Former commander of Charlottetown cadets charged under National Defence Act

A former Charlottetown army cadet commander has been charged under the National Defence Act.

Captain Todd Bannister faces nine charges related to inappropriate language — some of it sexual in nature.

Be it sexual or verbal or non-verbal or physical or non-physical, that's a threat to the morale and the operational readiness of the Canadian Armed Forces.- Capt. Liam Mather

The charges stem from alleged incidents between 2013 and 2015 in P.E.I.

The allegations were made by staff and former cadets.

Capt. Liam Mather, spokesperson for the Regional Cadet Support Unit, said Bannister was suspended in April of 2016 after the unit was made aware of the allegations against him.

Bannister was charged in March 2017, he said, adding that any form of misconduct is harmful to the military as a whole.

"Be it sexual or verbal or non-verbal or physical or non-physical, that's a threat to the morale and the operational readiness of the Canadian Armed Forces," he said.

"It's directly opposed to the key principles of what we try to deliver in the Canadian Cadet Organizations and it's just wrong."

Bannister was named commander with the army cadets in Charlottetown in 2012, Mather said.

Court martial upcoming

Bannister's court martial is scheduled for Jan. 15 in Charlottetown.

If he's convicted under the defence act of the charge of behaving in a disgraceful manner, he could face jail time, or be dismissed from the forces.

So far none of the charges have been proven.

CBC has reached out to Bannister but he had not responded at the time of publishing.

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