Ottawa officer removed after army learned of antisemitic, homophobic 'Blue Hackle Mafia' group

The head of the Canadian Army has temporarily removed the commanding officer of the Cameron Highlanders in Ottawa after discovering a Facebook group with "abhorrent" content.

As CBC News reported earlier this month, the Canadian Armed Forces has been investigating what was called the "Blue Hackle Mafia" group, which the army said was littered with "racist, misogynistic, homophobic and antisemitic comments and images."

Army commander Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright said in a July 16 message to members that he was taking steps to address the "inappropriate behaviour" in a Facebook group.

Those steps include temporarily removing the head of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, a reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army, as an investigation into the group continues, he said. An interim head officer has been appointed to oversee the unit.

The statement does not include names, but the regiment's website lists Lt.-Col. Ryan Hendy as the commanding officer.

"This incident has damaged the reputation of the Canadian Army at a time when we are engaged in important modernization work as part of a ready, resilient, and relevant Canadian Armed Forces," Wright wrote in the statement.

He previously described the Facebook group's content as "abhorrent" and said he was "disgusted" by some of the posts.

According to screenshots of the Blue Hackle Mafia group shared with the Ottawa Citizen, the group posted hateful comments directed toward women and derogatory sexual comments about former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

In one posting described by the newspaper, members talked about getting together for drinks at an Ottawa bar.

"All welcome (except the Jews of course)," responded a member.

CBC News has not verified the screenshots.

Wright's statement goes on to say the army is investigating the alleged unethical conduct of any serving Canadian Army members who were part of the group. The group is also being investigated by the military police.

The Blue Hackle Mafia is one of two high-profile stories about conduct in the Armed Forces this month.

Last week the RCMP charged four men, including two Armed Forces members and one former member, of amassing a trove of weapons and explosives as part of a scheme to take over land near Quebec City.