Latest news with #militarypolice
CBC
23-07-2025
- CBC
Military police watchdog calls public hearing into alleged civilian detention at Montreal base
Canada's military police watchdog will hold a public interest hearing following allegations that a civilian employee was "affected and brutalized" by officers' conduct during an active shooter exercise at Canadian Forces Base Montreal last November. complaint alleges three or four military police members pointed weapons at the employee. It alleges one officer ordered him to lie down on the ground and dragged him by his coverall and sweater, tearing the clothing. The employee, who was painting on site, claims the event happened so quickly he believed a serious incident was unfolding and he was the prime suspect. He had been informed of the exercise but did not know its timing and was not a participant. According to the complaint, the employee was violently detained, searched and later ordered to leave the area. The employee claims he spent the remainder of the exercise outside in freezing temperatures wearing only his damaged coverall and sweater. The Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) said the complaint was submitted on Nov. 21, 2024, by a union representative on behalf of the employee. The union also says many civilian employees did not know about the drill and believed they were witnessing a real attack. The MPCC transferred the complaint to the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, who is responsible for dealing with conduct complaints. In late January, the deputy provost marshal issued a decision that determined the conduct in the complaint — namely training — is excluded from the definition of policing duties and functions, according to the MPCC. The deputy indicated in a letter that an investigation under the Military Police Professional Code of Conduct, an internal military police process, was launched and the complainant would be kept confirmed. According to a news release from the MPCC sent out Wednesday morning, the complainant was "dissatisfied" with the handling of the complaint and requested the watchdog conduct an independent review. The MPCC's chairperson, Tammy Tremblay, wrote in her decision to hold a public hearing that there's a public interest "given the seriousness of the allegations regarding the military police's treatment of apprehended individuals during arrest and detention. "The employee claims to have experienced humiliation and mistreatment that caused him significant trauma, the effects of which he continues to suffer today," Tremblay wrote. "The employee stresses that he never imagined that he would experience such a situation in a National Defence establishment and that the military police member's actions reminded him of certain barbaric acts he experienced in Rwanda in 1994." Tremblay disputed the deputy provost marshall's letter and wrote the alleged conduct "does not relate to 'training.'"
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Canadian military investigating members for 'abhorrent' Facebook group
Military police say they've reopened an investigation into a Facebook group that Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright, the Canadian Army's commanding officer, describes as 'abhorrent.' Global's Mercedes Stephenson reports on the allegations and the military's response.
CTV News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Military police investigating Facebook page filled with racism, misogyny
Military police say they have reopened an investigation into a Facebook group behind what the army's commander calls 'racist, misogynistic, homophobic and antisemitic comments and images.' THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — Military police say they have reopened an investigation into a Facebook group the Canadian Army's commanding officer describes as 'abhorrent.' Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright says he was made aware of allegations about a Facebook group called the 'Blue Hackle Mafia' on June 25 and that they involved 'members of the Canadian Army.' Wright says the group's posts featured 'racist, misogynistic, homophobic and antisemitic comments and images.' The group was initially reported to the army chain of command last December and the Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal says the case was transferred to the unit for a disciplinary investigation. The investigation was reopened by military police on June 27, according to an emailed statement from the provost marshal's office. Wright says all members of the Canadian Army need to 'hold themselves to the highest standards' and anyone caught engaging in this type of online behaviour could 'face administrative and/or disciplinary consequences.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025. David Baxter, The Canadian Press
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.
