Soldiers Investigated for Showing Support for Freedom Convoy

Veterans clear snow and ice off the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as protests against COVID-19 restrictions happen on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Saturday, February 12, 2022. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

The Canadian military says it has launched a handful of investigations into personnel who have expressed support for or participated in activities related to the Freedom Convoy.

The latest investigation was announced on Feb. 13 by Major-General Steve Boivin, commander of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM).

“I have recently been advised of allegations that at least three CANSOFCOM members have been, in some form or another, supporting the ongoing protests in Ottawa,” Boivin said in a statement.

He said CANSOFCOM “does not condone its members supporting and/or actively taking part in causes that jeopardize the apolitical imperative associated with their functions.”

The statement says that two members under investigation were in the process of being released from the military, while another was not part of CANSOFCOM.

A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence (DND) told The Epoch Times that the third member works in the “procurement group (ADM (Material)).”

The Ottawa Citizen reported on Feb. 13 that the first two individuals are “assaulters” within the elite Joint Task Force-2 (JTF-2) unit. These men are used as the “tip of the spear” in missions such as hostage rescues, counterterrorism, and special reconnaissance.

The third individual had also previously served with JTF-2, the Citizen reported.

Boivin said investigations have been launched into the two first cases, whereas DND media relations said the ADM (Material) leadership is “currently looking into the matter further to determine the best course of action, and disciplinary action could be taken as required.”

“While CAF [Canadian Armed Forces] members, like all Canadians, have a right to their own personal opinions, they are also subject to regulations relating to public comment on defence and government policies,” said the email statement from DND.

Other Members Show Support

A small number of military members have been vocal about supporting the Freedom Convoy by recording videos while in uniform and posting them online.

Major Stephen Chledowski, an artillery officer based in New Brunswick, posted a video last week in which he criticized the government’s handling of the pandemic.

Chledowski said that despite 20-plus years serving his country, notably in Afghanistan, he is no longer treated as a citizen because he chooses to remain unvaccinated.

“Like many thousands of Canadians who choose body autonomy and pro-choice, I am unable to share in the same privileges now—like eating at a restaurant, going out in public to an event, or even travelling across provinces to see my child,” he said.

Chledowski called on fellow military and police officers “to now stand up and protect your loved ones against this government-forced medical tyranny.”

Chledowski did not return a request for comment. The Canadian Press reported he is now under DND investigation.

James Topp, a reserves warrant officer who says he has served for over 25 years, has also posted a number of videos online in which he criticizes the government’s vaccine mandates.

In one video he appears in ceremonial dress, which he says he’s wearing without the approval of his leadership and is ready to suffer the consequences.

“I do not believe that the state should have the power over my body and what goes into it. End of story,” says Topp, who previously served in one of Canada’s regular force infantry regiments, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.

To oppose the vaccine mandate imposed on the federal public service, Topp said he will embark on a walk from Vancouver to Ottawa. He plans to depart on Feb. 20 and document the process on his website, canadamarches.ca.

Topp was employed as a civilian for the RMCP but was put on leave without pay because of his vaccination status.

He told The Epoch Times he was also in the process of being released from the Reserves because of his vaccinations status, but he now believes DND could halt the process in order to subject him to court-martial. Topp hasn’t been informed he’s under investigation, but a DND spokesperson told the Ottawa Citizen that he is.

“I do not hate you. I thank you for what I have been put through at your hands,” Topp says in a video posted on Feb. 13, addressing those who’ve pushed him on the vaccine issue.

“It has helped me find a sense of purpose that I never knew before. That I, as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, will give up everything, up to and including my health and my life, for my brothers and sisters in arms, for the working people of this country, because they have made me what I am today, and who have given me everything that I have.”

Along with a small number of soldiers allegedly supporting the protest movement and the few taking a public stance, military veterans have been a fixture on the site of the Ottawa protest.

Over the weekend, veterans removed the fence that had been placed around the War Monument which was installed by authorities after a protester danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during the first days of the demonstration.

“You do not put a fence around our monument,” said one veteran before the fence was removed and veterans removed snow and ice on the monument, according to a video posted online.