Trevor John Cadieu is a retired senior Canadian military officer. He reached the rank of lieutenant general and was slated to become army commander, but released from the military following allegations of sexual misconduct almost 30 years before, and after months of delay in court proceedings.[1] Cadieu maintained the allegations were false but needed to be investigated thoroughly to expose the truth.[2] In 2022, he travelled to Ukraine to join the fight against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In October 2023, the charges were stayed by an Ontario judge, ruling that unreasonable delays by military police to disclose information to Cadieu and another accused party led to unreasonable delay in the trial.[3]
Trevor Cadieu | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service | Canadian Army[a] |
| Years of service | 1995-2022 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | 3rd Canadian Division |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of Military Merit
Meritorious Service Cross Meritorious Service Medal |
| Alma mater | Royal Military College of Canada |
Biography
editTrevor Cadieu was born in Saskatchewan and raised in Vernon, British Columbia.[4] He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1995 following studies at the Royal Military College of Canada (B.A. History), and was posted to Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) - colloquially referred to as the Strathcona's - an armoured regiment based in Calgary, Alberta. While there, he served in armoured reconnaissance and tank squadrons including a Strathcona Battle Group deployment with the NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia (1997) and in Kandahar, Afghanistan (2002) as Battle Captain of the Reconnaissance Squadron.
As a major, he returned to Kandahar from October 2006 to February 2007 in command of a Leopard tank squadron, part of the 1st Battalion The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group. Notably, this was the first Canadian tank squadron in active combat in almost 60 years. In this command, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the citation noting operational success during major offensives and other engagements against insurgents.[5] During 2010-12, Cadieu was the Strathcona's commanding officer.
Cadieu commanded 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2014-2016). As a brigadier-general, from July 2016 to July 2017, Cadieu was commander of Commander of Task Force Jerusalem and the inaugural commander of Task Force Middle East, establishing the regional command post in Amman, Jordan. This work to strengthen the armed forces of Jordan and Lebanon and maintain strong relations with partners in the region earned him the Meritorious Service Cross.[6] Following this overseas tour, Cadieu was appointed commander of 3rd Canadian Division/Joint Task Force West (2017-2019)[7] leading military forces through high-readiness training cycles and in support of several domestic operations.
As Director of Staff, Strategic Joint Staff (2019-2021), then Major-General Cadieu worked alongside interagency partners to coordinate the Canadian Armed Forces' response to the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires and floods, and the evacuation from Afghanistan. He was promoted to Lieutenant-General in August 2021.
Allegations
editA ceremony to designate him Commander of the Canadian Army in September 2021 was cancelled at the last moment due to sexual misconduct allegations dating to 1994-95 when he and the complainant were students at the Royal Military College of Canada.[8][9] A retired female officer alleged she was raped when she was a first-year cadet by two senior cadets, one of them Cadieu, and in June 2022, he was charged with two counts of sexual assault.[10] Cadieu maintained the allegations were false but needed to be investigated thoroughly to expose the truth. After he was publicly supported online by some serving and retired military officers including military sexual assault survivors, others responded negatively.[11]
Following further case review by the Crown, the charges were later combined and changed to one count. On October 10, 2023, the charges against Cadieu were stayed by the Ontario Court of Justice (Kingston, Ontario), Justice Larry O'Brien ruling the accused lost their right to a fair trial within a reasonable time as guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.[12] The judge was critical of the military police who investigated the complaint, ruling they were the cause of "lengthy delays" and "not responsive" in providing disclosure to the two defendants. "Someone should be held accountable for allowing nine months to elapse before providing defence counsel with the complainant's first statement" to investigators, Justice O'Brien wrote. "That someone is not defence counsel who each, orally and in writing, and repeatedly requested the complainant's statement to little if any avail."[13][14]
War in Ukraine
editIn April 2022, Cadieu travelled to Ukraine, to assist in training Ukrainian senior military leaders against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[15][16] Russian sources often refer to him as Trevor Kadier.[17] On 28 April, spokesperson Eduard Basurin, said he was one of as many 400 foreign fighters trapped in the Azovstal iron and steel works during the Siege of Mariupol operation.[18] Cadieu was not captured, but indicated in an email from Ukraine upon learning of the charges being laid that he was "making arrangements to return to Canada" to cooperate with the investigation.[19]
Notes
edit- ^ Known as Land Forces Command until 2011
References
edit- ^ "Senior soldier once tasked with army command retired while facing sexual misconduct probe". Cbc.ca. April 20, 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ "Military postpones appointment of army commander over misconduct investigation". Cbc.ca. October 13, 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ Burke, Ashley (October 10, 2023). "Sexual assault charge stayed against former senior officer once poised to command army". CBC News. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ "Return to 3rd Canadian Division feels like coming home, says new commander". Edmontonjournal.com.
- ^ Office of the Governor General of Canada (November 12, 2019). "Brigadier-General Trevor John Cadieu (Ret'd)". Office of the Governor General of Canada. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ Office of Governor General of Canada (November 12, 2019). "Honours Recipients - Brigadier-General Trevor John Cadieu". Office of the Governor General of Canada. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ "Senior Serving Strathcona". Strathconas.ca.
- ^ "Incoming Canadian Army commander under investigation for sexual misconduct". Ottawacitizen.com.
- ^ Walsh, Marieke; Raman-Wilms, Menaka (13 October 2021). "Incoming commander of Canadian army faces sexual misconduct investigation". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "Former senior military officer Trevor Cadieu charged with 2 counts of sexual assault". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ "Anger grows as Canadian military officers rally around general accused of sexual assault". Ottawacitizen.com.
- ^ Walsh, Marieke (October 11, 2023). "Sexual assault charges stayed against former top general in Canadian Forces, judge blames military police for delays". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ Gallagher, Kevin (October 10, 2023). "Sexual assault charges stayed against former army commander over court delay". CTV National News. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ Burke, Ashley (October 10, 2023). "Sexual assault charge stayed against former senior officer once poised to command army". CBC News. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ "Retired Canadian lieutenant-general under police investigation for alleged sexual misconduct is now in Ukraine". Ottawacitizen.com.
- ^ "Military officer retires, heads to Ukraine amid sex misconduct investigation". Vernonmatters.ca.
- ^ "No! Il generale canadese Trevor "Kadier" non era a capo dei fantomatici laboratori biologici di Azovstal". Open.online. 29 April 2022.
- ^ "Why it may matter that Russia is calling Canadians fighting in Ukraine 'mercenaries'". The Toronto Star. 3 May 2022.
- ^ Ling, Justin (May 3, 2022). "In the past 24 hours, Russian media has claimed to have captured retired Canadian lieutenant-general Trevor Cadieu". X. Retrieved January 5, 2024.