Military commander steps down as investigation into Cameron Highlanders social media posts continues
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Col. James McKay, commander of 33 Canadian Brigade Group, has stepped down, Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright confirmed to the Ottawa Citizen on Monday. ''On 21 July 2025, I accepted the letter of relinquishment of command from the Commander of 33 Canadian Brigade Group Colonel James McKay,' Wright stated. 'Being accountable for both our action and inaction, and the respective consequences of those decisions, is foundational to the Profession of Arms and achieving a ready, resilient, and relevant Canadian Armed Forces.'
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The resignation comes as the Canadian Army and military police continue their investigations into a controversial private Facebook page. As first reported in the Ottawa Citizen, some soldiers from the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa have been operating what they call the Blue Hackle Mafia Facebook group. They have posted images of male soldiers in uniform exposing their genitals, others posing naked with Canadian Forces weapons or simulating sexual acts with each other in uniform. Some of the photos were taken at military installations.
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The Facebook page also includes hateful comments directed towards women and derogatory sexual comments about former prime minister Justin Trudeau, as well as discussions about raping grandmothers. In other cases, posts disparage both Jews and Muslims.
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Complaints were made in December to military police about the Blue Hackle Mafia group but the law enforcement organization decided not to investigate at that time. In addition, complaints about the group and the contents being posted by soldiers were made to Lt. Col. Hendy, commander of the Cameron Highlanders, as well as McKay, according to whistleblowers interviewed by the Ottawa Citizen.
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The Cameron Highlanders is one of the 16 army reserve units under the command of 33 Canadian Brigade Group.
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Canadian Army commander Lt. Gen. Michael Wright has acknowledged he didn't know about the Blue Hackle Mafia group until the Ottawa Citizen provided him with various screenshots from the Facebook account and asked him for comment. Wright told the Ottawa Citizen he was disgusted by the content of some of the posts.
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'The circumstances surrounding the social media group remain extremely disturbing and disappointing, but actions taken to date are important in underlining the Canadian Army's commitment to ensuring our culture meets the expectations of Canadians,' Wright stated in his email Monday.
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