Maj-Gen Dany Fortin: An awkward situation for the government to deal with

Whether anyone would ever admit it, deep in the heart of National Defence and the dimly lit corners of the Prime Minister’s Office, hushed conversations are deciding what should be done with Major-General Dany Fortin.

Maj-Gen Fortin was the point man on the governments COVID-19 vaccine rollout. He was sidelined from this role by the Chief of Defence Staff after allegations of sexual assault, dating back to 1988 while attending military college, surfaced against him in May 2021.

At that time the Canadian Armed Forces were reeling from successive high profile leadership failures, as well as a toxic culture crisis. They quickly and unceremoniously removed Maj-Gen Fortin from his role which was somewhat controversial as the allegations were decades old and his performance on the vaccine file had been stellar. Nevertheless, they had to act, it was necessary to show they took the allegations seriously; but was it too much?

Now Maj-Gen Fortin’s case before the civilian courts has concluded, and because he was found not guilty, it will put a lot of pressure on the Canadian Armed Forces, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the PMO...they must decide the fate of his career. A guilty verdict would have been simple; cut ties, denounce, and detach. An acquittal, by contrast, is extremely inconvenient for them.

The conundrum they face is one of their own makings. Many people inside, and outside the organization have noted that in its effort to stamp out sexual assault, the Canadian Armed Forces leadership have adopted a ‘guilty until proven innocent’ process with no recourse. Maj-Gen Fortin also believes this to be true stating publicly on Monday that, “from the start, senior military leaders and political decision makers presumed and acted as if I were guilty. I was denied due process”.

To re-engage Maj-Gen Fortin in another high-profile position, effectively putting him back on the fast track to possibly one day becoming the Chief of Defence Staff, will be decried, understandably, by sexual assault survivors, victims right and other advocacy groups. In fact, as I typed this, heated discourse was raging on twitter about his unsuitability for further command. Regardless of the fact he was acquitted, the tarnish has set, and no amount of polishing or reasoning will remove it.

The obvious counter argument is that he must be reinstated to a high-profile role, and most likely apologized to for the rough shod and undignified public departure he was subjected too. As justice was seen to be done, and he is an innocent man in the eyes of the court, he should face no further impediments to his career. Yet he still may face consequences at the hands an internal administrative review of the file and his alleged conduct.

Either way, if the Canadian Armed Forces and politicians of this country want to repair faith in the system, both within its ranks and the public, it needs a policy on how to properly manage and employ its personnel awaiting trial. Making the accused out to be a pariah and isolating them before a verdict is rendered can do untold damage to their mental health, especially if they are innocent. This must include a clear guideline on how to reinstate and compensate personnel found not guilty, or who were the victims of vexatious allegations.

As was the case with Vice-Admiral Norman, placing the burden of proof on the accused, making it political, and assigning guilt before their day in court is an efficient and expedient, but cowardly, way to deal with allegations that might damage the organizations reputation. And as cowards are wont to do, don’t be surprised if you find the government dipping into the public purse to provide a settlement to Maj-Gen. Fortin in order to make the problem go away; it’s far more convenient for them than the alternative.