Maj.-Gen. Fortin reportedly facing historic sexual misconduct allegation
Posted May 17, 2021 6:03 am.
Last Updated May 17, 2021 6:51 am.
We are now learning more details about why the public face of the Canada’s vaccine rollout was forced to step aside on Friday.
CTV News is reporting that Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin is facing a sexual misconduct claim that dates back more than 30 years.
Sources tell CTV that military police received the complaint in March. The investigation stems from an alleged incident where Fortin is reportedly said to have exposed himself to a woman when he was a student at the Royal Military College in Saint-Jean, Que. in 1989.
In a statement released Friday, a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence said Fortin had left his assignment with the Public Health Agency of Canada, pending the results of the investigation.
No further details were provided at the time as to the nature of the investigation.
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Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan issued a brief statement late Friday, saying the military is committed to lasting change that “sheds toxic and outdated values, practices and policies.”.
“As I have stated previously, I am committed to working to build a true culture of inclusion for the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect,” said Sajjan in an email.
Fortin was picked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to lead the logistical rollout the COVID-19 vaccine across Canada in November 2020.
Fortin most recently served as the chief of staff for the Canadian Joint Operations Command. He was also commander of the NATO military training mission in Iraq from November 2018 until late 2019. That followed several leadership posts in Afghanistan the previous decade, and on NATO and United Nations missions to Bosnia in the 1990s.
With files from the Canadian Press
