Naval inquiry into officers' bondage talk under fire
The allegations concern senior navy officers joking about bondage and kinky sex on an official conference call with more than 100 military personnel.
One of the officers who complained about the comments was berated for raising concerns and now fears his military career will suffer.
A lower-ranking member of the Royal Canadian Navy was given the job of investigating the comments attributed to his boss, and, to the surprise of no one, concluded there was no wrongdoing.
Those who criticize how the Canadian Forces investigates sexual misconduct say the February incident is a perfect example of a system that, over the decades, has protected perpetrators in the military, and punished and silenced their victims.
“Those in authority are responsible for writing the rules to protect themselves,” said retired corporal Sherry Bordage, who was sexually assaulted in 2010 and then faced retribution from the military after coming forward.
“This is an entrenched hierarchy,” Bordage said. “Those in power don't want to relinquish that power.”
Details about the case involving the bondage comments were revealed last month to the Commons defence committee by Lt. Cmdr. Raymond Trotter, one of two individuals who complained about the incident. Trotter filed his complaint in the database created for Operation Honour, the military's program to crack down on sexual misconduct.
That, along with the senior ranks of the individuals involved in the alleged wrongdoing, should have triggered an investigation by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service or CFNIS, military officers privately concede.
But instead, in consultation with the CFNIS and the military's top legal adviser, the judge advocate general, the decision was made to let the navy investigate itself. If wrongdoing by senior officers was found by the investigation, the CFNIS would then get involved.
The individual conducting the investigation was a direct subordinate to the navy officer who allegedly made the comments. In short order, he determined his boss and his fellow senior officers did nothing wrong. Instead, the navy suggested that women personnel upset with the comments should confront the superior officers directly, Global News reported.
Global also revealed the investigation didn't even look at some of the comments about sado-masochism or kinky sex, or whether senior officers on the Zoom call should have intervened when the inappropriate comments were made. Less than half of the 132 participants on the call were even interviewed.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said he was concerned about how the investigation was conducted and asked acting chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre to look into the matter.
A CFNIS investigation was once again ruled out. Eyre instead went back to the navy, which is again investigating itself.
That investigation is still ongoing, confirmed Department of National Defence official Dan Le Bouthillier.
Strangely, there was no investigation into the actions of the civilian public servant, a former navy captain, who berated Trotter for filing his complaint. “That senior person raised his voice and spoke to me in a very demeaning manner, indicating — and pardon my language — that I had f---ed up and I had ruined the respondent's career over nothing,” Trotter testified to the Commons committee.
Michel Drapeau, an Ottawa lawyer who has been at the forefront
Those in authority are responsible for writing the rules to protect themselves. This is an entrenched hierarchy.
of representing military victims of sexual misconduct, said the public servant was clearly trying to intimidate Trotter. “This individual abused their authority,” said Drapeau, a former colonel. “A message was being sent to Trotter and anyone else who wants to come forward. That message is that if you complain you'll face retribution.”
During their Commons testimony, national defence deputy minister Jody Thomas and Sajjan expressed surprise that complainants don't trust the military system and are reluctant to come forward. Critics say those statements show how out of touch both are with how the department and military operate.
Trotter told the Commons defence committee his decision to make a complaint about alleged sexual misconduct could harm his career.
Retired navy officers privately say Trotter is right to be concerned. They expect he will face retribution from the navy once the media spotlight is no longer on the case and the public isn't paying attention.