Senior military officer who retired, went to Ukraine, now charged with sexual assault
Military police have charged retired lieutenant-general Trevor Cadieu with two counts of sexual assault, three months after the longtime army officer hung up his uniform and headed to Ukraine while still under criminal investigation.
The charges were announced on Wednesday by Canada's military police chief, Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen. Simon Trudeau, and relate to incidents that are alleged to have taken place in 1994 at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont.
Cadieu, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, was supposed to take over as commander of the Canadian Army last September. A veteran of Bosnia and Afghanistan, he most recently provided analysis and advice to the chief of the defence staff.
But his appointment as army commander was suspended as military police investigated what was described as "historical allegations" against him, which Cadieu in a statement at the time described as false.
He then retired in early April as the investigation went on and sources not authorized to comment on his whereabouts said he headed to Ukraine to help defend against Russia's invasion.
Cadieu could not be immediately reached for comment on Wednesday, but a CBC report quoted him as saying in a statement: "I have just been advised that I have been charged by the CFNIS.
"I am making arrangements to return to Canada from Ukraine, and I will continue to co-operate with this process, as I have from the start."
Meanwhile, Trudeau defended the decision to have military police charge Cadieu in light of retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour's call for the transfer of criminal sexual investigations from military to civilian authorities.
The provost marshal noted Arbour left open the door to leaving investigations with military police if they were near completion, adding: "As this investigation was near completion, the civilian police agency of concurrent jurisdiction opted not to accept it."
A similar decision was made in the case of retired vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson. The military's former head of human resources was charged in December with one count of sexual assault and one count of indecent acts, and his trial is set for August 2023.
Cadieu's case will be heard in the civilian court system.
He is one of several senior commanders to be investigated by military police for alleged sexual misconduct in the past two years.
Those allegations have forced a reckoning within the military over its failure to address inappropriate behaviour. They also sparked criticism of the Liberal government's handling of the issue and calls for more external oversight of the military.
Cadieu strenuously denied any wrongdoing in a statement last fall, saying: "The allegations are false, but they must be investigated thoroughly to expose the truth." He said he had provided information to investigators to prove his innocence.
The retired officer also said at the time that he had asked Eyre to select someone else to serve as Canadian Army commander, adding: "I know that these false claims will, as intended, create doubts about my ability to lead in this environment."
Cadieu's decision to travel to Ukraine followed an order from Eyre banning serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces from joining the thousands of foreigners who have flocked to the country to help fight Russia's invasion.
Russia has reportedly threatened criminal prosecutions against any foreigners captured fighting in Ukraine while a senior Canadian officer last month raised the spectre of Moscow attempting to use captured foreign fighters for propaganda purposes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2022.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½
NEW Health data collected from Indigenous Peoples in Canada has a dark history. One Indigenous company is turning that around
Software company Mustimuhw Information, which develops medical records systems built on a foundation of Indigenous traditions and values, is allowing health providers to capture data informed by cultural practices.
Hezbollah handed out pagers hours before blasts, even after checks: Reuters
Lebanon's Hezbollah was still handing its members new Gold Apollo branded pagers hours before thousands blew up this week, two security sources said, indicating the group was confident the devices were safe despite an ongoing sweep of electronic kit to identify threats.
Cognitive decline reduced by MIND diet, especially for women and Black people, study finds
Following the MIND diet for 10 years produced a small but significant decrease in the risk of developing thinking, concentration and memory problems, a new study found.
The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.
An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.
Federal firearm buyback program has cost $67M, still not collecting guns after 4 years
The federal firearm buyback program has cost taxpayers nearly $67.2 million since it was announced in 2020, but it still hasn't collected a single gun.
No, these viral purple apples don't exist in Saskatchewan
If something looks too good to be true, it might be. That's the message from Saskatchewan horticulturists after customers have come into their stores hoping to buy purple apple trees this month.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including machine-guns
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including more than 120 handguns and at least five fully automatic weapons like machine-guns.
Influencer couple denies leaving kids alone on cruise
For most people, dinner on a cruise ship is a time to relax. But when influencer couple Abby and Matt Howard decided to kick back with a dinner à deux, they ended up kicking up a storm.
Local Spotlight
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.
A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.
David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.
Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.
A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.