Army commander was kept in the dark about Ottawa soldiers' 'abhorrent' Facebook group

National Post

10 hours ago

Canada's army commander was kept in the dark about antisemitic, misogynistic and racist comments on a site operated by his soldiers despite complaints previously being made to military police, top officers and military legal officials.
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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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Complaints were made in December to military police about the Blue Hackle Mafia group, the Canadian Forces has confirmed. In addition, complaints about the private Facebook site and the contents being posted by soldiers were made to Lt. Col. Ryan Hendy, who commands the Cameron Highlanders, as well as 33 Brigade Commander Col. James McKay, according to whistleblowers. The inappropriate contents of the Facebook account and its existence was also reported to officials in the Judge Advocate General's office.
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But army commander Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright knew nothing about the controversy surrounding the high profile reserve unit until he was briefed about the situation on June 25, the day after the Ottawa Citizen sent images from the Facebook group to DND and asked him for comment.
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'On 25 June 2025, I was made aware of allegations regarding the 'Blue Hackle Mafia' private social media group involving members of the Canadian Army that featured abhorrent racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and antisemitic comments and images,' Wright noted in an email sent to media outlets. 'I can share that I am disgusted by the content of some of the posts published on this group.'
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Defence insiders say it is highly unusual that the army commander would have been kept in the dark about such a high profile issue.
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Over the last decade, the Canadian Forces has been mired in allegations of sexual assault, harassment, racism and homophobia. The resulting scandals prompted reports and inquiries by former Supreme Court justices Marie Deschamps and Louise Arbour, along with pledges by the military leadership to bring about change. In addition, a number of senior officers have faced charges or court proceedings for alleged sexual misconduct or assault.