Taxpayers spent up to $720K on salaries for military leaders sidelined by sexual misconduct crisis

Taxpayers have spent an estimated $639,000 to $720,900 on salaries for high-ranking military officers who have been moved out of their jobs in connection with the military's sexual misconduct crisis, according to a CBC News analysis.

CBC News analyzed thepay rangesfor eight military leadersand the amount of time that has passedsince they wereshuffled out of theirjobs. Some of themare on leave with pay, some are transitioning out of the military and some have beenplaced in other positions within the Canadian Forces.

While it's difficult to pinpoint a figuregiven the information publicly available, the analysis indicates the federal government has spentroughly$639,000 to$720,000 on salaries for these individualssince they weremoved out of their leadership roles.

The Department of National Defencesays all military members have the right to due process and are entitled to their pay during military police investigations. DND saysCanadian law ensures thata workplace cannot punish employees unless they've beenproven guilty.

CBC's analysis does not include individuals who retired,were removed from their roles and placed in other staff positions, or usedvacation timeto cover the entirety oftheirtemporary leave.

Theformer chief of the defence staff, retired general Jonathan Vance,is collecting his pension and awaiting his criminal trial on one count of obstruction of justice. Vance's salary before he retired in July 2020 was $260,600 to$306,500, accordingto an order-in-council.

The salaryfigure, and thenumber of officers under investigation, reflectthe scale of the misconduct crisis and its effectson the Canadian military, saidMegan MacKenzieofSimon Fraser University.

"This figure is the tip of the iceberg in terms of the cost, both financial and emotional and reputational,for the defence forces," saidMacKenzie,theSimons Chair in International Law and Human Rights Security.

"I think it's signaling that we really need leadership on this issue. We need civilian leaders. We need the prime minister and the minister of defence to come to help to solve this issue."

MacKenzie said the true cost of the sexual misconduct crisis goes beyond the salary figure. She saidservice members aretaking medical leave or exiting the military altogether, while the military struggles with the effects onrecruitment andthe risk oflawsuits.

Eleven high-ranking military officers have been temporarily or permanently removed from their leadership roles since February in connection with allegations of sexual misconduct, or in response to how they handled sexual misconduct claims.

CBC News has a full list of the cases here.

'Case after case'

MacKenziesaidshe can't think of another defence force in the world that has seen so many senior leaders facesexual misconduct allegations or be placedon leave at the sametime. She's been researching military culture for a decade and is leading an international study into militarysexual misconduct in Canada, the U.S. and Australia.

In other countries, she said,high-profile scandals erupt and then die downafter officialreviews or policy changes.

"But what's happened in Canada is that you have case after case, multiple cases at the same time," she said. "There is no recovery. There's no moment between scandals and you have this sort of growing groundswell of calls for serious action."

WATCH:Academic says the cost of the sexual misconduct crisis is high

Academic says military misconduct crisis is costing Canada

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Megan MacKenzie of Simon Fraser University, who is leading an international study into sexual misconduct in militaries, says the cost of the crisis is much higher than the salaries involved and civilian leadership is needed to resolve it.

MacKenziesaid it'snot unusual to place military members on paid leave while they're under investigation. The problem, she said, is that some of the investigations are taking "a very long time," withservice members stuck at home while they waitto learn the outcome.

She said it's been a common tactic for militaries to try to wait out public anger by placing members on paid leave.

"There are so many individuals under investigation, so these investigations have to be handled quickly," she said.

Throughout the crisis, the military has maintained its police are conducting thorough investigations. DND said in a mediastatement that,as aninstitution based on the rule of law, the Canadian Armed Forces"must ensure all members are afforded their fundamental rights of due process, procedural fairness."

Admiral McDonald's case unresolved after almost 8 months

Admiral Art McDonald has been paid the most to date while on leave for almost eight months. He was removed from his job as the chief of defence staff in February in connection with a sexual misconduct allegation.

CBC News estimates McDonald hasbeen paid between $149,000 and$176,00since being suspended.

MacKenzie said she'ssurprised that the government hasn't been in more of a hurry to resolve McDonald's case, given the fact that he's still being paid while his old job is being done by Acting Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre.McDonald'sannual salary is $232,700 to $273,700, according to an order-in-council.

The position of chief of the defence staff is a governor-in-council appointment,meaning the prime minister can dismiss the chief at any time. McDonald'slawyers revealed in August that the military police investigation hadwrapped up without charging him with anything. More than two months later,the federalgovernment hasn't decided if itwill reinstate McDonald.

• Lack of charges against Admiral McDonald did not mean allegation was 'unfounded,' military police say

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commented yesterday onMcDonald's recentpublic attempts to get his oldjob back. Trudeau said McDonald's comments were not in line with the government's focus on putting victims first and will be "taken into account as we make a final determination on the permanent post of chief of defence staff."

The Prime Minister's Office said it would not comment further when asked why it hasn't reacheda decision yet on McDonald's future, orwhetherit's waiting until the public's focuson the misconduct crisis eases.

WATCH:Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized a letter from McDonald calling for his reinstatement

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has 'nothing to add' in response to letter written by Admiral Art McDonald

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Trudeau was responding to a question about Admiral Art McDonald's letter arguing for his reinstatement as chief of the defence staff.

Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin's lawyers, meanwhile, say he's stuck at home collecting a salary with no work to do.Quebec prosecutors charged Fortin in August with one count of sexual assault; hiscriminal case is nowworking its way through the civilian court system.

Fortin denies the allegation. Helaunched a federal court battle to regain his former position as head of the vaccine rollout, arguing the federal government meddled politically in the decision to sideline him.

He was assigned a new jobbut his lawyers sayhe's been sitting at home without any assignments. CBC estimates he's collectedbetween $81,000 and$95,000since leaving his role with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

In March, themilitary also placed Vice-Admiral Haydn Edmundson on indefinite paid leave from his roleas commander of military personnel following a CBC News report on an alleged sexual assault. A military police investigation is underway into a claimhe raped a 19-year-old steward on a Canadian navy ship in 1991 while docked in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii.

Edmundson denies the allegation and has been posted since May as a supported member at the Transition Centre in Ottawa. Since leaving his position in charge of military personnel, he'sbeen paidanestimated $137,000 to$148,000, according to theCBC Newsanalysis.

Edmundson's successor, Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan, stepped aside from his role last week in response toan investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. The military also postponed last week the appointment ofLt.-Gen. Trevor Cadieu as the next commander of the armyover sexual misconduct claims.

Both Whelan and Cadieu are now on leave and their individualmonthly pay is estimated to be between $20,683 and $22,392, according to the military's publicly disclosed pay rates.

DND says it has full confidence in broader leadership

CBC News asked DNDwhat it's doing in response to the number of senior leaders currently on leave from their roles. The department said that military leaders are trained to fill in for their superiors.

"As the justice system continues to dutifully proceed, we have full confidence in our broader leadership team to continue to tend to the business of defending Canada," said DND spokesperson Daniel Le Bouthillier.

Retired captain Annalise Schamuhn,who was sexually assaulted by another soldier, said shesees thenumber of sexual misconduct allegations being reported as anencouraging sign.Schamuhnshared her story publicly, hoping it would help lead to institutional change in the Canadian Armed Forces.

"I think the more stories and cases come out, the more it seems like things are getting worse," said Schamuhn. "But I take it as a sign that things are getting better.

"The fact that people feel comfortable coming forward, I think, is a sign of progress."

WATCH | Retired captain Annalise Schamuhnencourgaged by number ofsexual misconduct claims

Sexual assault victim sees signs of progress

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Retired captain Annalise Schamuhn says that while sexual misconduct in the military seems like it's getting worse, she sees the rising number of cases being reported as a sign of progress.