Two troops allege sexual harassment

OTTAWA— Two members of Canada’s military alleged that they were sexually harassed by passengers during a troubled VIP trip last December to visit Canadian troops overseas, the Star has learned.

Former Toronto Maple Leafs player Dave “Tiger” Williams was charged earlier this year with sexual assault and assault in the wake of that tour. But an internal military report reveals there were in fact two complaints of inappropriate behaviour during the trip.

“Two members of 437 Sqn alleged that they were sexually harassed and touched by passengers on an airborne service flight,” reads the significant incident report (SIR), released under the Access to Information Act.

The report, dated Dec. 6, 2017, said that the squadron commander was ordering an investigation and cautioned that there would “high potential media interest.”

The so-called Team Canada trips bring high-profile athletes, comedians, musicians and business people to visit with Canadian troops deployed overseas to help boost morale.

But the December trip turned into a debacle with reports that some passengers were drunk even before they left Ottawa, questionable behaviour — two passengers urinated themselves onboard the plane — and complaints that military flight attendants felt powerless to curb drinking or rowdy behaviour.

Williams was charged as a result of alleged incidents as the tour travelled overseas on its initial leg to Athens, Greece from Ottawa on Dec. 2 onboard the military Airbus jet.

The incident report obtained by the Star says the alleged misbehaviour happened between Dec. 2 and Dec. 4, suggesting that there may have been misconduct on a subsequent flight between Greece and Latvia. The report provided no additional details.