'I have not done anything wrong': Top military commander says he wants his job back
Canada’s top military commander Admiral Art McDonald wants his job back, saying that he has “been exonerated,” and remains a “champion of culture change” within the Canadian Armed Forces.
McDonald is currently on leave as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces, but speaking to CTV National News’ Genevieve Beauchemin in an exclusive on-air interview about the misconduct allegation that sidelined his career, he makes his case for reinstatement.
“I have not done anything wrong,” McDonald said. “I've acted with integrity in response to allegations. I've been exonerated as a result of a rigorous and thorough investigation, and I've remained a real champion of culture change, I'm committed to it. And, I think that by advocating for my job what I am saying is simply that: Listen, we can't have a system where allegations alone are sufficient for removing someone.”
The naval officer voluntarily stepped aside as chief of the defence staff in February, after a Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) initiated investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct made against him.
In August, the nearly six-month investigation ended with military police determining there was not enough evidence to lay charges against him.
Now, he wants to take back command from acting defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre, despite the federal government putting him on administrative leave pending a decision about the position.
“Public office holders have an obligation to perform their official duties in a manner that will bear the closest public scrutiny, an obligation that is not fully discharged by simply acting within the law,” said the Privy Council Office in a statement at the time.
Navy Lt. Heather Macdonald, a navy combat systems engineer, has come forward identifying herself as the complainant, though she has said little about the specifics of her complaint.
McDonald says he was was eventually told that her complaint was linked to an alleged incident aboard the HMCS Montreal in 2010.
“What was shared by minister's chief of staff (is) that I pushed the commanding officer into the chest area of one of his crew members in this public space, in the presence of potential witnesses,” McDonald said.
He told CTV National News: “I did not do what was alleged or any version there of. I've committed no wrongdoing here whatsoever.”
McDonald is one of several senior officers in the Canadian military who have faced allegations and come under investigation in the last year, prompting a conversation about how seriously the military is pursuing its pledges to stamp out harassment and sexual misconduct within its ranks.
“Let's, let's be honest, we need to rebuild trust within 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 that. I'm not guilty of what I was alleged to have done, I insisted on a rigorous investigation, did everything in my power to ensure that happened, and after it has been completed, it’s come back now and I want to continue with the work.”
McDonald said he salutes the courage of victims who come forward, but the military needs to conduct full investigations in these situations.
“We need to respect due process,” he said. “We’ve heard from all quarters through these series of allegations that due process needs to be respected or else you only have witch hunts.”
In September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that it “is obvious,” that military leadership “still don’t get it.”
In an interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play, Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, a fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute said that the example of McDonald speaks to an ongoing challenge the military is facing: What to do when someone is not charged, even though there has been an allegation made.
“I would disagree with his claims that he’s in a positon to go back to the role of chief of the defence staff for the simple reason that he was not exonerated. What the CFNIS was saying is that there was not enough evidence to charge him, which is completely different,” she said. “Second of all, as the top soldier in Canada, any doubt on his ability to lead culture change and doing it truthfully and in a genuine fashion is problematic,” she said.
With files from CTVNews.ca Writer Ben Cousins
IN DEPTH
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
'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.
Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?
Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.
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.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
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.
opinion Don Martin: Pierre Poilievre's road to apparent victory will soon start to get rougher
Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives appear to be on cruise control to a rendezvous with the leader's prime ministerial ambition, but in his latest column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin questions whether the Conservative leader may be peaking too soon.
opinion Don Martin: The Trudeau lessons from Brian Mulroney's legacy start with walking away
Justin Trudeau should pay very close attention to the legacy treatment afforded former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who died on Thursday at age 84, writes columnist Don Martin.
opinion Don Martin: ArriveCan debacle may be even worse than we know from auditor's report
It's been 22 years since a former auditor general blasted the Chretien government after it 'broke just about every rule in the book' in handing out private sector contracts in the sponsorship scandal. In his column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says the book has been broken anew with everything that went on behind the scenes of the 'dreaded' ArriveCan app.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.
Local Spotlight
A tiny critter who could: Elusive Newfoundland Marten makes improbable comeback
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
Ontario man loses $12K to deepfake scam involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Record-setting pop tab collection for Ontario boy
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.
'I was just like, holy cow!': Saskatoon dumpster divers reclaim wasted valuables
There’s a group of people in Saskatoon that proudly call themselves dumpster divers, and they’re turning the city’s trash into treasure.
Ontario to balance budget ahead of 2026 election, citing delay due to 'economic uncertainty'
Ontario is facing a larger than anticipated deficit but the Doug Ford government still plans to balance its books before the next provincial election.
Business owner disappointed in police efforts to locate $500K worth of stolen e-bikes
The owner of an e-bike business says he has doubts police will find the roughly $500,000 worth of product that was stolen from a shipping container last week, while police say he “complicated” their investigation by posting video of the theft.
Costco begins using verification scanners at some Ottawa stores
At least one Costco store in Ottawa has implemented a digital card scanner for member entry, a departure from the traditional in-person card check, in an effort to crack-down on shoppers who have not paid a membership fee.
How to safely view the solar eclipse using household materials
With the solar eclipse just a week away, it’s time to think about how to safely view the celestial show.
Calgary's Tegan and Sara call out Alberta government at Junos
Calgary singer-songwriters Tegan and Sara were honoured at this year's Juno Awards for their efforts to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth.