Member of military police charged over racist pics

A member of Canada’s military police has been charged with two counts of violating the Armed Forces’ disciplinary code after allegedly spreading racist pictures.

The Department of National Defence is not identifying the member but says he serves in 5 Military Police Regiment, based in Montreal and responsible for military law enforcement across Quebec.

News of the pictures first emerged in a message to Canadian military personnel in June from then-chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance and his civilian counterpart at National Defence, deputy minister Jody Thomas.

The two were apologizing at the time for their slow response to systemic racism in the military and Defence Department, and said military police were investigating a service member for allegedly spreading racist images.

Thomas and Vance did not provide specifics except to say that the incident was reported to have occurred in Quebec and specifically targeted Black people.

Canada’s military police, including the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, have faced questions in recent weeks about their independence and ability to probe allegations of misconduct against senior officers.