The HMCS Regina commanding officer has been relieved of his duties following an incident involving “misconduct,” the Royal Canadian Navy said Thursday.
The Navy said in a statement that it has lost confidence in the lieutenant-commander’s sentence. David Dallin, who had been commander of the Pacific Fleet warship.
The alleged incident took place on another ship during a naval training exercise, the Navy said.
“The RCN expects all its members to exercise an institutionally sound judgment at all times, especially when they have clear leadership or command functions,” the Navy said in the statement.
Read more: HMCS Halifax captain was fired while under investigation
In an interview with Global News, Cmdre. David Mazur, commander of the Pacific Fleet, said he would not classify the incident as sexual misconduct.
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“This was a case of an officer in charge who behaved inappropriately in a position of authority towards a student,” he said.
“It’s not at all close to an assault … two parties took part and it wasn’t against the will of one.”
The incident is being investigated, the Navy said. Mazur said witnesses involved in the training exercise, which took place in the port of Seattle, reported the behavior to management the next day.
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The Navy said Cmdr. Meghan Coates has now taken command of HMCS Regina, a Halifax-class frigate based at the Canadian Forces Base in Esquimalt, BC
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Dallin will serve in other functions within the Pacific Maritime Forces at the Canadian Eskimo Force Base until the conclusion of the investigation.
Mazur said his loss of confidence in Dallin was limited to his ability to hold a leadership position, which is why Dallin was not suspended pending the results of the investigation.
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This is the second time this month that an officer in command of a ship has been removed from office.
The captain of HMCS Halifax, identified as Cmdr. Dale St. Croix, was withdrawn amid an investigation into what the Navy said were multiple incidents aboard the ship during a port visit in Swinoujscie, Poland.
The June 9 announcement by the Canadian Forces made it clear, however, that those incidents did not involve sexual misconduct.
“I would say our culture is constantly evolving,” Mazur said when asked about the latest moves.
“There have been suspicions of cover-ups and people have not been treated properly, so we are now being very proactive.… We are over-communicating to make sure people realize that we are aware of things and that we treat “.
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Mazur added that Dillan met with the ship’s company and those involved in the training exercise to apologize and show that he acknowledged his behavior before being removed from command.
Read more: 2nd retired military officer accused of sexual assault in RMC
The Canadian Forces is in the midst of a trial of sexual misconduct and abuse of power within its ranks, including the highest levels.
The latest dismissals come after a compelling report that revealed that the top ranks of the Canadian Forces are “unable” to recognize the “deficient” parts of a culture that perpetuates sexual misconduct.
Retired Supreme Court Judge Louise Arbor’s report, released on May 30, came more than a year after Global News first reported cases of sexual misconduct among military leaders, including the former chief of the defense staff, General Jonathan Vance.
This month, two retired military officers were charged with sexual assault in connection with alleged incidents at Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario.
One of these officers was the recently retired lieutenant general. Trevor Cadieu, who had been appointed to lead the army last year before military police began investigating him.
– with archives by Amanda Connolly of Global, Irelyne Lavery and Canadian Press
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