DND didn’t apologize to sexually assaulted employee because Ottawa Citizen would write about it

Article content

Management of the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services declined to apologize to an employee who was sexually assaulted in Latvia because they didn’t want the mea culpa reported on by the Ottawa Citizen, newly released documents reveal.

Kristen Adams, a civilian who worked for the welfare services group, was sexually assaulted by a NATO soldier during her shift at the canteen operated by Canada for troops in Latvia, according to military police records.

Article content

Details of the assault and how poorly Adams was treated by Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) management were first reported in the Ottawa Citizen in October 2023, prompting staff at the agency to angrily raise concerns about the organization’s failure to help a fellow worker.

That criticism, in turn, forced Chief Executive Officer Ian Poulter to issue an apology to all CFMWS staff for the way the incident was handled, although he excluded Adams.

Now, newly released records show why Poulter never sent Adams a direct apology, even though one was written up.

“Because the story was unfolding in the pages of the Ottawa Citizen, we did not want to correspond with Ms. Adams in writing because we didn’t want to perpetuate that cycle,” Department of National Defence (DND) officials wrote.

The internal records were obtained by Adams through her request using the federal privacy law.

“I never did get an apology from him (Poulter),” Adams told the Ottawa Citizen. “That shows you they don’t think they did anything wrong in all of this. It’s disgusting.”

Poulter, a retired major general, did not respond to a request for comment on why he refused to apologize to Adams.

Article content

DND did not provide comment.

The CFMWS, based in Ottawa, provides various programs and services for the military.

Canadian military police reports and documents noted Adams was sexually assaulted when an Albanian soldier grabbed her breast on Dec. 3, 2022.

But, after Adams filed a formal complaint about the assault, she was told in writing by a vice-president at CFMWS that she should have realized she would face such dangers when accepting a job supporting Canada’s military mission in Latvia.

Adams said CFMWS failed to properly respond to the attack or provide her with help. She believes the Canadian military and CFMWS are trying to sweep the incident under the rug because they don’t want to cause any embarrassment for the Canadian Armed Forces high-profile mission in Latvia.

Months after the assault, Adams wrote to Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre and other senior military leaders asking for help. Adams said she didn’t receive a reply from Eyre.

Instead, the DND records indicate that military and department officials were more concerned about whether other news media outlets would pick up on the Ottawa Citizen articles about the incident.

Article content

Eyre’s chief of staff Brig. Gen. Brendan Cook warned Poulter in an Oct. 25, 2023 email that “Ms. Adams is likely to be coming back with more media coverage.”

Cook also raised concerns that Defence Minister Anita Anand’s office could take an interest in the matter. “Of note, we recently got some pressure from MNDO [Minister National Defence Office] about the recent internal message to CFWMS staff that was cited in the press for not apologizing to Ms. Adams,” Cook wrote to Poulter in an email.

The documents also showed that some CFMWS managers belittled Adams and claimed that the attack never happened.

But multiple DND and military records do confirm the sexual assault occurred. One of the reports noted that after the assault the Albanian soldier returned to Adams’ work station looking for her.

Shortly after the assault, Adams’ contract was ended two months early by CFMWS. That decision was made “in order to ensure there is no further risk to your health,” according to a Feb. 3 2023 letter sent to Adams by the organization. CFMWS gave her $11,833, which paid her out for the early termination of her contract.

Article content

On May 10, 2023, Adams received a letter from CFMWS stating the organization had “gone above and beyond in its efforts to support you” and that it would “no longer entertain further complaints or correspondence from you regarding this issue.”

Canadian military police told Adams that, under NATO rules, they had no jurisdiction to investigate even though the incident took place at a Canadian facility.

Latvian military police were brought in to examine the case, but Adams pointed out they did not interview any witnesses. The only interviews conducted were with her and the Albanian soldier, she added.

On Dec. 14, 2022, Latvian military police decided they would not investigate further. Another review by Latvia concluded no criminal act had taken place.

However, Canadian military police did create a “shadow file” on Jan. 3, 2023, with details of the incident. (A shadow file is a Canadian Armed Forces document about an issue the military has an interest in, but not direct control over.) Those details and that report do not dispute Adams’ version of events, and they termed the incident a sexual assault.

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

Article content