Former head of military HR pleads not guilty to sex offences

Vice-Admiral Haydn Edmundson, the military's former head of human resources, has pleaded not guilty to two charges dating back to 1991.

His trial proceedings began on Tuesday morning in an Ottawa civilian court.

Edmundson was charged in December 2021 with sexual assault and committing indecent acts. He has denied any wrongdoing and his lawyer, Brian Greenspan, has said Edmundson looks forward to restoring his reputation. 

Edmundson has chosen to be tried in the Ontario Court of Justice, which means there will not be a jury.

A publication ban is in place protecting the identity of the complainant. During Edmundson's arraignment, the court said the offences allegedly took place on HMCS Provider when it was docked at Pearl Harbor in September through November 1991.

Most of Tuesday's proceedings were pre-trial motions, which were held in-camera. 

As a former commander of Military Personnel Command, Edmundson had authority over career consequences for military members found to have engaged in sexual misconduct.

His office's mandate included eliminating harmful and inappropriate behaviour in the military and complying with a class-action lawsuit against the Canadian Armed Forces over sexual misconduct, according to the military's website. 

Since early February 2021, multiple current and former senior Canadian military leaders have been sidelined, investigated, criminally charged or forced into retirement from some of the most powerful and prestigious posts in the defence establishment.

The court has scheduled 13 days — Aug. 8 through 24 — for this trial.