Forces page plagued by ‘haters’
Official Forces page plagued by racist ‘haters’
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has ordered a crackdown on the growing number of racist and misogynist comments on the Canadian Forces’ official Facebook page.
Though the Forces have a team of dedicated social media staffers, the comments have become so toxic at times that one member of the public observed the “comment section around here reads like a Sons of Odin chat room,” a reference to a far-right, anti-immigration group.
In January, the Canadian Forces tried to reason with readers of the Facebook page, posting a plea to those commenting not to make death threats or remarks that are hateful, sexist, racist or homophobic. But the request itself prompted racist and other inappropriate comments aimed at Sajjan.
News media organizations such as Postmedia deal with similar issues of inappropriate comments, with varying degrees of success, on their websites and Facebook pages. However, the military employs four full-time members of staff to monitor and moderate social media activity during working hours, while a fifth does so during off-hours and on the weekend. Department of National Defence spokeswoman Ashley Lemire explained that the Facebook page is actively monitored. “But sometimes we miss posts,” she acknowledged. Indeed, the official page is peppered with a wide range of inappropriate comments, some which are months old.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has at times been described as a “turd” and a “traitor.” Sajjan is called a “coward” and a “disgrace to Canada,” among more racially charged terms. One comment describes another person using a vulgar term for female genitalia. Another complains about planeloads of Mexicans arriving daily in Calgary.
The page features claims the Liberal government is funding the Islamic State in Iraq. Some commenters question the need to highlight the contribution of black soldiers during Black History Month, while others complain about racial and gender policies in the Canadian military.
Sajjan, the country’s first Sikh defence minister, is among the most frequent targets. Many commenters accuse him of being a liar or a soldier who has “stolen valour,” because of his claims last year to have been the architect of a major offensive against the Taliban.
“I still can’t take this guy seriously as head of the armed forces!” wrote one. “Man, it’s not us! Sikh?”
Another commented that he only comes to the Canadian Forces Facebook page to see what the Sajjan “haters” post.
“I have been very clear that we will not tolerate an environment that is anything less than inclusive,” Sajjan told Postmedia in a statement about the Forces’ apparent lack of oversight of its official Facebook presence. “I am aware of this issue and I have seen some comments myself. Any type of unprofessional, discriminatory comments will not be tolerated.”
The military is in the midst of a drive to recruit more minorities and women into the ranks. Sajjan said he is trusting Gen. Jon Vance, the chief of the defence staff, to take the action needed to “ensure the Canadian Armed Forces remains an open and accepting environment.”
While several members of the public have used the Facebook page to point the inappropriateness of some of the comments that are allowed to remain, they seemingly have done so to no avail.
A government article on promoting a better understanding of “gender identity and expression” posted there generated homophobic slurs. “I sincerely hope that people commenting on this CAF/DND page are not serving members of the CAF,” one commenter responded. “Shameful.”
It is not known how many of those commenters serve in the Canadian Forces.
In January, the Forces posted a notice asking commenters to be respectful,
ANY TYPE OF UNPROFESSIONAL, DISCRIMINATORY COMMENTS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
just before publishing an article highlighting Sajjan’s visit to Seaspan Shipyards in Vancouver. That prompted claims of government censorship and a blast of vitriol against Sajjan for not wearing a hard-hat during his tour of the shipyard. (Sajjan was wearing his turban.)
Sajjan has acknowledged facing a lot of racism while serving in the Canadian military.
He joined the Forces in 1989 and became the first Sikh-Canadian to command a Canadian Army regiment.
Shortly after he was named defence minister in November 2015, a Canadian Forces member posted a racist comment on his personal Facebook page about Sajjan, who served in Bosnia and had multiple tours in Afghanistan. The remarks were quickly taken down and the military launched an investigation.