The hot days of summer take on a new meaning for Haydn Edmundson, the vice-admiral who once headed up the human resources department of Canada’s military.
As of Tuesday, his next two weeks will be spent in an Ottawa civilian courtroom, facing a judge without a jury, and answering to charges laid in December 2021 of sexual assault and committing indecent acts.
Represented by high-profile Toronto lawyer Brian Greenspan, Edmundson has pleaded not guilty to both charges and, says Greenspan, is looking forward to “restoring his reputation.”
A publication ban is in place to protect the identity of the complainant. During Edmundson’s arraignment, the court said the offences allegedly took place on HMCS Provider when it was docked at Pearl Harbor in September through November 1991.
As a former commander of Military Personnel Command, Edmundson had authority over career consequences for military members found to have engaged in sexual misconduct.
His office’s mandate included eliminating harmful and inappropriate behaviour in the military and complying with a class-action lawsuit against the Canadian Armed Forces over sexual misconduct, according to the military’s website.
Since early February 2021, multiple current and former senior Canadian military leaders have been sidelined, investigated, criminally charged or forced into retirement from some of the most powerful and prestigious posts in the defence establishment.
The court has scheduled 13 days — Aug. 8 through 24 — for this trial.
The Canadian military, of course, has been roiled by allegations of misconduct and questions about due process, starting at the very top. Here are the key players in the scandal as put out by The Canadian Press:
Gen. Jonathan Vance: Former chief of the defence staff who stepped down on Jan. 14, 2022. A subordinate at the heart of the sexual misconduct allegations, Maj. Kellie Brennan, told a parliamentary committee that Vance fathered two children with her but has taken no responsibility for them during a relationship that allegedly began in 2001 and continued after Vance became top commander in 2015.
Vance was charged in July 2021 with obstruction of justice related to an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service said the criminal charge will be pursued in civilian court, given the details of the case and the limits of the military justice system.
Admiral Art McDonald: Vance’s successor who stepped aside six weeks after taking the top job. A former commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, McDonald voluntarily gave up his new post when the defence minister announced on Feb. 24, 2022, that military police were looking into an allegation which hadn’t been detailed publicly.
The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service recently announced the end of the probe into McDonald’s conduct, saying they had decided there was not enough evidence to charge McDonald under either the Criminal Code or the military’s disciplinary code.
Former Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan: Sajjan has come under fire from opposition MPs and the one-time Canadian Armed Forces ombudsman over his handling of misconduct allegations.
A former army lieutenant-colonel and Vancouver police detective, Sajjan has argued he was right to pass off responsibility for a report of misconduct against Vance in March 2018 to the Privy Council Office, the bureaucratic operation that supports the Prime Minister’s Office.
He has told the House of Commons defence committee that drawing an elected official into a probe would be “wrong and dangerous, politicizing any investigation.’’
Gary Walbourne: Former military ombudsman who first raised misconduct allegations against Vance to Sajjan in a meeting on March 1, 2018. Walbourne has expressed frustration over the defence minister’s referring him to the Privy Council, but the government has said senior civil servants were stymied in launching an investigation after the ombudsman refused to provide them with more information. Global News has reported the allegation Walbourne raised involved a lewd email sent to a female corporal in 2012, three years before Vance became defence chief.
Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin: The former head of Canada’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout who was abruptly replaced in May, five days before the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service referred a sexual misconduct investigation to the Quebec prosecution service to determine whether charges should be laid.
Through his lawyers, Fortin has denied any wrongdoing and said the allegation dates back more than 30 years. He is currently fighting the government in Federal Court for reinstatement in the position, alleging the decision to replace him was politically motivated and denied him due process.
