Paramraj SinghAndy Knight, a University of Alberta professor in the department of political science, recently presented a report to the Government of Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) about white supremacy in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The report and an accompanying documentary have yet to be released to the public.
In Knight’s report, white supremacy in the CAF is detailed in two ways — a deep-rooted culture of white supremacy tied to its colonial past and the infiltration of white supremacists who are active in known groups like Diagolon or The Proud Boys. The report urges for a response to white supremacy in the CAF and offers recommendations.
“We’ve discovered that there is a creeping set of white supremacist ideology getting into the military somehow. The recruitment process is obviously not working,” Knight said.
As an example, he noted a case in which an active CAF member from Somalia was told by others in his unit that they “joined the military to learn how to kill brown and black people.” When he mentioned what he had heard to the DND and CAF, members said they weren’t surprised.
“Some people utilize or join the military to gain those skills,” Knight added.
“They’re not doing enough recruitment in urban centres, and that’s where most of the diversity lies,” Knight says
White supremacists entering the CAF have done lasting harm, damaging the organization’s reputation in the past, Knight said, citing the 1993 Somalia Affair. Alongside this, he maintained that the deep-rooted culture of white supremacy due to the CAF’s past has effects that are just as negative.
“The CAF, historically, is a British, white male, Anglo-Saxon, Christian organization. It tends to exclude certain people,” Knight said. The report details how 90 per cent of the CAF is white — Knight said this is due to recruitment and culture.
Additionally, the report details how the CAF tends to recruit rurally, which leads to little to no diversity. Due to this, the recruits from these areas tend to come from areas with minimal diversity, harming inclusivity, according to the report.
“They’re not doing enough recruitment in urban centres, and that’s where most of the diversity lies,” Knight said.
Culturally, there are issues with retention in the CAF. This is due to recruits struggling to relate to military culture, not being able to properly practice religion, the CAF’s traditions, and general poor treatment, Knight said.
Knight detailed how a Muslim member of the CAF was given time off for Ramadan, but was quickly called back for duty anyways. “Christians will not have the same problems getting some time off for Christmas,” Knight added.
Knight said that there have been changes made, and there are services available like the Chaplain service, but “it’s not changing fast enough.” The report details how the Chaplain service is also predominantly Christian, and describes one instance in which a Muslim Chaplain found pizza with pork purposely left in his chambers as a form of targeted harassment.
The report is “not just an academic research project anymore. It’s a life and death issue,” Knight says
To combat these issues, Knight’s report advocates for changes to the CAF like cultural reformation, a strengthened screening process for new recruits, and accountability and transparency.
Knight said these recommendations would take the form of “challenging and dismantling anything that fosters an exclusionary kind of practice, more robust vetting protocols and background checks, and a zero-tolerance policy” for extremism. There are 32 recommendations total.
Accompanying the report is a documentary called Trusted to Serve. The documentary serves to allow a voice for those affected by white supremacy in the CAF, and to explore the infiltration of white supremacists. It also aims to bring awareness to injustices like the LGBT Purge, where gay members of the CAF were outed by the government, citing the possibility of Soviet blackmailing.
Though Knight’s report and documentary have yet to be released to the public, he has already been contacted by those affected by white supremacy in the CAF. A former member of the CAF found Knight’s phone number and called him to share his story after hearing him on CBC.
Knight said “the way he was treated has been so detrimental to his mental health that he tried to commit suicide three times.” Knight brought this to the attention of the Chief Professional Conduct and Culture (CPCC) to get him help.
To Knight, the report is “not just an academic research project anymore. It’s a life and death issue.”
