#brig trudeau

[sartorially]

When I come up in the club— I'm talking mad shit! Come up in the club, I'm 'bout to get my ass kicked!

Here's #3 from @mushroom-soup-cat's Magic Prompts list. I have listened to PUNKBITCH about a billion times, ever since I was a wee queer... Nothing more fitting for Bríggums.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"8 Medical Men Guilty," Windsor Star. February 22, 1943. Page 9. --- One Officer Dismissed From Army; Four Jail Sentences ---- QUEBEC, Feb. 22.-Eight of nine army medical officers and men who recently faced a general court martial here following alleged irregularities in medical examinations of army recruits have been found guilty, it was announced last night by Brig. E. A. Blais, officer commanding military district No. 5.

The announcement, made public last night after the eight had been paraded before Brig. Blais, also contained sentences which included, for the officers, one dismissal, one severe reprimand and rank penalty, one severe reprimand and one reprimand.

The other ranks were sentenced to periods of detention ranging from 45 days to nine months.

M.P. EXONERATED Of the nine men to face the court- all members of No. 5 company of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps except one private-only one, Lieut. (acting captain) Pierre Gauthier, Bloc Canadien Populaire member of Parliament for Portneuf, was completely exonerated.

Findings and sentences of the court - presided over by Brig. J. A. Leclaire and which sat from November 25 to January 8 - were forwarded to Ottawa to the adjutant-general's department for confirmation before being announced.

OFFICERS AND SENTENCES Capt. G. A. Grondin, 43, of Quebec, was found guilty on a charge of accepting various sums of money during the performance of his military duties and was sentenced "to be dismissed from His Majesty's service."

Maj. Ludovic Lavallee, 52, of Neuville, Que., was acquitted of a charge of having examined various persons prior to their regular army medical board but was convicted of having accepted sums of money in connection with examinations and of having shared the money with another accused person.

He was sentenced to be severely reprimanded and given a rank penalty which will result in his majority being dated from January 8-date of the end of the court martial-instead of before (The date when Maj. Lavallee originally won his majority was not im- mediately available.)

Military sources and Antoine Rivard, K.C., who acted as defence counsel for the officers and men, said that the rank penalty meant Maj. Lavallee would forfeit his seniority for one year up to January 8.

Maj. Celestin Guimont, 34. of Pont Rouge, Que, was freed of charges of having examined persons prior to their regular army medical board but was found guilty of having accepted sums of money in connection with examinations. He was sentenced to a severe reprimand.

Capt. Yves Gadbois, 26, of Quebec, was sentenced to be reprimanded for having accepted $20 while performing his military duties.

Details of the reprimands were not made public in any case.

CASES OF OTHER RANKS In the cases of the other ranks, whose sentences start from January 8, Pte. Leopold Houde, 35, of Quebec drew the heaviest term - nine months' detention. He was found guilty of having accepted sums of money in the performance of his duties and of having distributed the money among other medical personnel.

Pte. Georges Fortin, 24, of Quebec, who faced the same charges as Houde, was acquitted on the second count but was sentenced to 90 days' detention on the first charge.

Pte. Louis Philippe Hamel, 25, of Quebec, charged similarly to Houde and Fortin, also was given 90 days.

Pte. Paul Henri Cloutier, 19, of Charlesbourg. Que., only man to enter a plea of guilty and a member of No. 5 district depot, was given 45 days detention on a charge of having accepted bribes.

There was no question of irregularities in the medical examinations themselves, the court emphasized.

MEMBERS OF COURT The court was composed of Brig. Leclaire; Col. J. R. Roche, Le Regiment de Maisonneuve; Lt. Col. G. E. Bouchard. Le Regiment de la Chau- diere; Lt.-Col. C. L. Laurin, Le Regiment de Chateauguay; Lt.-Col. G. L.. Taschereau, Le Regiment de la Chaudiere: Lt. Col. P. Trudeau, Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal and Maj. R. G. Marion, Les Fusiliers Mont Royal.

Maj. Maurice Lalonde acted as judge advocate and Lt.-Col. Laval Fortier was Crown prosecutor. Antoine Rivard, K.C., acted for the officers and men.

Mr. Rivard said he would make an appeal against the judgments "to competent authorities."

[opedguy]

Spy Balloon Origin Unknown

LOS ANGELES (OnlineColumnist.com), Feb. 14, 2023.--Downing the Chinese spy balloon Feb. 4 with a sidewinder missile fired from an F-22 fighter jet, the Pentagon collected the debris in shallow water off Myrtle Beach, S.C., determining that it was Chinese origin.  China Foreign Ministry’s predictable response, insisting the two-ton, double-bus-sized object was anything but an innocent weather balloon that strayed off course.  Whatever the guidance mechanisms, it was enough to travel from China, into Alaska, down to Idaho, pass over Montana’s Malmstrom Air Force Base, over the Midwest to Missouri’s Whiteman Air Force base home to the Stealth Bomber and on to the East Coast.  It took 80-year-old President Joe Biden at least a week to figure out what to do, claiming he was being cautious not to shoot it down over populated areas.  Pentagon officials, despute China’s denials, say the balloon was a Chinese skycraft.

One week later Feb. 11, the Pentagon shot down another suspicious ballot over the Alaska coast, unable, like in South Carolina, to confirm yet the origin of the balloon   While the origin is not known yet, it’s highly likely that the smaller balloon, the size of a car, was part of the same fleet of spy balloons sent over the North and South America.  China admitted Feb. 3 that another balloon detected over South America was part of its weather balloon fleet collecting atmospheric data.   When the North American Aerospace Command [NORAD] shot down another balloon over Canada’s northern Yukon territories, 51-year-old Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the UFO violated Canadian airspace, posing a threat to Canadian aviation. With the fleet of balloons all found in one week, it’s more clear than ever that it was part of an organized spy balloon fleet sent from China.

  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acted swiftly coordinating with Biden and NORAD to give the order to shoot down the balloon.  “I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace,” Trudeau said.  “[NORAD] shot down the object over the Yukon and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and the U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object.”  Trudeau said he talked with Biden about the necessity to send a message to any nation, especially China, which violated Canadian sovereignty.  Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said he would be working with the RCMP “as Canadian authorities conduct a recovery operations to help our countries learn about the object,” knowing, with high certainty, it was Chinese in origin. Yukon Premier Ranj Rillai said he was briefed by federal ministers about the object, and reassured resident “at no time was the safety of Yukoners at risk“

 Flying at around 40,000 feet the balloon could potentially interfere with Canadian air traffic, prompting the urgent decision to shoot it down.  “Frankly, we were concerned with getting it out the sky,” Ryder said.  “And that was our focus all day and indeed the past 24 hours.  And so an further information about the object and reassured residents that “at no time was the safety of Yukoners at risk.”  Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said Canadian CF-18s were involved in tracking the coordinates of the balloon, coordinated with NORAD’s F-22 that eventually fired the kill shot.  “When we first started tracking this object it was dark and we needed to make sure that we had a visual of it and so needed to wait for daylight to emerge,” Anand said.  Anand confirmed that she wanted to have infrared capability working with NORAD to coordinate with F-22s to fire the sidewinder missile.

Canada’s liberal government was under fire opposition parties to confirm the identity of the object taken town Feb. 11 over Yukon territories.  Canada’s House of Commons agreed to hold hearings to allow Anand to testify everything she knows about the origin of the balloon.  So far, all indications point to China but Anand wants to have confirmation after the debris has been recovered.  Three  balloons shot down over Alaska, Canada and South Carolina present compelling evidence that the Chinese were on a fishing expedition trying to gain intel on strategic U.S. and Canadian military sites. Pentagon officials confirmed a fourth balloon located over South America, confirming a coordinated effort by Chinese to seek intel around the North and South American hemisphere.  Multiple balloon sighting over a week period indicates they were all launched roughly at the same time.

Shooting down three balloons with a week period indicates that China went on a fishing expedition into sovereign airspace of North and South America.  China’s Peoples Liberation Army [PLA] shows little regard of international sovereignty but, more importantly, for the rule of law, especially as it concerns international waters and airspace.  When China rejected the International Court of Arbitration at the Hague’s ruling July 12, 2016 about violating sovereignty in the South China Sea, the PLA demonstrated it was a rogue organization rejecting the rules based order.  Sending spy balloons over North and South American continues China’s rogue activities when it comes to respecting territorial integrity.  Recovering sensors guiding the massive balloon shot down Feb. 4 over Myrtle Beach proves that China lied about collecting only weather information with its balloon fleet.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

[college-girl199328]

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau jointly made the decision to shoot down an unidentified object violating Canadian airspace, according to statements released Saturday.

After the North American Aerospace Defense Command discovered the cylindrical object Friday evening, Canadian and U.S. jets intercepted it, and a U.S. F-22--deployed for the third time this week—shot it down Saturday afternoon.

Biden and Trudeau to shoot down the object “out of an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of their militaries,” a White House statement said.

The latest incident comes a day after another F-22 downed an unidentified cylindrical object over Alaskan airspace, which is currently being recovered by the U.S. military near the Alaskan town of Deadhorse.

The intercepts follow the cross-country saga earlier this month when a Chinese surveillance balloon overflew the U.S. from Montana to South Carolina before it was downed over the Atlantic.

The U.S. Defense Department confirmed that NORAD detected the object over Alaska on Friday evening; Canadian authorities conducted recovery operations to help learn more about the entity; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will be working closely with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

Anita Anand, Canada's defense minister, said in a tweet on Saturday that she and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had discussed the incident and "will always defend our sovereignty together."

The Canadian defence minister said it appeared to be a small cylindrical object, smaller than the one that was shot down off the coast of North Carolina last week at roughly 40,000 feet and posed a “reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight,” she said.

Anand said it was downed at 3:41 p.m. ET, about 100 miles from the U.S.-Canada border in central Yukon, and Canadian aircraft were involved in the operation. American F-22s were launched from the Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, and Canadian F-18s from Cold Lake, and Chief of the Defense Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre confirmed an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile from the F-22 downed the object.

Anand did not confirm if the object was from China, saying it was too early to determine where it came from. Anand had met with Austin in Washington on Friday, when the spy balloon shot down over the Carolinas was on the agenda and was primarily tracked and analyzed through NORAD, she told reporters during a morning briefing. "Last year, we announced the upgrade to our continental defence and NORAD, about C$40 billion [$30 billion]," she added. "This incident highlights the importance of that initiative."

That upgrade focuses on improving NORAD’s ability to detect and track intrusions into North American airspace, the assistant secretary for homeland defence and hemispheric affairs told a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday.

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) commended the U.S. Air Force personnel who shot down the unidentified object in Canadian airspace and called for a redoubling of efforts “to recover, exploit, and analyze the unidentified aircraft shot down over Alaska and Canada… to fully understand the nature of the threat we are facing right now,” in a tweet on Saturday.

The FAA announced late Saturday it had closed some airspace above Montana for Defense Department activities in a statement that said it had detected a “radar anomaly” and sent fighter jets to investigate what was identified that correlated to the radar hits, NORAD said.

Montana Sens. Steve Daines and John Tester said they were in contact with Pentagon officials over the incident.

Asked why there were seemingly more balloon downings and related incidents recently, a U.S. official said: “We are being more vigilant now.”

Recoveries of the Chinese balloon in the Atlantic and the unidentified craft over Alaska are still ongoing work in the High North is being hampered by adverse weather conditions.

White House and Pentagon officials still do not have a positive identification or country of origin for the object shot down over Alaska, a Chinese-made surveillance balloon like the one that was struck off the coast of South Carolina.

[sachkiawaaj]

Canadian Forces rescinds appointment of high-ranking military police officer sanctioned for sexual comments

Canadian Forces rescinds appointment of high-ranking military police officer sanctioned for sexual comments

WARNING: This story contains vulgar language with sexual content. The head of Canada’s military justice system has revoked his appointment of a high-ranking military police officer who faced sanctions three years ago for making sexual comments about three women at a Christmas policing function. Last week, Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen. Simon Trudeau appointed Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Lacoste…

[hummingzone]

No charges against top military officer McDonald after misconduct investigation - CityNews Toronto

No charges against top military officer McDonald after misconduct investigation – CityNews Toronto

An investigation into the conduct of Canada’s top military officer Admiral Art McDonald has ended with police saying there is not enough evidence to lay charges. Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen. Simon Trudeau announced the end of the investigation on Friday evening, nearly six months after the Canadian Forces National Investigation first revealed that it was investigating the chief of defence…

[atlanticcanada]

No charges against top military officer McDonald after misconduct investigation

An investigation into the conduct of Canada's top military officer Admiral Art McDonald has ended with police saying there is not enough evidence to lay charges.

Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen. Simon Trudeau announced the end of the investigation on Friday evening, nearly six months after the Canadian Forces National Investigation first revealed that it was investigating the chief of defence staff.

"The CFNIS was able to both identify and interview a large number of potential witnesses," Trudeau said. "The evidence gathered from these witnesses was considered in the ultimate determination that the evidence did not support the laying of any charges."

The decision paves the way for McDonald to return to his position as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces after he voluntarily stepped down in February due to revelations about the military police investigation.

But it is also likely to spark fresh questions about the military's ability to properly address allegations of misconduct involving top officers.

The nature of the allegation against McDonald has not been publicly confirmed, but CBC reported in February that it related to an allegation of sexual misconduct dating back to his time commanding a Canadian warship in 2010.

Global News has reported that navy Lt. Heather Macdonald, a navy combat systems engineer, came forward with the allegation against McDonald. Macdonald was quoted by Global on Friday as saying she was upset by the military police decision.

"I am not surprised as this was exactly why I was reluctant to come forward and why most survivors don't come forward. It's not worth it. I feel a little like I've gone through hell for nothing," Macdonald was quoted as saying.

"Feel a bit like I've been punched in the stomach."

Trudeau in his statement emphasized the independence of his military police investigators, saying: "The CFNIS conducts its investigations in a thorough and professional manner independent of the chain of command."

He added that no further information would be provided.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan's spokesman Todd Lane refused to comment on Friday, including on whether McDonald would be reinstated as chief of the defence staff.

McDonald did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

McDonald temporarily stepped down from his position on Feb. 24 because of the investigation, only five weeks after taking over as Canada's top military commander from Jonathan Vance, who was accused of sexual misconduct.

Vance, who has denied any wrongdoing, was charged last month with one count of obstruction of justice following a separate military police investigation. His case has been referred to the civilian justice system.

The allegations against Vance, McDonald and other senior officers prompted the Canadian Armed Forces' latest reckoning with sexual misconduct, which included months of parliamentary hearings and promises of action from the government and military.

Underlying much of the crisis were questions of fairness and accountability in how the military handles such allegations, with concerns that those higher up in the ranks are treated less severely than those near the bottom.

Those concerns coincided with a report from retired Supreme Court justice Morris Fish in June that noted that it is legally impossible to court martial Canada's top military commander, though criminal cases can be handled by the civilian system.

The government has also tapped retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour to review and come up with specific recommendations on how to better handle sexual assault, harassment and other misconduct in the ranks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2021.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/3xoHvZS

[esprit-de-corps-magazine]

ON TARGET: Military Police Should Call In RCMP To Dispel Perception Of Lack Of Independence

By Scott Taylor

It was on Sunday Feb. 2 that the current military sexual misconduct scandal first emerged.

Global National reporter Mercedes Stephenson broke the story that recently stepped down Chief of Defence Staff, General Jonathan Vance was accused of two counts of sexual misconduct.

What made these allegations newsworthy was the fact that during his entire five-year tenure as CDS, Vance had been the driving force behind his own Operation Honour, an initiative intended to stamp out sexual misconduct within the Canadian Armed Forces.

Vance was no longer the CDS but he was still a serving general. His successor, Admiral Art McDonald announced that in addition to a military police investigation into the allegations against Vance, there would be a separate, independent investigation into the former CDS’s actions.

In an attempt to bolster morale and restore confidence in the senior leadership, McDonald put out a message to the rank and file on Feb. 24.

In his memo McDonald encouraged any other potential victims of sexual misconduct to come forward. That very same day word was leaked to the media that McDonald was himself under military police investigation for an alleged case of sexual misconduct dating back to 2010.

By nightfall it was announced that McDonald would step aside as CDS until the police investigation had run its course.

Losing two top generals in three weeks proved to be just the tip of the iceberg.

The next revelation was that Lt-Gen Chris Coates had an extramarital affair while serving at NORAD headquarters. This incident prevented his posting to NATO Headquarters in Naples, and Coates has since retired from the CAF.

Far more startling was the allegations of rape against Vice Admiral Haydn Edmundson. That incident allegedly occurred aboard a RCN warship in 1991. Edmundson has since stepped down from his post as Chief of Military Personnel. The rape investigation remains ongoing.

One of Canada’s most noted generals is Major-General Dany Fortin who was seconded to the Public Health Agency of Canada to oversee the roll out of COVID-19 vaccines. Fortin’s telegenic appearances on nightly newscasts had become a reassuring fixture for Canadians eagerly anticipating an end to the pandemic.

Then on May 14, DND issued a brief three line press release announcing that Fortin was relieved of his Public Health post because he too, was under investigation. News reports pointed to allegations of past sexual misconduct. In Fortin’s case the complaint dates back to 1989 when he was a cadet at the College Militaire Royale in St. Jean, Quebec.

Also turfed from his secondment at the Public Health Agency was Brig-Gen Simon Bernard for allegedly uttering a racial slur while on duty.

For writing a letter to a judge in support of a convicted perpetrator of sexual assault, Major-Gen Pete Dawe was relieved as Commander of Canada’s elite Special Operations Force Command (CANSOFCOM). Dawe’s character reference was for an officer convicted of sexually assaulting a fellow officer’s wife.

The most recent purge of the senior ranks involves the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, Lt-Gen Mike Rouleau and Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy Vice Admiral Craig Baines.

News outlets reported on June 12 that Baines and Rouleau had played a game of golf on June 2 with former CDS General Vance.

The optics of  them associating with one of the accused was grounds for Rouleau to resign as VCDS. For his part, Baines has apologized and has taken personal leave.

Critics of Rouleau’s casual outing with Vance were quick to point out that as VCDS, the military police are technically under his control. Add this to the fact that Major Kellie Brennan, one of Vance’s accusers, testified before a parliamentary committee that  the former CDS bragged to her that he was ‘untouchable’ and that he had the CFNIS [Canadian National Investigation Service] “under control.”

Within this scenario, the CFNIS are now in a no-win situation. If they investigate and uncover no grounds for criminal charges against Vance, the public will presume the investigation was thwarted from within.

My advice to Provost Marshal Brigadier General Simon Trudeau is to pre-empt such a predicament by announcing that Rouleau’s actions and Brennan’s allegations have already tainted any possible CFNIS conclusion.

Admit the obvious and call in the RCMP to conduct an independent investigation.

The truth will set you free.

[freenewstoday]

New Post has been published on https://freenews.today/2020/11/28/meet-the-military-general-in-charge-of-canadas-mass-covid-19-vaccination-effort/

Meet the military general in charge of Canada's mass COVID-19 vaccination effort

OTTAWA — His name is Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin. He comes with nearly 30 years of military experience, but now he’s in for a mission like no other: overseeing the herculean logistical effort to see vaccines make their way across the country and into the arms of millions of Canadians in 2021.

On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it the “greatest mobilization effort Canada has seen since the Second World War,” and with decades of experience, including in warzones, Fortin is up for the task, according to former top Canadian military leaders.

“Dany is one of our best operationally-experienced leaders… You couldn’t have asked for somebody better than somebody who understands the leadership challenges, the planning challenges… and also the capabilities that can support that organization, said retired major-general David Fraser, who was former commander of NATO’s mission in Afghanistan, in an interview on CTV’s Question Period airing on Sunday.

He said that Canada’s vaccine rollout is going to be about breaking down silos within government, and having military staffed inside PHAC is a positive step in that direction.

“He knows how to build teams. This one is going to be is about teamwork and building those logistical chains to get the vaccines to the people who need it,” Fraser said.

Fortin comes in facing a timeline that if all goes smoothly, could see first vaccine approvals granted in December, initial prioritized groups vaccinated between January and March, and expanding out to more Canadians over the following months with a target of more than half of the Canadian population vaccinated by September 2021.

He will be leading the team of nearly 30 members of the Canadian Armed Forces already working out of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s “National Operations Centre,” and has been given the official title within that agency of Vice President Logistics and Operations.

Fortin is being assisted by Brig.-Gen. Simon Bernard and Brig.-Gen. Krista Brodie with logistical planning and co-ordination.

The team — including operational planners, pharmacists, health-care administrators, engineers, and IT experts — has been in place for months, quietly planning for the rollout.

The military says it is helping to “synchronize” vaccine deliveries and the requirement for cold storage, putting in place “risk-mitigation tools” and conduct “a series of exercises” ahead of vaccines being administered to all corners of the country.

“The effort’s been underway for some months now, where they have been working out what they predict will be the supply line bottlenecks and difficulties. We’ve long known in Canada that deploying to some places within Canada — the Far North, the territories — is more difficult than deploying to Europe, and we’ve gotten good at it,” retired chief of defence staff Tom Lawson said on CTV’s Question Period.

“We know a lot about getting new aircraft and types of transport planes, trains and automobiles to these places, but doing it with vaccines that are somewhat fragile and need to be under certain conditions, warehousing them, making sure you’re keeping track of who’s getting it when, all of these things are things that right now are being laid out… They‘re rehearsing tabletop exercises what this will look like as soon as we have access,” Lawson said.

Fortin graduated from the Royal Military College Saint-Jean with a science degree in 1991 and went on to hold a series of key appointments, including:

leading a platoon with the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia between 1993-94;

chief of staff of Task Force Kandahar and Joint Task Force-Afghanistan between 2009-10;

deputy commanding general for operations in the U.S. Army at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington from 2015 to 2017; and,

as director of operations at the Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat within the Privy Council Office in 2017.

Fortin also served as the commander of NATO’s Iraq mission between 2018-19 and most recently was the Chief of Staff for the Canadian Joint Operations Command.

According to his military biography, Fortin and his spouse are from Montmagny, Que., and they have one daughter.

“He’s gathered, tremendous experience and every mission he’s ever been on and every mission that there is in fact, succeeds or fails because of logistics. You know there’s a saying in the military that amateurs talk about tactics and professionals talk logistics and Dany knows this very well,” said Lawson.

In the wake of his new role, the federal government has faced criticism for not naming him sooner. Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump tapped a four-star Army Gen. Gustave F. Perna to be the chief operations officer for that country’s “Operation Warp Speed” in May.

In an interview on CTV News Channel on Friday, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan defended the timing, saying that the military, through Operation Laser, has been working on Canada’s COVID-19 response since “day one.”

“I��m confident even within this timeframe that we’ll have a good plan,” Sajjan said.

Lawson said it’s also not all on Fortin’s shoulders, as the entire Canadian Armed Forces is ready and waiting to help if needed.

“This the right guy to handle a compressed-time challenge, and the vagaries of uncertainty, because Dany’s whole operational career has been in those types of environments,” Lawson said, but that “working on really short timelines is exactly what the military has always done.”

Source

[sartorially]

Have not been posting as much art because I'm working on other stuff, a lot of which is NSFW. But! I am still doing the No Stress Magic Prompts.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“VERDUN COMMEMORATES SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES,” Montreal Star. April 28, 1930. Page 5. ---- Yesterday was "Ypres Day" in Verdun when the city turned out in honor of the soldiers who fought and died at the second battle of Ypres, April 22, 1915. The top picture shows the group at the saluting base when Brig. Gen. W. B. M. King, O.C. M.D. No. 4 who took the salute from representatives of all the Montreal garrison. Included in the group with Brig.-Gen. King are: P. A. Lafleur. Ald. I. L. Cohn, A. Glew, Ald. Garrity, Charles Allan, mayor of Verdun, A. D. Cameron, president of the Canadian Legion, Major Trudeau, A.D.C. to General King, Col. Chaballo and others. Below is shown a part of the parade showing the public school cadets.

[friend-clarity]

Islamism "Advances Tremendously" in Canada under Trudeau

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been called “an icon of the West's rapprochement with Islam,” but he’s actually an icon of the West’s submission to Islamism. Examples: Canada’s intelligence agency CSIS admits that dozens of known jihadis are walking free and authorities won’t charge them. A secret program that grants visas to war criminals, terrorists, and those who pose security threats was recently exposed. Hizballah’s external operations group, known as Unit 910, is reported to be “even more active” in Canada than it has been in the United States. What are the long-term consequences?

Christine Douglass-Williams: Islamism "Advances Tremendously" in Canada under Trudeau

by Gary C. Gambill, Middle East Forum Webinar, August 1, 2020

Canadian journalist and author Christine Douglass-Williams spoke to participants in a May 29 Middle East Forum webinar (video) about the submissive response to Islamism of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ruling Liberal Party since 2015.

Douglass-Williams gave a detailed overview of ways in which Trudeau has created "fertile ground for the expansion of Islamism."

Prime Minister Trudeau and the ruling Liberal Party have sought to combat free speech about Islam under the guise of combatting "Islamophobia."

In 2017, Canada's House of Common passed motion M-103 calling on the government to combat "Islamophobia." Although-non-binding, M-103 "has paramount influence in terms of Liberal government policy backed up by a $23 million funding package to execute."

Two NGOs with past links to the Palestinian Islamist terrorist organization Hamas, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and the International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy (IRFAN), have been "working with the Trudeau government on execution of M-103."

Under pressure from NCCM, IRFAN, and other groups claiming to represent Canadian Muslims, "the Trudeau government has removed all mention of Sunni and Shi'a extremism from Public Safety Canada reports on terrorism threats." Another area where the impact of M-103 is being felt is the recent push by Islamist groups for mosques across Canada to broadcast the Islamic call to prayer on outside loudspeakers, often in violation of municipal noise ordinances. Local political leaders in many areas have caved to this pressure for fear of appearing Islamophobic.

Several troubling developments have taken place with regard to immigration policy, especially under the direction of then-Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (2017-2019) Ahmed Hussen:

In 2018, Canada signed of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, a non-binding agreement that conservatives complain will inform the interpretation of domestic law by Canadian judges.

In keeping with the UN migration pact, the Trudeau government has done little to stem the flow of illegal migrants from the U.S. into Canada. In the last few years, an estimated 60,000 have entered the country by way of the unofficial Roxham Road border crossing alone, which connects upstate New York to Quebec. "Nobody knows where these people come from."

In 2017, Canada repealed a statute that strips dual citizens of their Canadian citizenship if convicted of terrorism, treason or espionage. "Hussen justified his decision, declaring that, 'A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian'," said Douglass-Williams.

The Trudeau government has ramped up use of a special visa program that allows the government to secretly admit foreign nationals who would otherwise be barred from entering Canada by citing "national interest" concerns. Despite considerable outcry, the Trudeau government "would not say how many of these special visas were actually issued, nor would it say what countries the recipients are coming from," said Douglass-Williams. One high-profile figure known to have been admitted under the program is retired Egyptian Brig.-Gen. Khaled Saber Abdelhamed Zahw.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) acknowledges that there are "dozens of known jihadis" who attended terrorist training camps in Syria and Iraq, returned to Canada, and now freely walk the streets. "Authorities won't charge them. One wonders why?"

Ali Kourani, an operative of Hezbollah's external operations arm, known as Unit 910, was arrested by the United States in 2017 and revealed under interrogation that the unit was "even more active in Canada than in the United States" and disclosed the names of numerous Canadian contacts. However, according to Douglass-Williams there appears to have been "no significant follow up" about the matter from Canadian authorities. Iran

After coming to power in 2015, Trudeau planned to reestablish diplomatic relations with Iran, but abandoned the idea because of the public outcry. The Trudeau government has refused to follow the lead of the U.S. and designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

Trudeau abandoned Canada's long-standing policy of voting against anti-Israel resolutions at the UN and now "sides with the enemies of Israel," said Douglass-Williams.

"Don't underestimate what one voice can do."

Asked what Canadians can do to put a stop to Trudeau's dangerous accommodation of Islamists, Douglass-Williams emphasized the importance of speaking out. "Don't underestimate what one voice can do."

Ultimately, however, stopping the "tremendous advance of Islamism" in Canada will require that people "get involved in the democratic process and be responsible when it comes to the election of who is governing the country."

Gary C. Gambill is general editor at the Middle East Forum. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

[bountyofbeads]

Trump ordered attack on Iran for downing drone, then called it off

https://wapo.st/31JU7Mu

Trump ordered attack on Iran for downing drone, then called it off

By Erin Cunningham, Missy Ryan and Dan Lamothe | Published June 21 at 7:40 AM ET | Washington Post | Posted June 21, 2019 |

DUBAI — President Trump ordered an attack on Iran on Thursday in retaliation for the downing of a surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz but called the operation off just hours before it was due to occur, officials said.

Administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security decisions, said the president approved the strikes after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps earlier in the day shot down a Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk operating off Iran’s southern coast, a move Trump described as a “very big mistake.”

But he later changed his mind, the officials said. It was not immediately clear why Trump decided to pull back the operation or what it would have included. The decision was first reported by the New York Times. 

The administration did not make a formal announcement regarding military action Thursday. A spokesman for Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Iranian forces would respond to any retaliatory strike by the United States, the Tasnim News Agency reported. 

Iran’s state-controlled broadcaster Friday published images it said showed pieces of the drone recovered from the debris field. The photographs, which showed large fragments of what appeared to be an aircraft, could not be independently verified.

The Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace commander, Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said Friday that Iran had sent “warnings” to the drone before shooting it down. In an interview with the state broadcaster, he said a final warning was sent at 3:55 a.m. local time Thursday. 

“When it did not redirect its route and continued flying toward and into our territory, we had to shoot it at 4:05 a.m.,” he said. “Our national security is a red line.”

Iranian officials told the Reuters news agency Friday that Tehran received a message from Trump through Oman overnight warning that a U.S. attack was imminent.

“Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues,” Reuters quoted one official as saying. “He gave a short period of time to get our response.” The official added that it was up to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to decide whether to respond.

Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations did not immediately reply to request for comment.

The Federal Aviation Administration late Thursday barred U.S.-registered aircraft from operating over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, due to an increase in military activities and political tensions that it said might “place commercial flights at risk.”

Several U.S. and international carriers said that they had either canceled flights over Iranian airspace or were taking steps to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. 

The aborted operation to strike Iran capped a day in which news of the drone’s downing heaped fuel on already heightened fears that the United States and Iran were on a course toward a military conflict as each side blamed the other for the incident.

Tehran and Washington gave conflicting accounts of what occurred when the drone with an airliner’s wingspan crashed into the sea. While Iran said the aircraft had entered its airspace, the U.S. Central Command denied that assertion, characterizing the incident as an “unprovoked attack” over one of the world’s most important commercial waterways.

In remarks alongside visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House, Trump condemned the shoot-down but also appeared to tamp down speculation that a counterstrike might be in the works, saying the drone may have been shot down without the knowledge of Iranian leaders.

“I’m not just talking about the country made a mistake. I’m talking about somebody under the command of that country made a mistake,” Trump said at the White House. “I find it hard to believe it was intentional” on the part of Iran’s top officials, the president said.

Trump was noncommittal about a U.S. counterattack. “Let’s see what happens,” he said. “This is a new fly in the ointment — what happened, shooting down the drone — and this country will not stand for it.”

The White House invited a bipartisan group of top congressional leaders to a meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss the situation.

Among those invited were Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and the chairmen and ranking minority party members of the House and Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees.

“We had a good briefing,” McConnell said, adding that he could confirm that an unmanned aerial vehicle “was fired on from Iranian soil and it was in international waters. And beyond that I think the administration is engaged in what I would call measured responses.”

Schumer said he cautioned that “these conflicts have a way of escalating.”

“The president may not intend to go to war here, but we’re worried that he and the administration may bumble into a war,” he said. “One of the best ways to avoid bumbling into war, a war that nobody wants, is to have a robust open debate and for Congress to have a real say. We learned that lesson in the run-up to Iraq” in 2003.

After the White House meeting, Pelosi held a closed-door session with Democratic lawmakers to brief them on the developments. “We know that the high-tension wires are up there, and we must do everything we can not to escalate the situation, but also to make sure that our personnel in the region are safe,” she said.

Thursday’s strike followed a number of recent incidents, including attacks on oil tankers, that American officials have depicted as part of an Iranian effort to hurt the United States and its allies in the region. The United States has continued its “maximum pressure” campaign against a country the Trump administration has identified as its main adversary in the Middle East.

Tehran has responded with defiance to the campaign, which was launched after Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and has included designating the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group and taking steps to cut off Iranian oil sales.

On Thursday, the European Union said officials from Germany, Britain, France, Russia, China and Iran would meet next week to discuss strategies to salvage the nuclear pact despite renewed U.S. sanctions and Tehran’s threat to exceed limits on its uranium stockpiles.

Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister said Friday on Twitter that he met with Brian Hook, the State Department’s special representative for Iran, in Riyadh “to explore the latest efforts to counter hostile Iranian acts.”

The Revolutionary Guard’s top commander, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, called the downing of the drone “a clear message to America.”

“Our borders are Iran’s red line, and we will react strongly against any aggression,” Salami said in remarks carried by Iranian state television. “Iran is not seeking war with any country, but we are fully prepared to defend Iran.”

Nearly a quarter of the world’s traded oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects Middle East energy producers to markets around the globe.

Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, head of U.S. air forces in the Middle East, told reporters at the Pentagon that the Global Hawk was flying at high altitude in the vicinity of recent tanker attacks and was not at any time any closer than 21 miles to the nearest point on Iran’s coast.

Guastella said the aircraft did not leave international airspace and was brought down by a Republican Guard surface-to-air missile fired from an area close to Goruk, Iran.

“This dangerous and escalatory attack was irresponsible and occurred in the vicinity of established air corridors between Dubai, UAE, and Muscat, Oman, possibly endangering innocent civilians,” he said. Guastella did not take questions, and the Pentagon did not make anyone else available to discuss the tensions.

The Global Hawk incident occurred the week after two tankers, one Japanese and one Norwegian, were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The Trump administration has blamed Iran for both incidents, at least one of which is said to have been carried out by use of limpet mine similar to devices previously displayed at Iranian military parades. Iran has denied involvement, calling the accusation “a lie.”

The tanker incidents were similar to an attack on a tanker off the United Arab Emirates in May. The U.S. military also accused Iran of firing a modified SA-7 surface-to-air missile at an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Gulf of Oman as it surveilled the attack on the Japanese ship.

Also this month, Centcom said Houthi rebels shot down an MQ-9 over Yemen using an SA-6 surface-to-air missile in an attack that “was enabled by Iranian assistance.”

The latest incident came just days before acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan was due to step down. Shanahan, who this week withdrew from his confirmation process after news media, including The Washington Post, published reports about past family strife, is handing responsibility for the military to Mark Esper, who now serves as Army secretary.

It is unclear how the turnover at the top of the Pentagon will affect an internal debate about how to respond to what officials say is an attempt to strike American interests. Some defense officials have voiced concerns that officials led by national security adviser John Bolton, who has publicly advocated regime change in Iran in the past, may be creating conditions in which war is inevitable.

Trump has previously authorized targeted strikes in the Middle East, including on government-controlled air bases in Syria. He was elected in 2016 promising to end American involvement in conflicts in the region. 

At the same time, the Pentagon remains concerned about the potential for Iranian attacks on U.S. military personnel, especially those stationed in Iraq.  During a visit to Baghdad last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to relay a message for Iranian leaders that even one American death would result in a U.S. counterattack. 

Trump appeared to tamp down the likelihood of an immediate military response as he highlighted the fact that the Global Hawk was unmanned. “We had nobody in the drone,” he said. “It would have made a big difference, let me tell you.”

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) tweeted, “When it comes to the Middle East, there are seldom good choices.”

“But in some instances, failing to act can prove to be the most dangerous choice of all,” he said.

A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said U.S. naval assets were trying to recover pieces of the drone.

The strike on the RQ-4 is much more significant than the recent attacks on Reapers. Each Global Hawk, which has a wingspan of 131 feet, is worth more than $100 million and is packed with sensors and able to fly at altitudes of more than 55,000 feet to observe broad areas for periods that can stretch longer than a day.

The Global Hawk downed on Thursday was an older “demonstrator” model, according to another U.S. official, that had been transferred from the Air Force to the Navy to carry out a mission known as Broad Area Maritime Surveillance. The Pentagon has since begun testing a newer cousin, the MQ-4C Triton. Neither version carries weapons.

According to a Republican Guard statement, the U.S. drone took off from a base in the “southern Persian Gulf” and was heading toward Iran’s Chabahar port “in full secrecy, violating the rules of international aviation.”

“While returning to the western Hormuz Strait’s region, the drone violated Iran’s airspace and engaged in information-gathering and spying,” the statement said.

At its narrowest, the Strait of Hormuz is just 21 nautical miles wide, and ships passing through it must enter the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. Under the rule of the shah in 1959, Iran extended its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles and declared that it would recognize only “innocent passage” through the area, essentially excluding warships engaging in activities deemed hostile. Oman also claimed a 12-mile territorial limit in 1972 and later demanded that foreign warships obtain permission to pass through its waters.

The United States does not recognize any restrictions on transit through the strait.

Ryan and Lamothe reported from Washington.

[kayla1993-world]

As governor-general, Julie Payette presented one of the country's most prestigious civilian honours to hundreds of accomplished Canadians. Now, an advisory council is thinking about taking her own Order of Canada away.

The 11-member Advisory Council for the Order of Canada, led by Chief Justice Richard Wagner — who took over as governor-general for six months after Payette stepped down — is considering whether or not to terminate Payette's appointment to the Order of Canada, according to CBC News.

Only seven people have ever been expelled from the Order of Canada in its more than 50-year history — and no one has ever been dropped from the order due to allegations of harassment — says Rideau Hall.

"Never has a Governor-General been stripped of honour. It's as simple as that," said Michael Jackson, president of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada at Massey College in Toronto. "There is a long process and due process has to take place. If it happens, it will be absolutely unprecedented."

Rideau Hall received a request to revoke Payette's Order of Canada from a member of the public shortly after Payette's resignation six months ago. The criticism complaint came after an external review found Payette had presided over a "toxic" and "poisonous" workplace that drove many employees to quit Rideau Hall or go on sick leave.

Vancouver welder and public sector employee Giovanni Cormano told CBC News he filed the request to drop Payette from the Order of Canada. In his letter to Rideau Hall, he wrote that "Julie Payette has undermined the Order of Canada and what it stands for."

"For her to retain this honour would tarnish the achievements of Tommy Douglas, Margaret Atwood, Terry Fox, Kim Campbell, Leonard Cohen and Rick Hansen, to name a few," Cormano wrote in his letter dated Jan. 31, obtained by CBC News.

Cormano hasn't worked for Payette but argued in his letter that her alleged pattern of mistreating staff at Rideau Hall, the Montreal Science Centre and the Canadian Olympic Committee undermines the credibility of the honour.

Citing confidentiality rules, Rideau Hall will not say if it is received other formal requests to eject Payette from the Order of Canada. According to the regulations, the Order of Canada is a gift of the Crown and can be revoked if an individual is convicted of a criminal offence or engages in conduct that "constitutes a significant departure from generally-recognized standards of public behaviour which is seen to undermine the credibility, integrity or relevance of the order, or detracts from the original grounds upon which the appointment was based."

Any Canadian can file a request to drop someone from the Order of Canada. If the deputy secretary of honours at Rideau Hall concludes that there may be reasonable grounds for revoking the honour, the complaint is sent to the advisory council, which makes a recommendation to the Governor-General. The process can take more than a year. The Governor General's office told Cormano it is taking his request seriously, according to an email viewed by CBC News.

In an email to Cormano on June 4, retired Brig.-Gen. Marc Thériault, deputy secretary of honours, wrote, "The reputation of the Canadian Honours System lies at the core of our job." "I certify that the procedure is proceeding as planned... Your request may take many months to be reviewed... you will be notified in writing if your request is denied at any point along the process."

According to Rideau Hall's website, Julie Payette was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010 for being a "source of inspiration and exceptional international advocate for Canadian engineering." Payette was the first Canadian to board the International Space Station and spent over 611 hours in space as an astronaut.

In 2017, the Queen named Payette an Extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada to recognize her appointment as governor general.

The Queen released Payette from her viceregal role on Jan. 22 in response to a request from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. When asked for comment on the request to drop her from the Order of Canada, a spokesperson for Payette declined to comment.

"Right now, her focus is on personal issues and applauding Canada's athletes at the Tokyo Olympics," wrote Lise Boyer, an agent at JP Communications. "Mary Simon's appointment as GG should also rightfully be at the forefront of public attention and Madame Payette has no wish to disrupt that."

[sartorially]

@the-weirder's OC Bríg and my own, Shay, exhibiting genders.

[esprit-de-corps-magazine]

ON TARGET: The DND Sexual Misconduct Saga Continues Unabated

By Scott Taylor

Late in the afternoon of Friday, May 14 the Department of National Defence issued a curt, three line press release announcing that Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin was being removed from his post pending the results of a military police investigation.

Fortin is of course no ordinary senior officer. Since his assignment to the Public Health Agency last November, the telegenic Fortin has become the face of Canada’s national vaccine roll-out.

Given his high profile, the media immediately began to dig for answers. Well placed government sources advised Bob Fife, the Globe and Mail Ottawa Bureau Chief, that the misconduct for which Fortin was being investigated was of a sexual nature and that the incident in question had occurred prior to the launching of the 2015 Operation Honour initiative to combat sexual misconduct in the ranks.

This timeline also meant that it did not happen on the current Trudeau Liberal government’s watch.

Fife’s insight was widely cited by the other media outlets as no one had anything else to go on.

Then, on Sunday May 16, CTV’s Annie Bergeron Oliver revealed that the complaint against Fortin actually had been filed two months earlier with the Canadian Forces National Investigative Service (CFNIS). The complainant alleges Fortin exposed his genitalia while he was a cadet at the College Militaire Royal in the spring of 1989.

While Fortin did not respond directly, his lawyer, Commander Mark Letourneau told the media that his client “vigorously and categorically denies the allegation.” Letourneau also revealed that prior to being contacted by CTV, Fortin was unaware of the nature of the complaint against him.

Then on Wednesday May 19, Brig.-Gen. Simon Trudeau, the Canadian Armed Forces Provost Marshal, informed the media the CFNIS had concluded their investigation into the Fortin allegation.

The findings of their investigation were forwarded to the Quebec public prosecution service to determine whether criminal charges are warranted in this case.

According to the Provost Marshal the referral of this case to the Quebec prosecutors had taken place “late [the previous] week.” Which means the investigation was complete and out of the military’s control before Fortin was publicly removed from this assignment with the Public Health Agency’s Vaccine roll-out.

Then there is the claim from counsel Letourneau that the CTV reporter’s revelation of the nature of the allegation against Fortin took his client “completely by surprise.” If that is true, then this would mean the CFNIS wrapped up their investigation into a 32-year-old incident without having questioned the accused.

As for the rationale behind putting this in the hands of the Quebec prosecutors, that is explained by the fact that the alleged crime took place before 1998. Prior to that juncture the military did not have the judicial authority to try cases involving crimes of a sexual nature.

The Fortin saga has of course sparked the opposition parties to demand answers of who-knew-what-when among the top Trudeau Liberals.

Questions are being asked of acting Chief of Defence Staff Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre as to why he left Fortin at his post for two months after being informed of the complaint. Others want to know why Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan once again did not take any immediate action.

The revolving door of departures for Canada’s top generals began on February 2, 2021 with the first allegations against recently stepped down Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance.

Then it was his successor Admiral Art McDonald who stepped aside while military police continue to investigate allegations of a sexual misconduct incident dating back to 2010.

Lt.-Gen Chris Coates announced his retirement from the military after revelations of an extra-marital-affair at NORAD headquarters in Colorado Springs, precluded him from deploying to NATO headquarters in Naples.

Vice Admiral Haydn Edmundson has been replaced as Chief of Military Personnel after a female sailor alleged she had been raped in 1991.

In each of these cases – with the exception of Coates who is not accused of any crime – the allegations are historical in nature. Perhaps more importantly in a justice system that is to presume innocence until guilt is proven, all four of these senior officers under investigation have denied any wrongdoing.

Yet they have already been stripped of command and condemned in the court of public opinion.