Rules are rules, says Chief of the Defence Staff
The timing couldn’t have been worse: just as Canada’s army was preparing for a major offensive against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, the Forces’ senior commander in the region was removed from his job for alleged sexual misconduct. Brig.-Gen. Daniel Ménard is accused of having an “inappropriate relationship” with a female subordinate—a violation of strict military rules that prohibit “sexual activity or any other form of intimate contact in any context” in a war zone. Some pundits have suggested the military should have ignored the allegations, especially with such a crucial battle looming. But the country’s top soldier defended the decision to fire Ménard, saying the rules apply to everyone. “We’ve sent other people home for the same thing,” Gen. Walt Natynczyk, the chief of defence staff, told reporters this morning after delivering a speech at a military trade show. “We have pretty clear policies to ensure a high level of discipline within the entire contingent. We’re on duty 24 hours a day and you never know what could occur . . . When we put people in harm’s way we have to insist on a high level of discipline no matter what we’re doing.”