Canadians can no longer comment on posts made by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre’s X account after the Canadian Armed Forces turned off the ability to reply.
The decision was taken in response to negative comments being made about unpopular policies he’s enforced in the CAF.
The decision was made in January as critical comments began to pour in from people who believe Eyre is ushering a “woke” agenda into the CAF.
Anonymous sources within the DND told the Ottawa Citizen that Eyre is extremely sensitive to the mounting criticism he’s faced in recent months.
Among some of the common complaints with the CAF aimed at Eyre concern the new gender-neutral dress code and the decision to allow military personnel to have long hair, which can now be dyed any colour. Additionally, under Eyre’s leadership, the military has adopted a policy that requires women’s menstrual products to be placed in men’s washrooms.
As reported by True North, some soldiers have protested the decision by removing the dispensers from the walls.
There have also been critiques of policy changes which now allow for personnel to sport face tattoos and long nails.
More pertinent complaints from the public like a lack of housing for troops and ongoing sexual assault amongst the ranks were also posted to Eyre’s X feed, as well as his participation in the standing ovation of former Waffen SS Nazi Yarsolov Hunka in the House of Commons.
“In recent months, we observed a concerning increase in malicious and misinformative engagements that proved detrimental to the Canadian Armed Forces’ ethics, values, and communication objectives,” wrote National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin in a statement to True North Wire.
“Considering this, we made the decision back in January to close the comments section on the CDS (Chief of the Defence Staff) X account.”
According to Poulin, the “measure is aimed at preserving a positive and respectful environment for everyone accessing our information. We believe it is crucial for our platform to uphold standards that promote constructive interactions and discourage harmful behaviours that counter the core principles of the Canadian Armed Forces.”
Eyre became acting defence chief in 2021, at a time when the CAF was facing several scandals of sexual assault and misconduct amongst its senior ranks.
He succeeded then-chief admiral Art McDonald, who was facing allegations of sexual misconduct at the time of his removal. McDonald was never charged as a result of any of the allegations.
The Liberal government named Eyre full-time chief on Nov. 25 of that same year. By January Prime Minister Trudeau announced that Gen. Eyre was scheduled to retire this summer.
Eyre denies any allegations that his service as Chief of the Defence Staff has been controversial.
However, shortly after assuming the full-time position, he was met with backlash from military members and retirees over comments he made that the exodus of CAF personnel was linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing cases of sexual misconduct.
“We need our mid-level leaders to dig deep and do this for the institution, to put service before self, not to retreat into retirement, but to advance forward and face the challenges head-on,” said Eyre in 2021.
These comments were met with a strong backlash from both retired and serving CAF members, who argued that the exodus of personnel had begun long before the presence of those issues.
Many took to social media to lay the blame on poor leadership and their concerns about quality of life as the real reasons why membership was dwindling.
Some also expressed that soldiers should be allowed to leave the military as they see fit following the completion of their commitment without being reprimanded by Eyre.
The online backlash resulted in Eyre later conceding that his comments “did not sit well with some current and former members.”
Another scandal surrounding Eyre’s tenure was his promotion of several senior officers who would later be embroiled in sexual assault and misconduct scandals.
While Eyre publicly pushed for the CAF to address changes needed within the military’s culture, reported incidents of sexual assaults and misconduct increased under his watch.