BURST
Soldiers who posted antisemitic, misogynistic and racist comments on social media warned each other not to take photos of their wild antics because of previous complaints in which images of their genitals were sent to their commanding officer.
The posts by the soldiers from the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa indicated they knew what they were doing was wrong but their focus was on not getting caught.
“No f–king pictures in the mess,” wrote one soldier. “There should be 0 photographic evidence of anything we get up to in that room. We don’t need anymore pictures of penises going to the CO (commanding officer).”
The soldiers operated 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 private 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.
The images of posts obtained by the Ottawa Citizen show the group has been operating longer than previously believed — some of the posts date back to 2007 and indicate there have already been previous investigations into the group.
One soldier wrote on April 11, 2007 that the group “is out of hand I’m getting out before i (sic) get charged….again.”
Another responded: “I agree with you there. I removed my posts.”
Still a decade later the soldiers were continuing, although concerned that incriminating evidence of their activities could surface. “Basically anything bad to happen to any military unit in the last 25 years is because some asshole didn’t put his camera away,” one soldier commented in October 2017.
In another comment from July 2015, a soldier provides an official Canadian Forces government email to where military personnel can send “dic (sic) pics.”
Complaints were made in December 2024 to military police about the Blue Hackle Mafia group, Department of National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin confirmed in an email.
Military police, in turn, turned over the complaints to the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa for investigation.
But that has raised concerns among whistleblowers about conflict of interest as a reserve force captain in the unit had been assigned to investigate fellow soldiers and officers.
In a statement, military police characterized the postings as “historic,” signifying that they were in the past.
But in a March 2025 post obtained by the Ottawa Citizen, one of the soldiers, who is a member of the Blue Hackle Mafia, was once again posting photos from the Cartier Square Drill Hall with sexual references.
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.
Asked whether the Blue Hackle Mafia site or its postings had been previously reported before December 2024 to the army’s leadership or senior officers in the Cameron Highlanders, DND spokesperson Poulin stated that a review is underway.
“We are reviewing how information about this private social media group was conveyed and briefed at various levels of the chain of command,” she noted in an email. “As this review continues, we are focused on understanding when information was known, to whom it was reported, and how it was handled within the command structure.”
Defence Minister David McGuinty issued a statement saying that the behaviour on the Blue Hackle Mafia site is unacceptable.
“The Minister was made aware of it only last week,” Laurent de Casanove, McGuinty’s press secretary, stated in an email. He would not provide a specific date.
Army commander Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright has stated he 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.
After the Citizen submitted its questions, 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 Blue Hackle Mafia group has around 200 participants.
The Cameron Highlanders were authorized during the Second World War 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