China News Service, Toronto, July 16. The Canadian military announced on July 15 that the military investigation department has filed charges of obstruction of justice against the retired Chief of Defense Jonathan Vance.
The military investigation department launched an investigation into allegations of misconduct by Vance in early February this year.
The military stated that during this investigation, suspected obstruction of justice took place.
Taking into account the specific circumstances of this case and the limitations of the military justice system pointed out in the report of the third-party independent review agency, the Canadian military investigation department decided to file relevant criminal charges in the civil justice system.
Vance, who has served for 40 years, retired in mid-January this year and was accused of "improper behavior" against female subordinates shortly thereafter.
The Canadian media quoted a court document published on the evening of the 15th that Vance was accused of repeatedly trying to persuade a former female subordinate in the case to make a false statement by telephone.
The female officer stated at a hearing held by the House of Representatives Committee on the Status of Women in April this year that she had given birth to two children born out of wedlock for Vance.
Vance will appear in court in mid-September.
After the Vance incident, a series of similar incidents occurred in the Canadian military.
His successor, former Royal Navy Commander, MacDonald, took over as Chief of Defense Staff only 41 days later, and resigned in late February due to suspected "improper conduct" investigations.
Edmundson, the former head of personnel of the military, was fired for being involved in a sexual assault case 30 years ago.
Many more senior officers were suspended or resigned due to investigations.
The Canadian military announced at the end of April that it had appointed a dedicated person to conduct an independent external comprehensive investigation into the harassment and sexual misconduct in the Canadian Ministry of National Defense and the Canadian military.
Statistics submitted by the Canadian Ministry of National Defense to the House of Representatives in April show that the Canadian military has recorded 581 reports of sexual assault and 221 reports of sexual harassment in the past five years.
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