A retired general and a military oversight body are raising serious doubts about the Canadian military's willingness to implement meaningful reforms following a damning report on a botched sexual assault investigation that ended the career of a senior officer.
Report Reveals Systemic Failures in High-Profile Case
The recent report from the Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) concluded that the investigation leading to Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin being charged with sexual assault was fundamentally mismanaged from the outset. The failures were so severe that they undermine public confidence in the military police.
Fortin was charged in 2021 over an allegation that he sexually assaulted a fellow student in 1988 at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Quebec. However, on December 5, 2022, Quebec judge Richard Meredith acquitted him, ruling the Crown had not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The MPCC investigation, led by chairperson Tammy Tremblay, found that officers with the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) failed to follow basic police procedures, such as recording key interviews. In her report released on December 9, 2025, Tremblay determined the investigation was "compromised by tunnel vision, exhibited signs of investigative bias, inadequate supervisory oversight, and a failure to uphold core investigative standards."
Lukewarm Response to Critical Recommendations
Tremblay issued 16 recommendations to Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen. Vanessa Hanrahan aimed at strengthening military police operations. However, the watchdog's report expressed deep concern over the Provost Marshal's response, describing it as "laconic and lacked the clarity or detail necessary to demonstrate a meaningful commitment to implement them."
The breakdown of the response is stark:
- Only three recommendations were fully accepted.
- Ten were partially accepted.
- Three were not accepted at all.
This tepid reception has led the commission to question the military police's dedication to meaningful change and accountability.
Calls for Accountability and Institutional Reform
In a statement to the Ottawa Citizen, Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin called the MPCC findings a "stunning indictment of military police professional competence." He criticized Hanrahan's response, stating, "A true learning institution would accept responsibility for known, identified shortcomings and implement corrective measures without delay."
Fortin added, "I had, perhaps naively, hoped my experience might at least lead to military police and institutional reform."
For her part, Brig.-Gen. Vanessa Hanrahan has stated that her office addresses concerns "through a robust accountability framework." Yet, the significant gap between the watchdog's urgent calls for reform and the military police's hesitant acceptance of those recommendations suggests a troubling resistance to overhauling practices that have been found deeply wanting.
