interest," Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, an expert on sexual misconduct in the military at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, told CTV News. "You have the Vice Chief who is responsible for military police and can intervene and interfere in the investigation into Vance. This is a serious problem."
Rouleau is able to issue orders to the CAF’s top police officer, Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen. Simon Trudeau, and since changes made to the National Defence Act in 2013, those orders have included the ability to "issue instructions or guidelines in writing in respect of a particular investigation."
A retired Supreme Court Justice, Morris Fish, criticized this policy in a report released at the start of June, saying the provision "significantly encroaches on police independence."
Rouleau, Baines and Vance met for a round of golf in early June at an exclusive Ottawa club for military members and their families.
A spokesperson for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan issued a statement to CTV News saying Sajjan was made aware of the situation Saturday afternoon following media inquires.
"The decision by the Lt.-Gen. Rouleau and Vice-Admiral Baines to go golfing with Gen Vance is troubling and unacceptable," the statement read. "The Minister will discuss next steps with Acting Chief of the Defence Staff."
Baines released a statement Sunday night apologizing for his conduct and saying he would be "taking a few days of personal leave."
"I fully accept responsibility and accountability for not understanding how such a public display of support sends the wrong signal as to my commitment to lead in resolving our systemic cultural and misconduct issues," the statement reads. "For this, I sincerely apologize."
On Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deferred to that discussion when asked whether the two officials should lose their jobs.
“I know the minister of defence is following up with the acting chief of [defence] staff on this issue,” he told reporters at the end of the G7 summit in the United Kingdom.
CTV News has not independently verified the allegations against Vance. Vance’s successor, Admiral Art McDonald, is also under a separate investigation. Both have denied any wrongdoing.
Recent high-profile cases, including the allegation against Vance, have prompted the force and its top leaders to re-commit to ending sexual misconduct within the ranks, but after years of broken promises, many survivors say that trust has eroded, with this golfing incident casting further doubt.
“It demonstrates the old boys club is still alive and well, and I question whether they are really committed to culture change and due process,” Lori Buchart, volunteer with It’s Not Just 700, told CTV News.
Rouleau is nearing the end of this time as Vice Chief of Defence Staff. In a statement, the Prime Minister’s office said Rouleau has not issued any instructions of guideline in regards to any on-going military police investigation.
With files from Canadian Press, CTV National News parliamentary correspondent Kevin Gallagher, and CTVNews.ca's Alexandra Mae Jones
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.
Local Spotlight
'Love has no boundaries': Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Twin Alberta Ballet dancers retire after 15 years with company
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Here's how one of Sask.'s largest power plants was knocked out for 73 days, and what it took to fix it
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
Quebec police officer anonymously donates kidney, changes schoolteacher's life
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Canada's oldest hat store still going strong after 90 years
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Road closed in Oak Bay, B.C., so elephant seal can cross
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.