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Canada Standard
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Canada Standard
Canadian Forces Provost Marshal response to Military Police Complaints Commission Public Interest Hearing
Canada News Centre 29 May 2025, 00:35 GMT+10 May 28, 2025 - Ottawa, ON - National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces The Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) plays a vital role in investigating Military Police (MP) interference complaints, reviewing closed and concluded public complaints led by the Military Police at the request of complainants, and leading public interest investigations and hearings. The Canadian Forces Provost Marshal (CFPM) is fully committed to, and supportive of the MPCC's mandate, within the legislative framework afforded under Part IV of the National Defence Act . A public complaint was received by the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal's Office of Professional Standards related the MP response to Master Corporal Orton's death. It was subsequently determined that the complaint was one that could be more appropriately dealt with through a criminal investigation. This is one of several reasons, laid out in the National Defence Act (NDA) s.250.27(4), regarding why a conduct complaint may not require an NDA Part IV conduct investigation by the Office of Professional Standards to appropriately address the matter. The criminal investigation concluded on March 18, 2025. No criminal or code of service discipline charges were laid. However, a Military Police Professional Code of Conduct (MPPCC) investigation was initiated on March 18, 2025, and remains ongoing. The MPPCC is how the CFPM exercises their authority to determine whether administrative action is taken against members of the MP, which could include revocation of MP credentials. During and following the closure of the criminal investigation and the subsequent decision to call a Public Interest Hearing (PIH), the Office of the CFPM has corresponded with the MPCC regarding their request for disclosure of relevant information to support their existing review and in light of the decision to declare a PIH into the same matter. The Office of the CFPM will continue to support the MPCC during the course of the PIH, while ensuring that the integrity of the ongoing MPPCC investigation into this matter is maintained.
CBC
05-02-2025
- CBC
Military police officers suspended after court ruled misconduct in sexual assault investigation
Two military police members have been suspended from duty while an investigation takes place into misconduct an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled took place during a sexual assault investigation, according to the commanding officer of Canada's military police. In her decision last month, Ontario Superior Court Justice Cynthia Petersen of Brampton stayed charges against an active member of the Canadian Armed Forces who was accused of assaulting and sexually assaulting his wife from 2007 to 2011. The decision was issued days before the trial was set to begin following revelations during pre-trial testimony. Petersen's decision outlined how four officers with the Canadian Forces National Investigation Services systematically showed bias toward the complainant — a military reservist herself — failed to properly document significant aspects of the investigation, withheld and even destroyed some evidence that should have been handed over during disclosure in court proceedings. She said the misconduct in this case was "so egregious," she had no choice but to stay the charges. In a statement issued this week, Canadian Forces Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen Vanessa Hanrahan, who oversees military police in Canada, said she takes the "concerns raised by Justice Petersen .... very seriously." "The professional conduct of the military police is vital to maintaining the integrity of the justice system and the trust of those we serve," her statement read. She confirmed that before the court's decision, the Office of Professional Standards — a team within her office that investigates misconduct — "received a conduct complaint from a member of the public" in relation to this case. This triggers an automatic conduct complaint investigation under the National Defence Act. Hanrahan also said two members of the military police who were involved in the matter "have recently been suspended from policing duties and functions, pending further investigation," though she did not specify which ones. She went on to say that these actions demonstrate "our commitment to maintaining a professional military police service, one which has processes in place to hold individuals accountable and prevent future occurrences." Defendant filed complaint into police conduct Austin Corbett, the defence council in this case, confirmed his client filed the conduct complaint, though did not specify when. "They're not satisfied yet," he said, adding that his client hopes to see the judge's decision corroborated by the internal investigation the Office of Professional Standards is conducting. Rory Fowler, a retired legal officer now in private practice with a focus on military law, argues the response by Hanrahan's office comes too late to instil any trust that justice is being served in this case. "What we're seeing is a reaction because they literally got caught with their hand in the cookie jar," he said. Fowler said he remains concerned that the public is only aware of the misconduct by military police during this investigation because the defendant took legal action and Petersen wrote such a detailed ruling. There are also questions about how reliably military police in Canada can investigate their own misconduct, he said, and suggested the more appropriate course of action would be a public hearing into the military police and misconduct.. "We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg," he said.
