Latest news with #MikeWright
CBC
08-08-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Military's hateful conduct reports spiked in 2024 after years of steady decline
The Canadian military has witnessed a resurgence in hateful conduct and racism reports over the last year following several years of decline, according to data obtained by CBC News. The detailed information comes as the army deals with a fresh set of extremism and disreputable conduct allegations. The sudden turnaround has piqued the curiosity of far-right extremism experts, who say it's no coincidence the numbers began to reverse in 2024 just as tumultuous political and social change was unleashed in the United States with the re-election of Donald Trump as president — and as the Canadian military is years deep into a mission to change its culture. The commander of the Canadian Army looks upon the evidence with dismay. "I think the soldiers of the Canadian Army should be as livid as I am about the impact that this is having on their reputation," Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright said in a recent interview. The new data shows 54 incidents were reported last year to the Hateful Conduct Incident Tracking System (HCITS) — nearly double what was logged in 2023. The tracking system was created several years ago following a series of extremism-related cases and public embarrassments. Since 2020, there have been 364 reported occurrences of hateful conduct entered into the HCITS register. After an initial spike in reporting, the numbers had been on a gradual downward trend until last year's turnaround. The HCITS recorded increases across most categories of what the military defines as hateful conduct, including engaging in hate speech and propaganda (26 in 2024 versus 10 in 2023) and uttering threats (17 in 2024 versus 11 in 2023). Experts looking at the data say the social and political events south the border may be one explanation for the troubling resurgence. "There's a link between that rise and the election of Donald Trump," said Andy Knight, a political scientist at the University of Alberta who researches far-right extremism. He said Trump's ascendance has brought "a significant feeling of empowerment" to those pushing antidemocratic rhetoric "particularly against Black and brown individuals." Knight penned an exhaustive study for the Department of National Defence (DND) into white supremacy, racism, xenophobia and discrimination in the Canadian military. The report, written prior to the last U.S. presidential election, was submitted in December 2024. It was followed up with an in-person briefing for members of the Defence Department about two months ago in Ottawa. Knight says he shared with the department an "explosive" anti-immigrant comment from a former Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) member who said he was trying to preserve the "true Canadian population," which for him was white. "He said, 'I joined the military to learn how to kill brown and Black people,'" Knight said. He said DND members shook their heads at this revelation. "They said: 'You know what? We know that there are people like this in the military. But we didn't realize that they would be so open." Tumultuous decade for CAF Aside from the external social and political climate, there are likely internal pressures contributing to the turnaround. The Canadian military has — for more than a decade — been trying to root out not only hateful activity, but sexual misconduct with a series of new, stringent policies. "There is pushback against that culture change," said Barbara Perry, a researcher who has studied extremism in the CAF. The military is trying to rein in certain behaviour, she said, and those efforts are being seen as "intrusive, or treading on their rights and freedoms. So, that draws people into extremist narratives." WATCH | The military's history of extremism: Canada's military has a long-simmering problem with extremism 14 days ago The recent increase in hateful conduct incidents also comes despite a crackdown through a series of policy initiatives and threats of discipline initiated by the former army commander, now-retired general Wayne Eyre, almost five years ago. Among the provisions introduced at the time was an expectation that soldiers would call out racist and disgraceful behaviour among themselves if they witnessed it. That hasn't been happening. In light of the most recent cases, Wright says he's dismayed and angry. "That's the most disturbing to me," Wright said. "I'm asking soldiers to be prepared to ultimately go into combat, to have the courage to go into the combat. There are some who did not have the moral courage to step forward and call out inappropriate behavior when they saw it." In early July, a terrorism case emerged in Quebec, where two serving soldiers, a former member and a civilian, former cadet instructor, were accused of cooking up an extremist, anti-government plot to take over a parcel of land. They allegedly stockpiled an arsenal of highly restricted weapons and military equipment, including cutting-edge night-vision gear. The RCMP charged Simon Angers-Audet, 24, Raphaël Lagacé, 25, and Marc-Aurèle Chabot, 24, with facilitating a terrorist activity, and other offences related to the illegal storage of firearms and possession of explosives and prohibited devices. A fourth man — Matthew Forbes, 33 — is accused of weapons offences. DND acknowledges that Forbes and Chabot were active members of the military at the time of their arrest on July 8. Separately, two investigations are underway, including a military police probe, over a now-defunct Facebook group where members of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own) allegedly posted hateful and inappropriate content. Since 2020, according to the data obtained by CBC News, the military has acknowledged that 21 incidents of hateful conduct have led to the release of members under the disciplinary system. WATCH | Military members part of alleged extremist plot: RCMP charges military members in Quebec with trying to create anti-government militia 1 month ago There have been calls for the military to be more proactive in notifying civilian police whenever they've uncovered hateful conduct cases — efforts that have so far gone nowhere. It is up to the military's counter-intelligence unit to identify extremists within the ranks. The Department of National Defence was asked whether the unit played any role in the recent Quebec case. In a written statement, the department would only acknowledge that "military police supported the Royal Canadian Mounted Police-led investigation." The question of whether counter-intelligence had conducted its own investigation — or even been aware of the suspect's militia-style training — remained unanswered.
CBC
31-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Top army commander says 'completely unacceptable' behaviour is eroding trust in the Canadian Forces
The credibility and reputation of the Canadian Army is once again being questioned following an investigation into alleged extremist activities involving soldiers in Quebec and revelations of inappropriate social media posts by members of an Ottawa-based reserve unit, the country's army commander acknowledged Wednesday. Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright said in an interview with CBC News that the recent twin controversies are eroding the trust the military has worked to regain following the high-profile sexual misconduct scandal, which saw the resignation or retirement of a number of high-profile leaders. The military as a whole is on the cusp of a major re-armament program and is desperately trying to recruit and retain troops after years of underfunding and thinning ranks. "I need the confidence of the government. I need the confidence of Canadians that we are an institution that they can trust," Wright said. "What really makes me angry, makes me livid, something I probably shouldn't say on CBC, but pisses me off, is that the important work that the Canadian Army needs to do to modernize — our eye is being taken off that … so we can deal with completely unacceptable and inappropriate behaviour." The RCMP have charged four men, including two CAF members and one former member, of amassing a trove of weapons and explosives and being part of an extremist plot to take over land near Quebec City. WATCH | CAF members charged in alleged extremist plot to seize land: RCMP says active members of Canadian military charged in terrorism plot 23 days ago Separately, a set of investigations are underway, including a military police probe, over a now-defunct Facebook group where members of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own) allegedly posted hateful and inappropriate content. Faced with a series of allegations and cases of extremism in the ranks during the run-up to the pandemic, the army, under its former commander, the now-retired general Wayne Eyre, introduced a series of policy changes meant to crack down on racism and hateful conduct in the ranks. Among the provisions was a demand that soldiers call-out inappropriate behaviour when they see it. Concern about the contents of the Blue Hackle Mafia Facebook group, which included hateful comments directed toward women, derogatory sexual comments about former prime minister Justin Trudeau, as well as discussions about raping grandmothers, were first brought to light internally last year. The private social media page has existed for more than a dozen years. 'Disturbing' that soldiers didn't call out behaviour "That's most disturbing to me," said Wright. "I'm asking soldiers to be prepared to ultimately … have the courage to go into combat. There are some who did not have the moral courage to step forward and call out inappropriate behaviour when they saw it." Wright ordered the temporary removal of Lt.-Col. Ryan Hendy, the commanding officer of the Camerons, after the Ottawa Citizen approached the army with screenshots of the social media site. It was revealed on Monday that Hendy's immediate superior, Col. James McKay, stepped down from command over his handling of the matter. Wright, who has previously said he was unaware of the social media site until alerted by the media, denied the unit commander was being made a scapegoat. "I have not hung Lieutenant-Colonel Hendy out to dry," he said. "We made a decision to temporarily remove him from command. He is being given due process and we will then determine his future as the commanding officer of the Camerons." Fresh questions about lack of investigation But there are fresh questions being raised about how seriously allegations of inappropriate conduct were being taken by military police. Retired Lt.-Col. Rory Fowler, a former military lawyer now in private practice, has been retained by Hendy. He says military police received two complaints about the content of the Facebook group — one a referral from his client, the other from a whistleblower. WATCH | Ottawa officer suspended as army investigates 'Blue Hackle Mafia' Facebook group: "Lieutenant-Colonel Hendy received a complaint back in December of 2024. He received the complaint, he consulted with his brigade commander, and within a week, the two of them had referred the complaint to the military police, which was the appropriate investigative agency," said Fowler. "Three months later, the military police kicked it back to Lieutenant-Colonel Hendy, indicating that they were not going to investigate and that they didn't have anything to investigate with respect to the complaint." In March of this year, Hendy initiated an internal disciplinary investigation. The Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, which oversees the military police, refused to discuss why the matter was referred back to the Cameron Highlanders for investigation even though the optics of a unit investigating itself are troubling. "Details regarding the complainant or the origin of the complaint cannot be disclosed in order to protect the integrity of the investigation," said a statement from the defence department. Military police reopen case Military police have re-opened the case, saying there's new information. "Lieutenant-Colonel Hendy did his job when the military police refused to do theirs," said Fowler, who added that he wondered what sort of investigation, if any, took place in the three months the provost marshal had the initial complaints. "My concern is the military police came back and said, 'There's no service offence to investigate.' How would they know that unless they investigated?" Fowler asked. The social media also contained a series of lewd photos. Fowler says there are existing provisions under the National Defence Act, notably Section 129, to punish soldiers for breaches of discipline and good conduct. "I have to admit I'm utterly flabbergasted that they thought that there was nothing for them to investigate," he said.
04-07-2025
- Politics
Army investigating members allegedly involved in 'abhorrent' Facebook group, Canada's top soldier says
The Canadian Army is investigating members who allegedly shared what the country's top soldier (new window) called abhorrent content within a private Facebook group. According to a statement from Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright, the Blue Hackle Mafia group featured racist, misogynistic, homophobic and antisemitic comments and images. In the message to armed forces members shared with CBC News, the army commander wrote that he is disgusted by the content of some of the posts published on this group. Wright called the group's content abhorrent, and warned of consequences. I have ordered that any serving Canadian Army members currently on this social media group immediately cease their participation, Wright wrote. Wright said the contents were reported up the chain of command as recently as December and that he was made aware of the alleged misconduct June 25. Military police investigating A message from the Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, also shared with CBC News, said complaints about the private Facebook group were first investigated by the military police in Ottawa and were later transferred to the unit to conduct a disciplinary investigation. Those investigations are meant to determine if there are sufficient grounds to believe a serious offence may have been committed. The transfer to the unit for a disciplinary investigation was considered the best use of options available in the military justice system, in this case, said the statement. The provost marshal's office said the military police re-opened their investigation on June 27. This new investigation is ongoing and no further information will be provided at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation, it said. Not much else is known about the Blue Hackle Mafia group, including how many CAF members allegedly participated. Hackle could be a reference to the plume some infantry regiments wear. Reports urge CAF to clamp down on extremism The Canadian Armed Forces has been under pressure to better handle members drawn to hateful views and extremism. A 2022 report from the military's advisory panel on systemic racism and discrimination found the number of Canadian Armed Forces members belonging to extremist groups on the rise. The panel also found that the Department of National Defence (DND) has struggled to sniff out extremists in its ranks. The detection of extremist pockets or individuals is still very much siloed and inefficient, the panel wrote. In 2021, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, one of the country's independent watchdogs, issued a report warning white nationalism is an active threat to the Canadian Armed Forces and stressed that more resources are needed to effectively address the issue. White supremacist groups actively seek individuals with prior military training and experience, or conversely, encourage individuals to enlist in order to gain access to specialized training, tactics and equipment, said the report. A 2020 CBC News investigation of a Canadian Ranger unit uncovered how Erik Myggland, a British Columbia reservist who openly supported two far-right groups, (new window) was allowed to continue serving even after he had been identified by military counterintelligence and interviewed as a potential threat. In 2021, a U.S. judge sentenced former Manitoba army reservist Patrik Mathews to nine years in prison for charges related to what the FBI described as a neo-Nazi plot to instigate a race war in the United States. Catharine Tunney (new window) · CBC News
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Army investigating members allegedly involved in 'abhorrent' Facebook group, Canada's top soldier says
The Canadian Army is investigating members who allegedly shared what the country's top soldier called "abhorrent" content within a private Facebook group. According to a statement from Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright, the "Blue Hackle Mafia" group featured "racist, misogynistic, homophobic and antisemitic comments and images." In the message to armed forces members shared with CBC News, the army commander wrote that he is "disgusted by the content of some of the posts published on this group." Wright called the group's content "abhorrent," and warned of consequences. "I have ordered that any serving Canadian Army members currently on this social media group immediately cease their participation," Wright wrote. Wright said the contents were reported up the chain of command "as recently as December" and that he was made aware of the alleged misconduct June 25. A message from the Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, also shared with CBC News, said complaints about the private Facebook group were first investigated by the military police in Ottawa and were later transferred to the unit to conduct a disciplinary investigation. Those investigations are meant to determine if there are sufficient grounds to believe a serious offence may have been committed. "The transfer to the unit for a disciplinary investigation was considered the best use of options available in the military justice system, in this case," said the statement. The provost marshal's office said the military police re-opened their investigation on June 27. "This new investigation is ongoing and no further information will be provided at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation," it said. Not much else is known about the Blue Hackle Mafia group, including how many CAF members allegedly participated. "Hackle" could be a reference to the plume some infantry regiments wear. The Canadian Armed Forces has been under pressure to better handle members drawn to hateful views and extremism. A 2022 report from the military's advisory panel on systemic racism and discrimination found the number of Canadian Armed Forces members belonging to extremist groups on the rise. The panel also found that the Department of National Defence (DND) has struggled to sniff out extremists in its ranks. "The detection of extremist pockets or individuals is still very much siloed and inefficient," the panel wrote. In 2021, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, one of the country's independent watchdogs, issued a report warning white nationalism is an "active" threat to the Canadian Armed Forces and stressed that more resources are needed to effectively address the issue. "White supremacist groups actively seek individuals with prior military training and experience, or conversely, encourage individuals to enlist in order to gain access to specialized training, tactics and equipment," said the report. A 2020 CBC News investigation of a Canadian Ranger unit uncovered how Erik Myggland, a British Columbia reservist who openly supported two far-right groups, was allowed to continue serving even after he had been identified by military counterintelligence and interviewed as a potential threat. In 2021, a U.S. judge sentenced former Manitoba army reservist Patrik Mathews to nine years in prison for charges related to what the FBI described as a neo-Nazi plot to instigate a race war in the United States.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Army says it's investigating 'abhorrent' racist, homophobic and antisemitic Facebook group
The Canadian Army is investigating members who allegedly shared what the country's top soldier called "abhorrent" content within a private Facebook group. According to a statement from Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright, the "Blue Hackle Mafia" group featured "racist, misogynistic, homophobic and antisemitic comments and images." In the message to armed forces members shared with CBC News, the army commander wrote that he is "disgusted by the content of some of the posts published on this group." Wright called the group's content "abhorrent," and warned of consequences. "I have ordered that any serving Canadian Army members currently on this social media group immediately cease their participation," Wright wrote. Wright said the contents were reported up the chain of command "as recently as December" and that he was made aware of the alleged misconduct June 25. A message from the Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, also shared with CBC News, said complaints about the private Facebook group were first investigated by the military police in Ottawa and were later transferred to the unit to conduct a disciplinary investigation. Those investigations are meant to determine if there are sufficient grounds to believe a serious offence may have been committed. "The transfer to the unit for a disciplinary investigation was considered the best use of options available in the military justice system, in this case," said the statement. The provost marshal's office said the military police re-opened their investigation on June 27. "This new investigation is ongoing and no further information will be provided at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation," it said. Not much else is known about the Blue Hackle Mafia group, including how many CAF members allegedly participated. "Hackle" could be a reference to the plume some infantry regiments wear. The Canadian Armed Forces has been under pressure to better handle members drawn to hateful views and extremism. A 2022 report from the military's advisory panel on systemic racism and discrimination found the number of Canadian Armed Forces members belonging to extremist groups on the rise. The panel also found that the Department of National Defence (DND) has struggled to sniff out extremists in its ranks. "The detection of extremist pockets or individuals is still very much siloed and inefficient," the panel wrote. In 2021, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, one of the country's independent watchdogs, issued a report warning white nationalism is an "active" threat to the Canadian Armed Forces and stressed that more resources are needed to effectively address the issue. "White supremacist groups actively seek individuals with prior military training and experience, or conversely, encourage individuals to enlist in order to gain access to specialized training, tactics and equipment," said the report. A 2020 CBC News investigation of a Canadian Ranger unit uncovered how Erik Myggland, a British Columbia reservist who openly supported two far-right groups, was allowed to continue serving even after he had been identified by military counterintelligence and interviewed as a potential threat. In 2021, a U.S. judge sentenced former Manitoba army reservist Patrik Mathews to nine years in prison for charges related to what the FBI described as a neo-Nazi plot to instigate a race war in the United States.
