The Department of National Defence has confirmed the incoming commander of the Canadian army is under military police investigation “into historical allegations.”
Posted Oct 14, 2021, 06:06AM EDT
The Department of National Defence has confirmed the incoming commander of the Canadian army is under military police investigation “into historical allegations.”
In its statement, the department did not specify the nature of those allegations, but the Ottawa Citizen reports Lt.-Gen. Trevor Cadieu is accused of sexual misconduct.
In his own statement, Cadieu denied any wrongdoing, but said he has asked the acting Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Wayne Eyre, to consider selecting another leader.
“While I have devoted every day of my career to making fellow members feel respected and included, Canadian Army soldiers deserve a leader who is unencumbered by allegations and can lead at this important time when culture change, addressing systemic misconduct and preparing tactical teams for operations must remain the priority effort,” Cadieu said.
A previously-planned Change of Command ceremony scheduled to take place last month was postponed due to the investigation.
“The postponement of the ceremony is not an indictment of LGen Cadieu,” the statement from National Defence reads. “However, in light of the ongoing investigation, a decision was made to allow the justice system to pursue the matter in accordance with the rule of law.”
Cadieu said the allegations are false, “but they must be investigated thoroughly to expose the truth,” adding he has provided “detailed information and correspondence” to the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, and has “taken other measures to prove my truthfulness and innocence.”
