Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members who left the institution or were forced out for refusing the COVID-19 vaccines say they feel betrayed by the organization they vowed to serve.
The Epoch Times interviewed several former soldiers willing to speak on the record about their experiences.
The CAF directive for mandatory vaccination was issued in October last year, and members had to attest to their status by mid-November.
The directive left the possibility of seeking an exemption on various grounds, such as for medical or religious reasons, but few accommodations were granted.
While the federal government suspended the vaccine mandate for its workforce in June, the CAF’s mandate remains in place and is under review.
Former soldiers who spoke to The Epoch Times had various reasons for not wanting the jab, with the core issue revolving around personal choice and their own risk assessment.
‘Not Suitable’
“I sort of got released for the same reason that I joined, which was that I stand up for what I believe in,” says Justin Tenhage, who served for seven years as a reserves infantryman.Tenhage recently joined James Topp, the veteran who marched from Vancouver to Ottawa to protest against vaccine mandates, for part of the journey.
“There was definitely a sense of ... betrayal,” he says when describing how he feels about being pushed out of the military over the mandate.
“You train to fight and die with your brothers, and for your regiment, and for your leaders, and to be told that you’re not suitable to do so because of your choice, and because of standing up for what you believe in, it’s really difficult.”
‘Personal Belief’
Nicholas Collins served four years as a vehicle technician.He chose not to take the vaccine out of the “personal belief” that he didn’t need it. “I also believe that people should have a choice whether they want to take it or not,” he says.
Collins did not seek an exemption, nor did he ask to release. Instead, he was placed on administrative review in November and released under 5(f) in May.
The young veteran says it’s “unfortunate” that the CAF is releasing so many members while in dire need of personnel.
“They’re taking a career and a military that’s already in need of personnel, and they’re getting rid of hundreds of them when they need people like us,” he says.
“After what I’ve gone through, I'll never look at the CAF the same,” he added, noting he would not consider rejoining if the mandate was lifted.
“I find that I’ve been doing a lot better physically and mentally since I got out,” he says.
‘Stages of Grief’
Logistics officer Natasha Lis, with 18 years of service, was hoping she would be spared by the mandate due to her working remotely in another province.Lis says she chose not to get vaccinated due to her good personal health, relatively young age, and the lack of available safety data on the injections.
She sought an exemption on the grounds of discrimination as defined in the Canadian Human Rights Act.
Lis says she had concerns about the vaccine’s effects on women’s health, such as evidence of the disruption of menstrual cycles and negative impacts on fertility.
After being denied accommodation, she was referred to a medical officer to answer her questions about the safety of the vaccines. But she says he was not able to answer those questions. He also told her that her concerns were valid but that “we’re not going to have the answers to those questions for 10-plus years.”
“Once I got that confirmation that yes, my concerns were valid, then I submitted my request for release,” she says. Familiar with the CAF administrative processes, she also took that path to avoid a stain on her record.
“I think I’ve been going through the various stages of grief,” Lis says about the release process.
“Originally, it felt like a complete and utter betrayal. ... I spent a lot of time really upset.”
Lis says there was an “egregious” lack of procedural fairness in the process, citing the rushed exemption process and lack of support for members seeking accommodation.
She says she gave her “entire adult life” to the institution and had planned to be involved for another 15 years.
“[I] really, really believed that what I was doing was contributing to the success of the institution and making people’s lives better,“ she said, adding to have that ”ripped away” has been difficult.
‘Tossed Aside’
“I feel like I was tossed aside like trash,” says Jade Grainger, an artillery soldier with nine years of service.“I served nine honourable years with this unit and they preached brotherhood and how we were a family. I believed it until I had a different viewpoint and then they tried to punish me for it and use me as an example,” he says.
Grainger says he refused the jab due to the lack of trials and long-term safety data. He said he also became concerned after “most of my friends and family who did receive the jab had very serious medical issue[s] afterwards.”
Grainger did not seek an exemption and chose voluntary release instead. Even though he says he submitted his paperwork before the deadline, his chain of command wanted to charge him with “disobeying a direct order” and “conduct unbecoming of a CAF soldier.”
He was then told he would be released under 5(f), but he complained about the lack of due process. After threatening to involve the Judge Advocate General (military lawyer), charges were dropped and he obtained his voluntary release, he says.
‘Shocked’
Sandra Carmichael worked in the military’s communications branch and has 25 years of service.She says she was “pretty shocked” when she heard there would be a vaccine mandate, saying it goes against the military’s “ethics and ethos.” She noted she had previously known her employer to be “accepting of people and their choices” and had never before mandated a “one-size-fits-all solution” that could impact the health of members.
Carmichael refused the jab based on her beliefs and requested religious accommodation, but was denied. She says the military told her that her arguments seemed to be based on bodily autonomy and false information about vaccines.
She counters that her application was well-sourced, herself having had previous research experience, and says she wrote in her grievance to the military that it was “absolutely based on bodily autonomy because I do have bodily autonomy.”
Carmichael asked for a voluntary release, which she says was not truly voluntary but “under duress.”
After serving for so many years, she said she felt “shunned” in the release process, not being given a proper goodbye or being able to receive her unit’s flag.
“I’m extremely disappointed because I had a lot of pride in the CAF and being a soldier and serving my country,” she says.
“And right now I feel betrayed, because I always felt like if something like this were to happen, that the CAF would step up and would defend the freedoms of Canadians, and it’s completely the reverse that happened.”
‘Ostracized’
One former soldier with over 10 years of service did not want his name published due to concerns about jeopardizing future career plans.“I and many others see this as a political purge of the military, of anyone who dared stand up to the Liberal gov’s mandate,” he wrote in an email.
The former soldier says he chose not to get vaccinated because he believed that, as a healthy young man, he didn’t need the vaccine. This choice had an impact on his work environment.
“I felt ostracized at work, even though I had kept quiet about my vax status and only my CoC [chain of command] would have known. Somehow everyone knew, and I heard my name + anti vaxxer said while I was around the corner many times.”
The former soldier says he’s never been anti-vaccine, getting all his shots except for the flu.
“But these past two years have caused me to seriously doubt the integrity of our medical professionals,” he says.
The former soldier filed an accommodation request, but at the same time, he says the leadership chain was cracking down on the unvaccinated. He asked to be voluntarily released. Only after releasing did he hear his accommodation request had been denied.
Like others, he said the bond of trust with the institution has been greatly affected.
Numbers
A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence (DND) told The Epoch Times on July 5 that the CAF vaccine mandate is still in effect while under review.As of May 31, DND says that 157 accommodations have been granted. It didn’t say how many were refused.
As of June 15, DND says that 103 regular force members have been voluntarily released with the primary reason being mandatory vaccination. Another 234 have been released non-voluntarily due to non-compliance. Over 1,200 are currently under remedial measures or administrative review, which will likely lead to their release.
