The military will not take administrative action against Major General. Danny Fortin after his commanding officer concluded he did not believe Fortin sexually assaulted the campus when he was a cadet more than 30 years ago.
A Quebec judge acquitted Fortin in December of one count of sexual assault stemming from an alleged 1988 incident at the Royal Military College in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.
The judge said that although he believed the complainant had been sexually assaulted, he was not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Fortin was her attacker.
After Fortin’s trial ended, the military conducted its own review to decide whether he should suffer career consequences based on a burden of proof that is easier to meet than that used in criminal trials.
The Department of National Defense (DND) said Vice Admiral Bob Ochterlony reviewed Fortin’s case and concluded that “on the balance of probabilities, he did not engage in sexual misconduct.”
“As such, the process did not result in any administrative action and no administrative review is required,” DND spokesperson Daniel Le Boutilier said in a statement to CBC News.
“There are no words to describe my disappointment,” said the complainant, whose identity is protected by a court-ordered public order.
“This is exactly why women are not getting ahead. Nothing has encouraged a shift towards trusting senior management to follow policies and procedures when it comes to their own.”
Fortin filed a formal complaint
Fortin, who claims he never had physical contact with the complainant, countered with the DND saying his case was “resolved.”
“I strongly disagree with the notion that my issue has reached the stage of ‘resolution,'” Fortin said in a statement sent to CBC News.
Fortin has filed a formal complaint with the Military Police Complaints Commission. He said he had concerns about how the military police handled his case.
WATCH | A judge acquitted Maj. Gen. Fortin of one count of sexual assault:
Maj. Gen. Danny Fortin acquitted of sexual assault charge
A judge acquitted Gen.-m. Danny Fortin, who once led the spread of a COVID-19 vaccine in Canada, on one count of sexual assault after a trial this fall. Fortin says he is now planning his next legal move, saying his career was derailed by the lack of due process.
He also plans to continue his appeal in federal court. Fortin claims the government removed him from his role as head of Canada’s 2021 vaccine task force without due process and as a result of political interference. The government denied the allegations.
Fortin said he wanted work assignments appropriate to his rank and experience.
“I look forward to serving Canadians in a position in the Canadian Armed Forces that is commensurate with my rank and experience,” he said. “My current assignment certainly doesn’t fit that definition.”
He said he is currently a senior adviser to the commander of Canada’s Joint Operations Command and has not been assigned any work since 2021, when the investigation first began.
Fortin said he held four posts as a two-star general — as commander of 1 Canadian Division, chief of staff of the Canadian Joint Operations Command, commander of the NATO training mission in Iraq and head of the Canadian Task Force on COVID-19.
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