The country’s military police watchdog has launched a high-level investigation into allegations that the military’s former human resources chief was incompetent in handling a sexual misconduct case.
Lieutenant General Stephen Whelan faced two charges of violating military service in 2022, which were later dropped. One of the cases concerned an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
Mr. Whelan’s complaint to the watchdog alleges that the charges against him were “coerced” through unwarranted interference in the chain of command. He also claims that military police investigators improperly handled evidence and failed to interview key witnesses.
Tammy Tremblay, chair of the Military Police Complaints Commission of Canada (MPCC), said Whelan’s allegations are “serious” as she announced the decision to launch a public interest inquiry, the second highest level of investigation after a public hearing. said.
“If proven, this could amount to a willful failure to properly investigate serious allegations of sexual misconduct. Perhaps the investigation was conducted with the goal of reaching a predetermined outcome. That’s probably why,” Tremblay said. said in her announcement.
This is now the second investigation of its kind, pending the formation of a commission that includes senior military officials who say errors in the investigation and undue pressure led to the charges.
The watchdog is also investigating a complaint filed by the former head of Canada’s coronavirus vaccine rollout campaign. Major General Dany Fortin He was acquitted of sexual assault at a criminal trial in 2022.
Mr Whelan was removed from his post as head of the military’s human relations department in October 2021 while he was under investigation by the military police.
At last year’s court-martial, military prosecutors accused Whelan of giving a female service member a better score on her performance evaluation report to prevent reporting of “flirty” emails he sent in 2011.
Mr. Whelan maintains his innocence. To the crime. His lawyer, Philip Miller, told the court that Mr Whelan was wrong to have a “personal relationship” with his subordinate, but argued there was no sexual incident between them.
In May, Mr. Whelan sued his accusers, the federal government, the chief of defense staff and other military officials, accusing them of ruining his career to score political points. He is seeking $10 million in damages. Miller said he received a motion from the government to cancel the charge on Wednesday after the military police monitor’s announcement.
Miller also told CBC News that Whelan has finished writing a book about the “outrageous story” behind the court martial.
Mr. Miller said Mr. Whelan “pull no punches” and that “his name will be mentioned.” The book said “the chain of command and political actors worked to oust Mr. Whelan on false allegations.” It added that it would reveal “how people worked behind the scenes.”
The watchdog’s decision said Mr Whelan had made similar claims in his complaint to the MPCC. Mr Whelan claimed his chain of command influenced the Military Police investigation, which may have caused “intentional” problems.
Mr. Whelan also alleged that military police did not properly record interactions with the female complainant, did not ask important questions during interrogation, and did not properly investigate potential conflicts of interest of witnesses.
Mr Whelan also accused the military of failing to properly investigate “media leaks” about his case to determine whether his rights were violated during the gendarmerie investigation.
The allegations in his complaint have not been proven in court or examined by military police oversight agencies.
Tremblay said the gravity of the allegations could warrant a hearing, which could include a subpoena ordering the military to release documents. He said it would be faster and in the public interest to investigate without a public hearing, but added that he could change his mind without sufficient “voluntary cooperation” from the Canadian Forces.
Miller said he was pleased the committee was investigating what he called “allegations of process irregularities.”
“It’s clear that the committee has expressed dissatisfaction with getting information from the military police, so I look forward to seeing how much collaboration the Canadian Armed Forces will have with the military police,” Miller said.
CBC News has reached out to the Canadian Armed Forces for comment, but has not yet received a response.
Whelan is still serving in the military, but “is not working in an official capacity and is working towards his discharge,” Miller said.
Military Police Observer Group investigations can take years. Once completed, the final report will be published.
