A Quebec judge is set to issue his decision this afternoon in a high-profile sexual assault case involving a senior military commander who once led Canada’s vaccine rollout. Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin was removed from his job in 2021 during a military police investigation that later led to the sexual assault charge. Fortin has pleaded not guilty and maintained he never had any physical contact with the woman he is accused of assaulting more than 30 years ago when he was a probationer. A woman testified during the trial in September that she was “scared” when she woke up in her bed at the Royal Military College in Saint-Jean, Que. to find Fortin standing over her. She claimed that Fortin held her hand over his genitals and used it to masturbate. Fortin’s defense attorney, Isabel Schurman, argued during the trial that the complainant misidentified her client. The complainant said it was “100 percent without a doubt” that it was Fortin who sexually assaulted her in 1988. The complainant’s identity is protected under a court-ordered publication ban. The Canadian military has been rocked by allegations of sexual harassment against its senior leaders. Fortin is one of several current and former senior Canadian military leaders who have been investigated, charged criminally or forced to retire by 2021 from some of the most senior positions in the defense establishment. He is the first of these accused military leaders to have their case prosecuted in a criminal court since last year. Fortin chose to be tried by a judge only. Maj. Gen. Danny Fortin, right, and his wife Madeleine Collin, center, wait for the doors of an elevator to close in a Gatineau, Que. courthouse in September. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press) Fortin will no longer be allowed to wear his military uniform in court following the controversy that erupted during his trial over his appearance. As of Dec. 1, the military has banned its members from wearing their uniforms and medals in civilian courts while defending themselves on criminal charges. Survivors of military sexual trauma and advocates said they were offended that Fortin, a highly decorated military commander, wore his uniform and medals to his criminal trial. Survivors said they viewed the move as an act of intimidation that would make a complainant feel they are facing the entire Canadian Armed Forces in court. Fortin is also challenging the federal government’s removal from the vaccine campaign in Federal Court. His appeal date has not yet been set. WATCHES | Military commander criticized for wearing uniform and medals at civilian trial:
Military commander criticized for wearing full uniform to civil trial
Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin has been criticized after wearing his full military uniform, including 10 medals, while on trial in a civilian court for sexual assault.
