Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan have not commented since the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service announced late Friday that they had decided there was not enough evidence to charge McDonald.
Retired colonel Michel Drapeau, who is now a lawyer specializing in military cases, says the government must now decide whether to have McDonald return as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces, or have someone else fill the role. "The CFNIS has been diagnosed with many flaws when it comes to sexual assault investigations, thus the legitimacy of their conclusions will always be questioned," said Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, an expert on women in the military at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
Global News has reported that navy Lt. Heather Macdonald, a navy combat systems engineer, came forward with the allegation against McDonald. Macdonald was quoted by Global on Friday as saying she was upset by the military police decision. "In the absence of an independent police investigation, in all probability a doubt will persist in the minds of the alleged victim, a portion of the public and probably many CAF members as to the propriety of the CFNIS investigation."
"The in normal times has to be beyond reproach," Saideman said. "In these times, much more so. Also, if Trudeau had problems with Baines returning to be head of the Navy after playing golf with Vance, how could he accept ?"
'urged' by whom ? You can't just leave it at that !