Sajjan issues warning on military flights
Military reviews alcohol policy on flights, effectiveness of overseas entertainment tours
OTTAWA— Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has issued a fresh caution that inappropriate sexual behaviour is “completely unacceptable” after reports of excessive drinking and questionable conduct on military flights that fly musicians, entertainers and athletes to visit troops deployed overseas.
In a statement Tuesday, Sajjan’s spokesperson, Byrne Furlong, said inappropriate behaviour “will not be tolerated.”
“Our government takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously,” she said.
The defence department has been grappling with the fallout of a morale-boosting tour last December to visit Canadian troops in Greece and Latvia.
This month, the military announced that former Leafs player Dave (Tiger) Williams — among the former NHL stars on that trip — had been charged with assault and sexual assault for alleged incidents onboard a military aircraft involving a female flight attendant. Two passengers on that same flight wet themselves, forcing flight attendants to put the soiled seat cushions in plastic bags and store them in the overhead bins to be carried back to the squadron’s base in Trenton for cleaning.
Toronto business person Rick Ekstein was on the flight and posted two videos on Facebook — one of them titled “Rocking our way across the Atlantic” — that gave a hint of the easygoing atmosphere on the Airbus during its leg to Athens from Ottawa.
The Toronto-based band Carpet Frogs was on the trip and videos show them playing a couple of Doobie Brothers tunes, complete with sound speakers on stands set up in the cabin. Mood lighting changed from green to red to purple as passengers danced in the aisles and among the seats, many with a glass or can in their hand.
Ekstein could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Ekstein and his family have been longtime supporters of military personnel and in December made a donation that enabled more than 1,000 military fami- lies to get a $50 supermarket gift card to help with holiday food purchases.
Sources have told the Star that the “vast majority” of VIP guests on the December trip were well-behaved.
But questions are being asked after one passenger was allowed to bring a 40-ounce bottle of alcohol on-board and several travellers were permitted to board even though they appeared intoxicated.
Insiders are expressing concern with the excessive drinking and at times inappropriate behaviour they say has characterized such trips in the past, which occur roughly twice a year. They’re calling for changes that include curbing the amount of alcohol served on these flights, training for all flight attendants who serve booze and clear authority for them to cut off inebriated flyers and curb questionable behaviour. Furlong said an ongoing internal investigation will be looking at the concerns.
“We are unable to comment further on the specifics of this case at this time but we can confirm there is an ongoing Royal Canadian Air Force investigation and it will address issues related to this situation,” she said.
“Through Operation Honour, definitive action is being taken to address and eliminate this kind of behaviour,” Furlong said, referring to the militarywide campaign to stamp out sexual harassment and abuse.
“We will not stop until all our members are able to perform their duties in an environment free from harassment and discrimination.”
The alleged victim and her three female colleagues did not return home with the Team Canada contingent from Latvia. Instead, they were flown home on commercial flights.
The military is reviewing its policy of serving alcohol on military flights when civilians are travelling. And it is also evaluating its Team Canada tours — which began a dozen years ago — to determine whether they remain a good way to entertain troops in the field.