BURST
Canada’s army commander was kept in the dark about antisemitic, misogynistic and racist comments on a site operated by his soldiers despite complaints previously being made to military police, top officers and military legal officials.
Some soldiers from the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa have been operating what they call the Blue Hackle Mafia Facebook group. They have posted images of male soldiers in uniform exposing their genitals, others posing naked with Canadian Forces weapons or simulating sexual acts with each other in uniform. Some of the photos were taken at military installations.
The Facebook page also includes hateful comments directed towards women, derogatory sexual comments about former prime minister Justin Trudeau, as well as discussions about raping grandmothers. In other cases, posts disparage both Jews and Muslims.
Complaints were made in December to military police about the Blue Hackle Mafia group, the Canadian Forces has confirmed. In addition, complaints about the private Facebook site and the contents being posted by soldiers were made to Lt. Col. Ryan Hendy, who commands the Cameron Highlanders, as well as 33 Brigade Commander Col. James McKay, according to whistleblowers. The inappropriate contents of the Facebook account and its existence was also reported to officials in the Judge Advocate General’s office.
But army commander Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright knew nothing about the controversy surrounding the high profile reserve unit until he was briefed about the situation on June 25, the day after the Ottawa Citizen sent images from the Facebook group to DND and asked him for comment.
“On 25 June 2025, I was made aware of allegations regarding the ‘Blue Hackle Mafia’ private social media group involving members of the Canadian Army that featured abhorrent racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and antisemitic comments and images,” Wright noted in an email sent to media outlets. “I can share that I am disgusted by the content of some of the posts published on this group.”
Asked why the various military officials did not inform Wright about the Blue Hackle Mafia controversy, Department of National Defence spokeswoman Andrée-Anne Poulin stated in an email that the army is now “ looking at how information related to this matter flowed through the chain of command.”
Defence insiders say it is highly unusual that the army commander would have been kept in the dark about such a high profile issue.
Over the last decade, the Canadian Forces has been mired in allegations of sexual assault , harassment, racism and homophobia. The resulting scandals prompted reports and inquiries by former Supreme Court justices Marie Deschamps and Louise Arbour, along with pledges by the military leadership to bring about change. In addition, a number of senior officers have faced charges or court proceedings for alleged sexual misconduct or assault.
In October 2020, a series of high profile hateful conduct incidents involving army personnel forced the service to issue specific orders on how to deal with such controversies.
The Blue Hackle Mafia has operated its Facebook group with around 200 participants for at least 14 years.
After the Citizen submitted questions to DND about the Facebook group, Wright conferred with his senior army leadership. On June 27, Wright spoke with all division commanders about the Blue Hackle Mafia group, “reinforcing the Army’s commitment to uphold its values and the importance of applying military disciplinary and administrative processes in cases of alleged misconduct,” according to Poulin.
On July 4, Wright instructed his statement about the social media group be distributed to all army personnel, she added.
The military police unit in Ottawa initially examined the complaints about the Blue Hackle Mafia group but those officers turned over the case to the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa.
“The transfer to the unit for a disciplinary investigation was considered the best use of options available in the military justice system, in this case,” noted a statement issued by the office of Canadian Forces Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen. Vanessa Hanrahan.
Whistleblowers, however, pointed out that action resulted in a reserve force captain in the unit conducting an investigation into his fellow officers and soldiers.
Hanrahan’s email noted that military police have now re-opened their investigation into the Blue Hackle Mafia group. “This new investigation is ongoing and no further information will be provided at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation,” the email added.
The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh’s Own) serve as the city of Ottawa’s official regiment, according to the Canadian Forces. The regiment is tasked, as needed, to provide ceremonial guards of honour for visiting dignitaries and for national ceremonies and events. The reserve unit operates out of the Cartier Square Drill Hall on Queen Elizabeth Driveway.
During the Second World War, the King of England first allowed the Cameron Highlanders to wear the blue hackle on their headdress as a mark of their honour and fighting pride.
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
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