a day ago
Ottawa soldiers under investigation for Facebook group filled with hate speech and nude photos in uniform
Article content
Wright said he could not discuss the investigation into the Blue Hackle Mafia social media page as it was still ongoing.
Article content
Some of those depicted in the images are officers in the unit.
Article content
Article content
The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own) serve as the city of Ottawa's official regiment, according to the Canadian Forces. The regiment is tasked, as needed, to provide ceremonial guards of honour for visiting dignitaries and for national ceremonies and events.
Article content
During the Second World War, the King of England first allowed the Cameron Highlanders to wear the blue hackle on their headdress as a mark of their honour and fighting pride.
Article content
Over the last decade, the Canadian Forces has been mired in allegations of sexual assault, harassment, racism and homophobia. The resulting scandals prompted reports and inquiries by former Supreme Court justices Marie Deschamps and Louise Arbour, along with pledges by the military leadership to bring about change. In addition, a number of senior officers have faced charges or court proceedings for alleged sexual misconduct or assault.
Article content
Article content
But defence insiders say there is a sense in some areas of the Canadian Forces that the sexual misconduct scandals are now largely in the past, as news media reporting has decreased and a number of high-profile legal cases have either collapsed or ended in senior officers being found not guilty.
Article content
Article content
In 2022, the Ottawa Citizen reported that Arbour was told by Canadian Forces members that the military sees sexual and other misconduct cases as public relations problems that need to be managed to avoid negative media coverage rather than serious issues to be dealt with.
Article content
Many of the posts that Wright described as abhorrent were published by serving soldiers in the Cameron Highlanders in the midst of the military's leadership efforts between 2015 and 2021 to crack down on such behaviour.
Article content
The links between the regiment and the City of Ottawa are more than 100 years old. Permission was granted in January 1882 for the regiment to adopt the motto of the City of Ottawa: 'Advance.' This remains the motto of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa and is worn on their badges.
