2 navy members linked to Canada Day incident at Indigenous ceremony in Halifax

No criminal or disciplinary charges for Canadian military “Proud Boys” – group now back on the job

David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen August 31, 2017

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A group of Canadian Forces members who belong to the “Proud Boys” will not face criminal or disciplinary charges for disrupting a protest in Halifax by Indigenous activists.

The incident happened on Canada Day.

In a statement the Canadian Forces noted that the behaviour of the five Canadian military members was “inconsistent with the values and ethics expected of those in uniform.” The members were relieved of their duties and re-assigned to other jobs, pending the results of a military police investigation.

But the individuals will not be charged.

“The investigation has now been completed, and no criminal charges will be laid,” Rear-Admiral John Newton, Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic and Maritime Forces Atlantic, noted in a statement issued Thursday.


He said one individual has left the Canadian Armed Forces. The other members have now been returned to their units and regular duties.

“However, the CAF have taken appropriate measures to address individual shortcomings, with the intention of ensuring a clear understanding of expected ethical behaviours and standards of conduct within the CAF,” Newton added. “Any further inappropriate behavior could result in their termination from the Canadian Armed Forces.”

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Gen. Jonathan Vance, chief of the defence staff, both condemned the actions of the men.

The “Proud Boys” — known for matching black polo shirts often worn by members — was founded in the U.S. by Gavin McInnes, a Canadian who helped establish Vice Media and is now an outspoken, right-wing political pundit.

The “Proud Boys” call themselves “Western chauvinists.”

Newton told reporters in Halifax that the servicemen — three navy and one army — remain on probation and have to adhere to conditions. “If they fail. they are gone,” he said. “This is not lightweight punishment.”

Newton said he has met with the servicemen twice, and they are remorseful and dealing with a world changed by social media.

Newton said he has dealt with many navy mishaps caused by personal mistakes, and although the servicemen embarrassed the military, the matter has been dealt with through the governing policies and procedures. “You cannot just turn around and fire everybody. They have rights,” he said.

“You can’t pursue it just because you want to. You just can’t. What we are doing doesn’t solve all of the issues. But it is as good an outcome as I can strive for.”

Will Sommer, a Washington-based political reporter for the Hill who has covered the group and other right-wing organizations, recently told the CBC that the Proud Boys are supportive of various right wing causes. They also limit masturbation to once a month, he added. Their theory is too-frequent masturbation or pornography has sapped the will of the modern man, Sommer explained.

“Down here in the U.S., they’re very big into supporting sort of far-right people. They’re very big fans of [U.S. President] Donald Trump, for example,” Sommer told the CBC.

“A lot of them have shown up for events to defend monuments related to the Confederacy in the United States that have been tried to be taken down and that sort of thing.”

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/no-criminal-or-disciplinary-charges-for-canadian-military-proud-boys-group-now-back-on-the-job

New East Coast navy commander says he has spoken with Proud Boys

CBC September 1, 2017

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New East Coast navy commander says he has spoken with Proud Boys

The new commander of the navy on the East Coast says he has personally spoken with the Canadian Forces members who disrupted an Indigenous ceremony on Canada Day and let them know what he thinks of what they did.

Rear-Admiral Craig Baines made the comments in Halifax Friday following a change of command ceremony that included several tributes to the Canadian navy's relationship with the Indigenous community

He​ also said the July 1 incident involving five military personnel who said they were members of the Proud Boys, which describes itself on Facebook as a group "western chauvinists," should be used as a teachable moment.

"An old general once said, 'Never waste a crisis,'" said Baines, who assumes command of Joint Task Force Atlantic and Maritime Forces Atlantic.

"And what we need to do is take advantage of what has happened to educate people on why what happened was wrong, and what we need to do to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Baines didn't detail what he told the members, four of whom have returned to regular duties, and did not say whether they still consider themselves members of Proud Boys.

Change of command

Baines assumed command from Rear-Admiral John Newton, who is moving on to an appointment with Veterans Affairs Canada after four years in the top military job in Atlantic Canada.

Baines, who began his career in the navy in 1987, has worked under Newton for the past three years in his position as commander of the Canadian Fleet Atlantic.

"One of the great things about working with admiral Newton for the last three years is he and I were completely aligned and synchronized as to where the East Coast navy had to go and what we were doing in operations, what we were doing with readiness, so in fact you'll see a lot of similarities and very little differences," said Baines.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/east-coast-navy-commander-says-191828067.html

“Proud Boys” reassigned to new military jobs as their case moves through Canadian Forces system

David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen Aug 20, 2017

The Canadian Forces is still dealing with its review of the “Proud Boys” incident.

The investigation began in early July, several days after a group of “Proud Boys” disrupted a protest organized in Halifax on Canada Day by Indigenous activists.

The Canadian Forces confirmed five members of the military, who were off duty at the time, were involved in the incident. Military commanders apologized for the actions of the individuals.

A number of news outlets erroneously reported that the five men have since been placed on paid leave.

Not so, says the Canadian Forces.

“The members have each been reassigned from their previous positions and posted to shore billets where they are conducting supervised secondary duties while this process continues,” spokesman Lt. –Cmdr. Jordan Holder told Defence Watch.

“The Commanders of Maritime Forces Atlantic and the 5th Canadian Division are actively reviewing the MP report into the Proud Boys incident which occurred on July 1st, in consultation with their superior commands,” he added.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Gen. Jonathan Vance, chief of the defence staff, both condemned the actions of the men.

Holder noted that the “Commanders of Maritime Forces Atlantic and the 5th Canadian Division are considering additional measures, if any are appropriate for this case based on the findings of the MP investigation, in consultation with their superior commands. “

The “Proud Boys” — known for matching black polo shirts often worn by members — was founded in the U.S. by Gavin McInnes, a Canadian who helped establish Vice Media and is now an outspoken, right-wing political pundit.

The “Proud Boys” call themselves “Western chauvinists.”

Will Sommer, a Washington-based political reporter for the Hill who has covered the group and other right-wing organizations, told the CBC that the Proud Boys are supportive of various right wing causes. They also limit masturbation to once a month, he added. Their theory is too-frequent masturbation or pornography has sapped the will of the modern man, Sommer explained.

“Down here in the U.S., they’re very big into supporting sort of far-right people. They’re very big fans of [U.S. President] Donald Trump, for example,” Sommer told the CBC.

“A lot of them have shown up for events to defend monuments related to the Confederacy in the United States that have been tried to be taken down and that sort of thing.”

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/proud-boys-reassigned-to-new-military-jobs-as-their-case-moves-through-canadian-forces-system

I feel these " proud boys " were/are naive and flat out STUPID. Some kind of warped, young, patriotic testosterone. I'd be surprised if they don't get thrown out.

What happened to CFB Cornwallis? It was my boot camp, think it's some kind of housing project these days idk... then again cornwallis does rhyme with a cornflake aka a pineapple...

Head of Canada's Indigenous veterans group hopes Proud Boys don't lose their CAF jobs

'They just showed up there with a flag. They didn't beat up on anybody,' Richard Blackwolf says

By John Paul Tasker, CBC News Posted: Jul 05, 2017


Richard Blackwolf, far left, says the Canadian Armed Forces members who confronted Indigenous activists were 'silly' to have gotten involved in a standoff, but should not be forced out of the military.

The head of Canada's national Indigenous veterans organization hopes the Canadian Armed Forces members who confronted activists at an Indigenous ceremony in Halifax can stay in the military even if they were "silly" to engage in such a confrontation.

"The whole military has become politicized, we're living in a politically correct era and they [the CAF members] should have realized that this thing would be a media event," Richard Blackwolf, the national president of the Canadian Aboriginal Veterans and Serving Members Association (CAV), said in an interview with CBC News.

"But, hopefully, it won't affect their overall careers. I mean they just showed up there with a flag. They didn't beat up on anybody, it's not like that."

Blackwolf, a 77-year old Métis who served in the Navy for 13 years, said the activists assembled at the statue of Edward Cornwallis in Halifax are "point one per cent-ers" who do not adequately represent the country's Indigenous peoples.


Organizer Rebecca Moore said the chief was in the middle of prayer when the men started approaching.

"I saw several races down there [at the statute], it's just a hodgepodge of activists, they're not productive people at all," Blackwolf said.

Chief Grizzly Mamma, an Indigenous woman originally from B.C., shaved her head on the steps of the statue of the controversial British military officer on Canada Day to symbolize the violence First Nations people faced under colonial rule.

"These point one per cent-ers, they did some silly stuff, because they know what the hot-button issues for the media are. They're the bottom feeders."

Gen. Jonathan Vance, Canada's top general, has taken a different tack and said in a statement to CBC News Tuesday night that "their future in the the military is certainly in doubt."

"What happened in Halifax over the weekend is deplorable, and Canadians should rest assured my senior leadership is seized of the matter," Vance said. "The members involved will be removed from training and duties while we conduct an investigation and review the circumstances."

'This is just gobbledygook'

Chief Grizzly Mamma, and a group of some 50 others, were confronted by five men who said the whole affair was "disrespectful" to Cornwallis, the city's founder. These men, who are members of the Proud Boys, a so-called "Western chauvinist" organization that is associated with the far right, were later revealed to be part of the armed forces.

The tense but nonviolent confrontation lasted for about 10 minutes, as the men took issue with assertions from organizers that they were interrupting a sacred rite on Mi'kmaq territory.

"This is Canada," one of the men said, his comments captured on a cellphone video posted on social media. "It might have been Mi'kmaq territory."


Chief Grizzly Mamma shaved her head as a symbol of mourning.

Rebecca Moore, the woman who organized Canada Day event, and a member of Pictou Landing First Nation in Nova Scotia, said people were praying to their ancestors for lives lost since the beginning of colonization.

After the confrontation, Moore told CBC Nova Scotia she wants the Canadian Armed Forces to acknowledge their operations are on unceded Mi'kmaq lands, urging them to improve education among its members on First Nations issues.

Blackwolf said demonstrations like this one simply give Indigenous people a bad name.

"This Chief Grizzly Mamma ... I mean real Native people don't have names like that," Blackwolf said. "This is just gobbledygook. The [servicemen] were silly enough to go there under those circumstances, they should have known better."

'We have stabbed our servicemen in the back'

Gavin McInnes, a co-founder of Proud Boys, who has been the source of controversy for inflammatory — and anti-Semitic — remarks, defended the members of his men's club.

"I think we have stabbed our servicemen in the back, we should be ashamed of ourselves," he said in an interview with CBC's Power & Politics. "They didn't do anything ... they tried to have a civil discussion."

He said his group is not restricted to whites, adding two of the CAF members in question actually have Indigenous ancestry, and one of them is gay.


Richard Blackwolf joined the Royal Canadian Navy at 18, completing basic training on the HMCS Cornwallis.
Blackwolf said he hoped the standoff doesn't have an impact on his organization's efforts to drive recruitment among Indigenous youth.

He said a career in the military is very rewarding, and there is a proud history of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples serving the armed forces.

People who identify as Indigenous make up 2.5 per cent of the regular force and primary reserve force.

Daniel Le Bouthillier, a spokesperson for the Canadian Forces, said Indigenous peoples are "core members of the defence team and deserve to be celebrated as such."

"The defence team works hard to foster a diverse, inclusive organization and will continue these efforts to ensure a respectful, dignified environment for all Canadians," he said in a statement.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/indigenous-veterans-group-proud-boys-1.4191749

Proud Boys are a microcosm of the unchecked violence in Canada’s military

July 05, 2017

The bigotry this fascist right-wing group espouses is commonplace in the Armed Forces.

By Rachelle McKay

The July 4 opinion piece in The Coast on the “Proud Boys” left out a small but important detail about the members of this fascist right-wing group: they are all members of the Canadian military, as confirmed by Royal Canadian Navy.

Rachelle McKay is an Anishinaabe PhD student with a Master’s degree in Indigenous Governance. She grew up on and around a CAF base in rural Nova Scotia.

As an Indigenous person with close ties to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), I think that the Proud Boy’s military affiliation needs to be pointed out. My grandfather is a war veteran and I have siblings and cousins currently enlisted in the CAF, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. While I support our troops, I don’t support the racism, misogyny and other forms of violence that some of our troops have to face in order to do their jobs.

Chris Parsons concluded his piece with the assertion that “we should take [the Proud Boys] just seriously enough to make sure that July 1 was the last time they leave the internet and hit the Halifax streets.” The problem with this statement is that the Proud Boys leave the internet every day and they take their xenophobia and anti-Indigenous racist views with them, even if some of us don’t encounter it publicly.

I’m certain that the Proud Boys and others like them don’t leave their hate at home because of the stories my racialized friends and family members have shared with me whilst enlisted. I classify these stories as instances of racism, while others might characterize them as acts of bullying. However, when you’re continually being bullied because of your skin colour, it’s dehumanizing.

The stories that I hear make me angry but also scared. I’m scared that my military loved-ones will be deployed to a war zone (aren’t we all). I’m additionally afraid that in the event of their deployment, the person standing beside them wearing the same uniform, won’t have their back. Maybe I’m overreacting. As someone who has never served in the CAF, maybe I don’t fully grasp the depth of military camaraderie. Yet, when my CAF friends and family members recount to me their negative experiences and I respond with, “You better watch out for yourself because nobody else is going to,” more often than not they reply with, “I know.”

A report by the Defence Aboriginal Advisory Group says racism and discrimination “is a systemic issue” within Canadian Armed Forces that is “rampant throughout all ranks of elements of Land, Air Force and Navy.”

The Proud Boys aren’t lone fascist wolves. Indigenous and racialized CAF members and those in close proximity to them know this. Esther Wolki knows this. Marc Frenette, Wallace Fowler, and Jean-Pierre Robillard know this. Even the current Canadian Defence minister Harjit Sajjan has admitted that he “finally found out what racism was when [he] joined the military.”

The bigotry that the Proud Boys espouse is commonplace in the CAF. I caution anyone against interpreting the Proud Boys as “clowns,” as one day they—or those with similar views—could very well be top-ranking military officials.

Voice of the City is a platform for any and all Halifax individuals to share their diverse opinions and writings. The Coast does not necessarily endorse the views of those published. Our editors reserve the right to alter submissions for clarity, length, content and style. Want to appear in this section? Submissions can be sent to voice@thecoast.ca.

https://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/proud-boys-are-a-microcosm-of-the-unchecked-violence-in-canadas-military/Content?oid=8221353

So why have a VRAB?
According to the military you're on duty 24/7.
Don't get me wrong, so now you belong to them on your own time?
I was in full uniform when injured and yet they are only responsible for 1/5..... because I wasn't at my place of employment.....& we all have our own tails, but yet out of uniform and get in the eye of the public in a bad light "well! Who's in charge of you now?" This is the CF picking and choosing what fits its iterest the best.

I fully condemn their action btw
Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Six members now. “I can tell you in the short term, a number of them will not be able to continue to do the duties with the information and type of material they handle until we get the full administrative measures in hand,” Newton said.

So, it is still possible that they could be drummed out of the military. Discipline in some form is coming to them and I don't think it will be mild either.

I don't disagree bigrex with what you are saying. But the military seems less tolerant these days. It will be interesting to see what happens to them.

Honestly, I do not agree with their ideology, but I do respect their right to their own opinion, so I do not think that they will be harshly punished. They were not being aggressive, or physically preventing them from conducting the ceremony. They were merely standing there, representing a different view. In fact, even when aggression was aimed towards them, they remained calm. Compare this to how the far right reacts during things like a Black Lives Matter rally, in the States, and you will realize how civil this was.

I suspect that the navy members will be booted out. If not that, then some disciplinarian action taken.

If you look at what Cornwallis did to the Mi’kmaq's including an order to pay a bounty for the scalp of any adult or child Mi’kmaq, then you can see why the Mi’kmaq today can't celebrate anything about Cornwallis. And maybe it is time that Cornwallis statues were removed in public places. Why celebrate a man that practiced genocide on the Mi’kmaqs. Perhaps we European descent Canadians can look at Cornwallis as merely a historical figure. But I suspect many Mi’kmaq have a negative view of this man.

We are quite seized by the matter and are looking into this further,' says National Defence spokesperson


A spokesperson for the military has confirmed that two members of the navy were involved in a confrontation at an Indigenous ceremony in Halifax on Canada Day.

The servicemen are alleged to be among five men who showed up at a ceremony around a statue of Halifax's controversial founder on Saturday.

Organizer Rebecca Moore said dozens of people were gathered around the statue of Edward Cornwallis as British Columbia-native Chief Grizzly Mamma shaved her head in a ceremony to mourn the atrocities committed against Indigenous Peoples.

Cornwallis, as governor of Nova Scotia, founded Halifax in 1749. Soon after, he issued a bounty on Mi'kmaq scalps in response to an attack on colonists.

The group of men were clad in black polo shirts with yellow piping — one of them carrying a Red Ensign flag — as they approached singing God Save the Queen, said Moore.

The Canadian Red Ensign, which bears the Union Jack in the corner, was the national flag until it was replaced by the Maple Leaf design in 1965.

'We're still being oppressed'

Moore said Chief Grizzly Mamma was in the middle of prayer when the men started approaching.

"While we're in ceremony, we're still being oppressed," she said in an interview Monday. "We were mourning for all of our people that have died and they came to disrespect us and dishonour us."

A YouTube video of the incident shows viewers at the event engaging in a brief discussion with the men, during which one of them says they are recognizing Canada's heritage as a British colony.

Asked if the group is associated with an organization, one of the men says, "The Proud Boys, Maritime chapter."

The Proud Boys Canadian Chapters Facebook page says they are "a fraternal organization of Western Chauvinists who will no longer apologize for creating the modern world," and do not discriminate on the basis of race or sexuality.

The page shared a link to a CBC News article about Saturday's incident with the caption: "Black and yellow polo shirts resisting the disrespect to General Cornwallis."

Kelly MacNeil, who witnessed the interaction, said the men kept their voices down as the ceremony continued and left after about 10 minutes with little incident.

National Defence response

National Defence spokesperson Daniel LeBouthillier said two members of the Royal Canadian Navy have been linked to the incident, but couldn't say which two.

"The strength of the Defence Team stems from the diversity of our members, underscoring the importance that EVERY person be treated with respect," LeBouthillier said in an email. "We are quite seized by the matter and are looking into this further."

A spokesperson for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said he has been made aware of the claim and his office is following it closely.


http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/nova-scotia/canada-day-halifax-indigenous-ceremony-proud-boys-1.4189020

The Video

https://youtu.be/l4eBFo3Hx0U