Canadian Forces rescinds appointment of high-ranking military police officer sanctioned for sexual comments
CBC
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 to be the highest-ranking military police leader in charge of the military's police force.
His March 29 internal appointment announcement, a copy of which was obtained by The Fifth Estate, was distributed across the country. In it, Trudeau said he was confident that Lacoste would "be an excellent representative of the Military Police Branch in this key position."
However, by Friday, Trudeau retracted Lacoste's appointment.
In a statement to The Fifth Estate, the Canadian Armed Forces said Lacoste was appointed as chief warrant officer of the Military Police Branch through a "recently established internal military police process" that will now be reviewed.
"Shortly following this appointment, it was determined that the process had not fully considered all pertinent aspects of conduct and discipline required when selecting persons for this key appointment," the statement said.
"Following discussions with the vice-chief of the defence staff, the [provost marshal] made the decision to rescind this appointment and subsequently direct a review of this practice in its entirety."
A spokesperson for the Canadian Forces said Lacoste was aware of CBC's report and would not be commenting. Trudeau declined an interview request.
The Fifth Estate has learned that Lacoste faced a military police investigation and court martial in 2019 over his behaviour two years earlier when he ran the military police training school at Canadian Forces Base Borden, northwest of Toronto.
Lacoste attended a Christmas policing dinner and dance at an off-base golf club in December 2017, when he was age 43 and a master warrant officer, one rank below his current one.
With many of his employees and spouses at the event, Lacoste became visibly drunk and made sexual comments to those around him, according to the sentencing decision in his case.
CBC found the judge's sentencing decision on the miltiary's court martial database that included a description of what Lacoste agreed happened. The decision was written in French, as were his comments, which CBC has translated into English.
The judge, Cmdr. Martin Pelletier, called his remarks "sexualized" and said his comments about a woman's assumed sexual activities and sexual orientation were "frankly repugnant."
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