‘The government …’
Soldier who drank beer while parachuting over Petawawa avoided punishment
A Canadian soldier who recorded a video of himself drinking beer while parachuting over Petawawa won’t face any punishment.
The video, posted on social-media platforms such as X, Tiktok and Instagram, went viral in September 2022, prompting the Canadian Army to launch an investigation into the incident.
The video shows a bearded Canadian soldier attached to his parachute and slowly descending over a large body of water. He then holds up a can of beer, opens it and starts drinking. The soldier then says, “The government …” and shakes his head.
The high-profile video prompted an investigation by military police, National Defence officials noted at the time.
But the Canadian Forces has now confirmed to the Ottawa Citizen that no action was taken.
“After a brief investigation, it was discovered that the member was already released by the time the video was published,” the Canadian Forces noted in a statement. “Because the individual had been released, the unit did not conduct a unit disciplinary investigation.”
In September 2022, a military police investigation was conducted to determine if a service or criminal offence had occurred, the Canadian Forces statement added. “The investigation has since been concluded and no charges were laid.”
The statement pointed out that no changes had been made to Canadian Army regulations and procedures as a result of the incident as the soldier’s actions were already against existing rules.
It took the Canadian Army almost two months to respond to a request for comment. The National Defence public affairs branch, headed by Geneviève Binet, Assistant Deputy Minister for Public Affairs, did not explain the reasons for the delay.
The video was publicized by Task & Purpose, a U.s.based website covering military and veterans affairs. The Task and Purpose posting on the social-media platform X, previously known as Twitter, was titled “This Canadian paratrooper living his best life.”
At the time, National Defence confirmed that the soldier was from the Quebec-based Royal 22nd Regiment and the video had been recorded during recent parachute training at Garrison Petawawa. The soldier left the Canadian Army on Sept. 1, 2022. The military did not make his name public. “The conduct of the soldier is completely inappropriate, unsafe and not in accordance with Canadian Army safety static line parachute procedures,” National Defence said in a statement at the time.
Social-media comments focused on the soldier’s choice of beer (Miller Lite), which a number of individuals suggested was less than adequate, as well as questions about whether he would be disciplined for his actions.
The video, posted on the Task & Purpose account on X, had over 600,000 views and over 2,000 retweets.