Canadian officer fined $3,000 for derogatory comment about British general

A decorated Canadian officer was fined $3,000 for a derogatory comment he made about a British general. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIAArticle content

A highly decorated Canadian officer and Afghan war veteran was fined $3,000 and given a severe reprimand for a derogatory comment he made about a British brigadier general.

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A Canadian military court martial held May 8 in Gatineau heard that Col. Rob Kearney was in his tent with two other officers on a military exercise when he referred to the female brigadier general as a “f—ing c–t.”

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Brig. Gen. Irena Dzisiewska was not present when the comment was made during a NATO command post exercise in Romania in October 2023, but a British officer who was in the tent with Kearney filed a complaint with the Canadian military.

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Kearney, 60, later apologized, took responsibility for his comments and co-operated with Canadian military police who were called in to investigate the incident.

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Military Judge Col. Nancy Isenor said the comment was “gender-based, crude and offensive” and brought disrepute to the Canadian Forces. Kearney, who has since retired from the Canadian military, was assistant chief of staff at the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in Innsworth, United Kingdom at the time of the incident.

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He submitted a guilty plea to one count of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline.

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Kearney, a reservist at the time of the incident, was originally charged with five counts. The allegation at the time was that Kearney had “made derogatory and disloyal comments about Senior CAF and NATO members,” according to a Canadian Forces April 2024 news release.

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Isenor accepted the joint submission from the defence lawyer and prosecution that Kearney’s punishment should be a $3,000 fine and a severe reprimand. No explanation was provided during the court martial about why the proceedings were for only one charge of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline.

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The court heard that Kearney had a stellar career, having served in the Canadian Forces for 31 years. During that time he earned 15 military decorations, including two commendations from the Chief of the Defence Staff, one army commendation, and a U.S. Meritorious Service Medal.

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Kearney, an Afghan war veteran, was in the regular force until May 2012. He left the military for the private sector and returned to the reserve force in August 2015. He had received a Canadian Meritorious Service Medal for his service in Afghanistan.