(Ottawa) The Canadian military has concluded, on a balance of probabilities, that Major-General Dany Fortin “did not commit sexual misconduct,” after the officer was acquitted of sexual assault in December .
A spokesperson for the Canadian Armed Forces indicated that a review process did not result in any administrative action and that an administrative review was not required in this file.
Daniel Le Bouthillier writes that Mr. Fortin will be given “appropriate tasks corresponding to his rank and experience”. The army also recognizes that this case will have been “a long and difficult process”.
Justice Richard Meredith of the Court of Quebec concluded last month that the prosecution had not established beyond a reasonable doubt that it was Mr. Fortin who had sexually assaulted a comrade at the Military College of Saint-Jean. in 1988.
When the allegation became known, Major-General Fortin was responsible for distributing COVID-19 vaccines to the provinces. He had been placed on paid leave in May 2021, while the allegation was investigated.
In a lawsuit in Federal Court, Mr. Fortin argued that he had been suspended from his duties as a result of political interference, without due process — which the government denied.