Commander of HMCS Regina fired after ‘inappropriate conduct’ on another ship

The commanding officer of HMCS Regina has been relieved of his duties after an incident of “inappropriate conduct”, the Royal Canadian Navy said on Thursday.

The Navy said in a statement it had confidence in Lt.-Cmdr. David Dallin, who commanded the Pacific Fleet warship.

The alleged incident occurred on another ship during a naval exercise, the Navy said.

“The RCN expects all of its members to exercise institutionally appropriate judgment at all times, particularly when holding clear leadership or command roles,” the Navy said in the release.

In an interview with Global News, Cmdre. Pacific Fleet commander David Mazur said he would not classify the incident as sexual misconduct.

“This was a case where an officer in charge in a position of authority behaved inappropriately towards a student,” he said.

“It’s nowhere near an attack … there were two parties involved, and it wasn’t against the will.”

An investigation into the incident is underway, the Navy said. Mazur said witnesses who attended the training exercise, which took place in the Seattle harbor, reported the behavior to the leadership the following day.

The Navy said Cmdr. Meghan Coates has now assumed command of HMCS Regina, a Halifax-class frigate based at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, BC

Dallin will be serving in other capacities within Maritime Forces Pacific at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt pending the completion of the investigation.

Mazur said his loss of confidence in Dallin was limited to his ability to hold a leadership position, so Dallin was not suspended pending the results of the investigation.

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The military’s HR czar’s comments cast doubt on changing the Canadian military’s culture of misconduct

This is the second time this month that a ship’s commanding officer has been relieved of his duties.

The Captain of HMCS Halifax, identified as Cmdr. Dale St. Croix was removed as part of an investigation into multiple incidents on board the ship during a port visit in Swinoujscie, Poland.

However, the June 9 announcement by the Canadian Armed Forces made it clear that these incidents did not involve any sexual misconduct.

“I would say our culture is constantly evolving,” Mazur said when asked about the latest moves.

“There have been suspicions of cover-up and inappropriate handling of people, so we are very proactive now. … We communicate too much to make sure people realize we’re aware and dealing with things.”

Mazur added Dillan met with the ship’s company and those involved in the training exercise to apologize and show he recognized his behavior before he was removed from command.

The Canadian Armed Forces are in the midst of a reckoning of sexual misconduct and abuse of power within their ranks, including at the highest levels.

The latest deportations come after a controversial report that revealed top echelons of the Canadian Armed Forces are “unable” to recognize the “defective” parts of a culture that perpetuates sexual misconduct.

The report by retired Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbor, released May 30, came more than a year after Global News first reported instances of sexual misconduct among military leaders, including former Defense Staff chief Gen. Jonathan Vance.

This month two retired military officers were charged with sexual assault in connection with alleged incidents at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario.

One of these officers was a recently retired lieutenant general. Trevor Cadieu, who was appointed commander of the army last year before the military police began investigating him.

– with files from Amanda Connolly, Irelyne Lavery and Global’s Canadian press