By Canadian Press

Military whistleblower sues Ottawa after reporting alleged Afghan civilian killings

Oct 16, 2024 | 1:16 PM

MONTREAL — A former sergeant with the Canadian Armed Forces is suing the federal government for nearly $3 million alleging unfair treatment after he reported the killing of civilians during the war in Afghanistan.

The lawsuit in Quebec Superior Court alleges that former Sgt. Claude Lepage witnessed Canadian soldiers execute an unarmed man and bomb civilian residences in 2006.

Lepage, a former member of a special forces unit known as Joint Task Force 2, says he reported the execution to his chain of command but claims the ensuing internal investigation did not take the allegation seriously.

He says he witnessed a series of other occasions when armed forces with Canada or other countries killed unarmed Afghan civilians.

The statement of claim says Lepage was forced in 2008 to return to Canada without explanation, a day after he told a colonel he no longer wanted to participate in missions that could lead to “non-accidental deaths of unarmed people or civilian Afghans.”

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Lepage alleges he was forced out of the unit and his salary was halved, all because of his attempts to call out “aggressiveness ” toward Afghan civilians.

His claims have not been proven in court, and the Department of National Defence was not immediately available for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.

The Canadian Press