• Thanks for stopping by. Logging in to a registered account will remove all generic ads. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

V-Adm Art McDonald new Canadian CDS (Jan-Feb 2021)

My apologies if this has already been posted.

Navy commander Art McDonald tapped to steer Canadian military as new defence chief

By Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — Dec 23 2020



20201223131212-5fe388b796b67b13053eb666jpeg.jpg


OTTAWA — The federal Liberal government has tapped a sailor to steer the Canadian Armed Forces, appointing Royal Canadian Navy commander Vice-Admiral Art McDonald as the next chief of the defence staff.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced McDonald’s appointment during one of his regular COVID-19 updates on Wednesday, ending months of speculation about who would succeed Gen. Jonathan Vance as Canada’s top military commander.

“In his new role as chief, Vice-Admiral McDonald will oversee the work of the Canadian Armed Forces, including on vaccine rollout through Operation Vector,” Trudeau said in reference to the military’s role distributing COVID-19 vaccines across Canada.

“I know that Vice-Admiral McDonald's leadership and expertise will be invaluable as the armed forces continue to work around the clock to keep Canadians safe.”

A former frigate captain who oversaw part of Canada’s humanitarian response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010 before commanding the country’s Pacific fleet, McDonald will be the first naval officer to serve as the permanent defence chief since 1993.

A change of command ceremony is planned for the week of Jan. 11, when McDonald will formally take over from Vance.

Wednesday’s announcement followed months of speculation around who would succeed Vance, who first announced in July that he was planning to retire after more than five years at the helm.

Much of the speculation had revolved around whether Trudeau would appoint Canada’s first-ever female chief of the defence staff by tapping Lt.-Gen. Christine Whitecross for the job.

Not only was Whitecross the highest-ranking woman to have served in uniform, she also led the military’s early efforts to crack down on sexual misconduct in the ranks following the launch of Operation Honour in 2015.

Trudeau also raised eyebrows when he declared in an interview last week that one of the next defence chief’s top priorities would be to crack down on right-wing extremism, white supremacy and hate in the Armed Forces.

Yet McDonald’s appointment speaks to another looming challenge for the military and Liberal government: the ongoing effort to build a fleet of new warships for the Navy, and concerns the $56 billion set aside by Ottawa for those 15 ships won’t be nearly enough.

The parliamentary budget officer will release a report next month on the expected costs of those warships. There has been a great deal of handwringing inside the Department of National Defence and some corners of government that the price will be billions higher.

That would set off a fresh round of lobbying by defence companies — and add more pressure on the government — to abandon the project, which is supposed to see 15 Type-26 frigates built at Irving Shipyards in Halifax over the next 20 years, and go another route.

It is also likely to force some tough discussions within the military and government about whether to throw more money at the project, which was originally budgeted at $24 billion when it was launched in 2011 — or dramatically scale back the plan.

While the government made no mention of the warship project as it announced McDonald’s appointment on Wednesday, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said the new defence chief will be responsible for continuing to implement the Liberals’ 2017 defence policy.

That includes spending billions of dollars over the next 20 years on new equipment.

Sajjan said in a statement that McDonald will also “continue the work to transform the culture of the Canadian Armed Forces to ensure zero tolerance for sexual misconduct and harassment while eliminating hateful conduct and systemic racism from the organization.”

Trudeau and Sajjan also thanked Vance for his service, including his more than five years as chief of the defence staff, the longest-ever tenure for a Canadian military officer in that position.

Vance took over as defence chief in July 2015 as the military was fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the Middle East and struggling to deal with complaints about sexual misconduct at home. His first order was to establish Operation Honour.

McDonald will be the first naval officer to serve as the military’s top commander since vice-admiral Larry Murray filled the position on an acting basis in 1996-97. The last sailor to hold the position on a permanent basis since Admiral John Rogers Anderson in 1993.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2020.

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

Link [/url

- mod edit to add dates in thread title -
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Unfortunately house cleaning may be in order. If I was CDS, I'd order every one over the rank of major be revetted.
What fcuk is revetted?

Perhaps we should just line up all the officers against the wall and shoot them? Or would a short stay in the gulag be enough for you? That would sure fix things, huh?

How about we all grab some god damned perspective? The vast majority of folks serve their careers honourably- including GOFOs.

I do not make excuses for those who have made a mockery of their commissioning scroll (you know, the part of being about reposed of especial trust) and they deserve everything they have coming, if found guilty, but how about we not give into mob justice and group punishment?
 
What fcuk is revetted?

Perhaps we should just line up all the officers against the wall and shoot them? Or would a short stay in the gulag be enough for you? That would sure fix things, huh?

How about we all grab some god damned perspective? The vast majority of folks serve their careers honourably- including GOFOs.

I do not make excuses for those who have made a mockery of their commissioning scroll (you know, the part of being about reposed of especial trust) and they deserve everything they have coming, if found guilty, but how about we not give into mob justice and group punishment?

But what if group punishments are part of the dysfunctional culture? Waiting for the irony to beak out :)
 
Unfortunately house cleaning may be in order. If I was CDS, I'd order every one over the rank of major be revetted.
Yes, because no one between Cpl and Capt is ever in a leadership position... 🤣

As for vetting - if proper full-scope background investigations were done on every CAF member...forget it, I won't even go there (and WRT revetment, let's not go there either!)

I think the CAF and its members must also be cognizant of the "bad actors" out there that will seek to capitalize on this situation. No doubt, there's some leadership that hovers between toxic and criminal. That still doesn't mean that everything is exactly as it seems...
 
Last edited:
Unfortunately house cleaning may be in order. If I was CDS, I'd order every one over the rank of major be revetted.
Did you mean to say "brevetted" instead of revetted?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brevet_(military)


In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet (/brəˈvɛt/ (About this soundlisten) or /ˈbrɛvɪt/ (About this soundlisten))[1] was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank.

BTW, brevetting has not been a thing for about a century.
 
As for vetting - if proper full-scope background investigations were done on every CAF member...forget it

Good point...it then becomes a case of how much skeletons does whoever have in their closet, and does it meet the current topic of disgruntlement.
 
Are retired members to be considered, or just serving?
 
Unfortunately house cleaning may be in order. If I was CDS, I'd order every one over the rank of major be revetted.
The pers file is there for a reason. Everyone that is accused of a crime should go through the applicable UDI/MP/CFNIS and the appropriate AR level CO/OCC/CMP etc.. The outcome of those processes should be followed and placed in the file like it is supposed to be. If nothing merits a charge or administrative measures than it doesn't go in.

The minute we start letting our number one Cpl, Sgt, Capt etc. go (without investigation or hiding the AR process from the appropriate authority) for a lapse in judgment; is the minute this process fails and another person can escape through the cracks and cause a larger issue at a higher rank....

The mob justice shouldn't be about going into the past and investigating claims from 3 years ago that were never investigated. It should be about looking at what is in pers files and how those situations are viewed now, Vs then, then making a decision on that never going forward. We can also hold those to account that are in our slice of the pie for the future.

Just my 2 cents
 
You can't change culture with sternly worded letters, training or DLN courses.

The only way we'll change culture is through force. Getting rid of the abusers, showing would-be abusers there's actual consequences, and setting up a system to quickly address allegations.

There needs to be a reckoning for misconduct whether it was 3 years ago or 30. We know lots of bad behavior does not get investigated for a number of reasons. Should a MWO or Col guilty of misconduct 15 or 20 years ago pay for it? Yes because they become the next CFCWO or CDS.

Doing it without it becoming a witch hunt is the hard part, but probably not as hard as being a victim and having the people supposed to protect you turn their back on you.

If we want to reset our culture we'll need to pause and take a knee. We'll quite probably be combat ineffective during that time and a while afterwards. We need to ask ourselves if it's worth it.
 
Last edited:
If we want to reset our culture we'll need to pause and take a knee. We'll quite probably be combat ineffective during that time and a while afterwards. We need to ask ourselves if it's worth it.

Funny thing.... the fastest, most effective culture shifts I've seen were propelled by the march to danger, doing our jobs, and not idle self-reflection....
 
The plot thickens....

Senior naval officer was threatened after reporting McDonald allegation: sources​



A senior naval officer alerted the defence minister’s office to an allegation of sexual misconduct against Adm. Art McDonald in February but was redirected and told to report the concern elsewhere, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

And sources tell Global News the officer has received anonymous telephone threats warning that his career is now in jeopardy since he took action.

 
I see there's now a fundraising campaign on gofundme for the above member's legal fees. This continues to make less and less sense to me.
 
I see there's now a fundraising campaign on gofundme for the above member's legal fees. This continues to make less and less sense to me.
I am genuinely curious why he would need legal advice. Because of the Parliamentary Committee? Or because he intends on suing someone?

I am genuinely confused, too.
 
Back
Top