‘Profoundly immature’: Senior officer sorry for post on military colleges after damning report – National

A senior member of the Canadian Armed Forces is dealing with criticism for a submit amid a grassroots social media marketing campaign rallying help for Canada’s royal navy faculties lower than every week after a scathing impartial evaluate raised severe considerations concerning the establishments.

Final weekend, Maj.-Gen. Simon Bernard — a senior member of the navy in control of personnel — was amongst quite a few alumni of RMC Kingston and RMC Saint-Jean who modified their profile footage on LinkedIn to their RMC commencement pictures.

Numerous the graduates explicitly recognized that their cause for posting these pictures was to help the navy faculties and their alumni within the wake of sturdy condemnation of the tradition inside these faculties in Supreme Courtroom Justice Louise Arbour’s report, which was launched final week.

As a part of her complete evaluate into sexual misconduct and harassment throughout the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Arbour highlighted RMC Kingston and RMC Saint-Jean as establishments “from a special period” with a problematic management mannequin in determined want of a systemic overhaul.

Arbour went as far as to say the “discriminatory tradition” and outdated mindset inside these establishments is so persistent, she questioned whether or not they need to even live on of their current type and warned {that a} lack of main reform might maintain again the CAF from really adopting a essential tradition of change.

Grads of the universities have since been posting messages of help on LinkedIn for RMC and the constructive impression these establishments have had on their lives, together with some who’ve taken subject with Arbour’s findings.

World Information has recognized at the least 21 completely different particular person profiles on LinkedIn which have engaged on this exercise.

On June 4, Bernard modified his profile picture to his RMC commencement portrait and commented “TDV” on a LinkedIn submit written by one other former graduate. TDV is an acronym for RMC’s motto: reality, responsibility, valour.

However this outward present of help didn’t keep on-line lengthy.

After a number of ladies, who stated they have been victims of assault and hurt on the colleges, challenged him over this public present of help for the universities, Bernard deleted his remark and eliminated his commencement picture.

In an announcement to World Information, Bernard says he instantly eliminated these posts after he “realized the attainable impression of this submit on others.”

“Although there was no ill-intent in my submit, I settle for accountability for what, in hindsight, didn’t take into account the impression on others and I sincerely apologize to anybody who has been affected.”

A day after his LinkedIn feedback, Bernard posted a protracted message expressing help for Arbour’s suggestions as a “constructive factor for the division and the CAF.”

In an announcement to World Information, a defence division spokesperson stated Bernard “instantly knowledgeable his chain of command of the LinkedIn submit, and as quickly as he realized the submit might doubtlessly hurt others, he eliminated it.

“He has accepted accountability for his actions and acknowledged his submit could have impacted survivors,” stated Derek Abma, senior communications advisor with DND.

He additionally famous Defence Minister Anita Anand accepted the suggestions of the Arbour report, which requires a evaluate of the navy faculties.

Defensive posts “disappointing,” “infantile,” consultants say

However some consultants say Bernard’s actions and people taking to social media to defend RMC are an instance of a “fortress mentality” that demonstrates the entrenched attitudes towards change that Arbour and sufferer advocates have flagged as a serious barrier to enchancment.

“I believed it was asinine,” stated retired Lt.-Col. Mark Popov, who was in control of officer cadet coaching in 2014 and 2015 on the faculties.

“I believed it was the actions of those that really hadn’t learn the Arbour report intimately and who, in a reactionary trend, sought simply to push towards the suggestions.”

Whereas not everybody will agree with all of Arbour’s requires change, Popov says he does consider a full examination of the universities is required to deal with deep-seated considerations about their operations and the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault skilled by too many college students.

“The reactionary viewpoint that I’m seeing on social media is disappointing from lots of people that I do know personally as a result of Justice Arbour will not be attacking them… however is declaring some flaws that exist and figuring out the necessity for some adjustments which is able to solely do good for the complete Canadian Armed Forces.”

Julie Lalonde, a ladies’s rights advocate and public educator, says she believes the social media backlash towards Arbour’s findings stems from a denial of the systemic issues that exist throughout the establishments.

Too many navy members see criticisms of the navy as private assaults, she stated.

“It’s profoundly immature to be a grown grownup and to see a Supreme Courtroom justice report saying this campus has an issue after which to have a match and alter your profile picture since you wish to be happy with RMC —  it’s so infantile,” she stated.

“They need to be embarrassed that you’re a embellished navy member and that is your response to what occurred.”

Businessman defends RMC as a “nice establishment”

Amongst those that have posted in help of RMC is Bryan Brulotte — a businessman and former member of the navy who additionally briefly tried a run on the management of the federal Conservative occasion in 2020.

Brulotte says he felt “compelled” to submit his RMC grad picture and specific help for Canada’s navy faculties as a result of he believes the Arbour report and the response to it to this point “provides a way that the whole lot is improper on the faculty.”

“That’s not the case. I feel that there’s numerous good issues which might be taking place there and there’s numerous progress that’s been made,” he instructed World Information.

In her report, Arbour stated she was instructed nearly each feminine cadet has both skilled a number of incidents of sexual misconduct “or worse,” together with persisting discriminatory feedback and attitudes.

Arbour additionally cited a 2020 Statistics Canada report that discovered 68 per cent of scholars at RMC Kingston and RMC Saint-Jean have both seen or been the sufferer of undesirable sexual behaviour throughout their time on the colleges.

However Brulotte believes Arbour has overplayed the prevalence of sexual misconduct at navy faculties as in comparison with the speed of stories of those incidents at civilian universities.

He additionally takes sturdy subject together with her criticism of the cadet management construction on the faculties, which she stated has been likened to “youngsters main youngsters.”

Brulotte stated he thinks the Arbour report was constructive in that it offered a voice for a lot of who felt they wanted to be heard, and stated he helps measures that appropriately cope with sexual assault, racism or bullying on the colleges which may be required on a case-by-case foundation.

But in addition stated he believes Arbour’s course of was “flawed” and that it suffered from an “inherent bias.”

That’s why he took to social media to defend RMC and the numerous eminent Canadians who’ve graduated from these faculties, he stated, itemizing lots of them.
“I’m posting as a result of I’m defending what I consider to be an amazing establishment that has produced improbable Canadians.”