CAF Not Pleased That Military Members Supported the Freedom Convoy

Thousands of protesters gathered on Ottawa's Parliament Hill and sang "O Canada" on Feb. 12, 2022. (Richard Moore/The Epoch Times)

Emails from government and Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) officials regarding soldiers and military members who were in favour of the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa in February show that officials condemned any military member supporting the protest.

The emails, now public, were submitted as part of the inquiry into the invocation of the Emergencies Act to quell the convoy protest.

Daniel Minden, press secretary and senior communications adviser to Anita Anand, minister of national defence, told aides to the public safety minister that at least seven or eight CAF members were allegedly protesting in Ottawa.

In a Feb. 15 email to aides in the prime minister’s office, aides from the public safety minister’s office, and other members of the armed forces, Minden provided an “internal list of CAF members allegedly involved in the convoy so far.”

Alexander Cohen, press aide to public safety minister Marco Mendicino, replied, “How ... many soldiers are in the convoy????”

Minden responded, “7-8 that we know of.”

The conversation began after a press outlet, Radio Canada, requested comment for a story on “CAF member allegedly in protests.” The internal email exchange says, “Expected coverage by Radio Canada either this afternoon/evening (possibly tomorrow). Latest communicated information to the outlet was that we are assessing the matter.”

“The last one on [CAF member name redacted] is new today. The Department will send the following response to Radio Canada, and it’s consistent with other statements provided so far,” said the email listing CAF members allegedly protesting.

“Outlet understands a CAF member from ADM(IM) – allegedly participated in the protests.”

ADM(IM) denotes an individual working in the information management department of the associate deputy minister, which is made up of 1,800 civilians and 1,500 military members in the organization.

In the emails, first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter, a CAF official provided a statement to Radio Canada that said, “If found to be true, this behavior goes against the CAF’s strong institutional core values and Code of Service Discipline.”

Only enlisted CAF members are required to follow the code of service, which indicates the individual being investigated was not a civilian.

The email said leaders across the CAF had received reports “that members of the armed forces have made public comments criticizing the Government of Canada.”

“Those who disregard these principles not only demonstrate an extreme lack of understanding of the military profession, they undermine the very foundation [of] the Canadian Armed Forces. Any member of the armed forces who brings discredit to the CAF either thorough conduct or performance deficiencies, be it through actions or words, will be held accountable,” said the email.

Directives

In February, two members of Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2), the military’s elite counterterrorism force, were reported to be under investigation for allegedly being in downtown Ottawa during the Freedom Convoy. A third CAF member, formerly with the JTF2 but at the time stationed with the procurement division of the Department of National Defence, was also being investigated. The two individuals were reportedly “assaulters,” a highly trained position within the task force, who reportedly refused to be vaccinated and were being released from their positions.

Another member of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) was accused of bringing in supplies to Ottawa protesters, but there was no investigation in February.

At the time, Major General Steve Boivin, commander of CANSOFCOM, said, “The Canadian Special Operations Forces Command does not condone its members supporting and/or actively taking part in causes that jeopardize the apolitical imperative associated with their functions.”

According to a summary of a Sept. 5 interview filed with the Public Order Emergency Commission, Minister of National Defence Anita Anand “was firmly of the view that the CAF is not an appropriate first line of response to the protests in Ottawa or elsewhere.”

Anand discussed the participation of CAF members in the protests. The document states: “Minister Anand is aware that several CAF members were actively participating in or publicly expressing sympathy for the convoy. She explained that most of these individuals were veterans and ‘not active members’ whose conduct may not be governed by CAF rules.”

Anand said she was receiving verbal updates into “the investigations into those individuals who were actively in service with the CAF” from Chief of the Defence Staff of the CAF General Wayne Eyre, the highest ranking officer in the forces, “on a case by case basis.”

On Feb. 17, the RCMP issued a directive regarding protests, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. The RCMP “National Guidance E-Binder for Employee Participation in 2022 COVID Protests” stated: “Protest is not unlawful just because it is loud and angry.”

“Criticizing the government on social media or taking part in a demonstration raises complex and nuanced issues for the employer such as the divide between an employee’s private life and their employment responsibilities,” said the directive. “A public service employee’s right to freedom of expression is not absolute. It must be balanced against the employee’s concomitant duty of loyalty to the employer.”

In 2014, the RCMP put forth a regulation requiring its officers to “refrain from making public statements criticizing” the federal government or operations of the Mounties. A year later, the Supreme Court ruled that policy was unconstitutional.