Separate allegations of sexual misconduct by Canada’s recently retired chief of the defence staff General Jonathan Vance, his successor Admiral Art McDonald and other top military officials have rocked the country’s armed forces.
The allegations against Canada’s most senior military officers are being investigated by a parliamentary committee and the military police. They’re also renewing criticism about the military’s efforts to eliminate a long-standing problem, and raising questions about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s commitment to rooting out sexual harassment in federal institutions.
The crisis deepened this week after the Department of Defence said that Vice Admiral Haydn Edmundson, the military officer in charge of human resources, had been placed on indefinite leave while the military police investigate allegations of sexual misconduct by him several decades ago.