Innocent DND worker allegedly injured during botched police exercise

The Canadian military police leadership has exonerated its officers involved in a botched exercise, which saw an innocent defence department worker allegedly injured.

The incident involved a November 2024 exercise at a Canadian Forces installation in Montreal during which a civilian employee — who was not involved in the training — was violently detained.

The Union of National Defence Employees had said one worker at the base was traumatized when he was physically assaulted by military police who thought he was a participant in the drill on how to respond to a gunman on the base. The Black employee was thrown to the ground, his clothes ripped, and then he was dragged outside into the cold temperatures without proper clothing, the union stated.

An investigation was initiated by the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal shortly after to examine the conduct of military police and their interactions with the DND employee. “As a result of the internal investigation, it was determined that no breach of the Military Police Professional Code of Conduct occurred, and the internal investigation is now closed,” noted Capt. Suzanne Doe, public affairs officer for the Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, in a recent email to the Ottawa Citizen.

But, while the Canadian Forces has closed its file, the Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) has decided to hold a public interest hearing because of the seriousness of the incident.

“Investigating potential systemic issues like police brutality and racial profiling in a public forum is essential, as the findings could have implications far beyond this case for the military police,” MPCC chair Tammy Tremblay said in a statement from July 23, 2025, on her decision to launch the inquiry.

June Winger, national president of the Union of National Defence Employees, said that she wasn’t surprised the internal military investigation cleared the police officers. She pointed out previous federal reports looking into the military justice system that raised questions about oversight and independence of military police. “UNDE looks forward to the MPCC public interest hearing where we believe a competent, unbiased examination of the facts will result in a report that provides reliable findings,” she told the Ottawa Citizen.

There are no details on when the public interest hearing will be held or when its final report will be released.

But an internal Canadian Forces report into the incident revealed that DND employees were unaware of when the drill, which involved troops firing blank rounds, was going to happen and that the exercise began without the audible warning previously planned for during rehearsal. Some employees thought the simulated attack was real, the union has pointed out.

The internal report, obtained by The Canadian Press news service, noted there was a “significant increase in the scale and scope of the exercise from previous years without a commensurate increase in coordination, communication or training.”

The public interest hearing could set the stage for another clash between the Provost Marshall’s office and the MPCC.

In June 2025, the MPCC issued a report that painted Canada’s military police leadership as shutting down complaints, ignoring parliamentary-mandated civilian oversight and mismanaging investigations to the point where a criminal convicted of attempted murder almost went free.

The report outlined a deteriorating situation in which the Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal has been resisting independent oversight. “The situation escalated from resistance to outright refusal to respect the oversight regime mandated by Parliament,” Tremblay wrote in her annual report released June 17.

At times, the office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, or CFPM, has shut down complaints into police actions before they could be heard, the MPCC report noted. The CFPM has also refused to provide information needed for the commission to carry out its oversight function and has declined to follow recommendations on improving how it functions, according to the report. Among the recommendations the CFPM refused to accept was a request to remind military police officers of the importance of keeping evidence on file.

Tremblay warned that continued refusal to accept civilian oversight would only harm military police, as public trust in the institution would be eroded.

The military police have faced increasing criticism of widespread incompetence and bungling of investigations.

In January 2025, an Ontario Superior Court judge stayed assault and sexual assault charges against a Canadian Forces member after determining that military police had tampered with evidence and showed bias in their investigation.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Cynthia Petersen noted in her written decision that the misconduct by police “in this case is so egregious and systemic that it shocks the community’s conscience.”

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe

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