The Current

Breach of Trust & the Canadian Military

The story of a young recruit trying to become a member of the armed forces and how her story raises troubling questions about the military's responsibility to protect its recruits.
Today's documentary involves a young woman whose name we cannot share and whose allegations have raised troubling questions about the Canadian military, its recruiting and the implications for its chain of command. Our producer, Howard Goldenthal investigates how a young recruit found her life blown apart on a winter's day while trying to become a member of the armed forces.



The Canadian military is an institution that runs on trust in the chain of command. And with that trust comes great responsibility. Today, The Current's Howard Goldenthal investigates how a young recruit found her life torn apart on a winter's day while trying to become a member of the armed forces and how her story raises troubling questions about the military's responsibility to protect its recruits.

Howard Goldenthal's documentary is called Breach of Trust.

* A note... we are only able to refer to the young woman in this story as RW due to a military court order. And we should warn you, it contains some graphic details about allegations of sexual assault.

RW says she would like to tell her story using her own name, but as we mentioned... a publication ban on using her name was put in place during the Court Martial. The CBC law department is working to have that ban lifted.

The Current contacted the Directorate of Defence Counsel Services in an effort to reach James Wilks. We were told that Mr. Wilks' counsel has been deployed overseas. And while they can't talk about the Wilks case because of client - solicitor confidentiality, we were told that when an individual is facing court martial, the general rule is that they are dissuaded from speaking to the media before the trial.

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Other segments from today's show:

The implications of the Italian elections

Ethical dilemmas surrounding medical tourism