Timothy Blonde was removed from his duties after making inappropriate comments about the appearance of a young sailor at a social event at the Canadian base of Esquimalt on May 6, the statement said. The Chief Petty Officer of the Formation is the senior petty officer designation in the Pacific Naval Forces, according to the RCN.

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In the statement, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, states that he “no longer has confidence in Blonde’s ability to carry out his leadership duties, maintain discipline and ensure the highest standards of ethics and values ​​of the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)’. Story continues below ad Topshee noted that the investigation did not show that Blonde violated the Service Disciplinary Code or the Criminal Code of Canada. However, he said the evidence showed his action was “unacceptable and inconsistent with his duties and responsibilities as Chief Petty Officer of the Formation”. As a result, Topshee said the RCN decided it was necessary to remove Blonde from his duties. It is unclear what comments were made by Blonde and the nature of the comments. Blonde will continue to serve on the RCN because no charges have been laid, but the RCN said Blonde will not be in a position of “senior leadership or influence where building trust with junior members is required”. Trending Stories

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																0:42 HMCS Regina skipper removed after ‘inappropriate behaviour’ on another vessel HMCS Regina skipper removed after ‘inappropriate behaviour’ on another vessel – July 1, 2022

Last month, another naval chief, Commanding Officer Lt.-Cmdr. David Dallin of HMCS Regina has been removed following an incident involving “inappropriate behaviour”, the RCN announced on 30 June. Story continues below ad Cmdr. David Mazur, commander of the Pacific Fleet, said the incident involved Dallin allegedly “behaving inappropriately” toward a student by abusing his authority. Three weeks before this announcement, the captain of HMCS Halifax, identified as Cmdr. Dale St. Croix was also removed amid an investigation into what the navy said were multiple incidents aboard the ship during a port visit to Swinoujscie, Poland. The June 9 announcement by the Canadian Forces made it clear, however, that these incidents did not involve sexual misconduct.

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The Canadian Forces have been criticized for their failure to address sexual misconduct and abuse of power in their ranks.

Former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Louise Arbor’s report released last month found that the top ranks of the Canadian Forces are “incapable” of recognizing the “deficient” parts of a culture that perpetuates sexual misconduct. Story continues below ad The report came after Global News first reported in February 2021 about allegations of sexual misconduct against military leaders, including former Chief of Defense Staff General Jonathan Vance. — with files from Global’s Sean Boynton © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.