The Canadian Department of National Defence has awarded a grant to a University of Alberta professor to investigate the extent of white supremacy in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Andy Knight, a professor of international relations and the University’s first provost fellow in Black excellence and leadership. He submitted a proposal on racism in the military to the federal department
Knight said he is going ahead with the research after observing that there were a number of active Canadian soldiers participating in last year’s “Freedom Convoy” protest in Ottawa, which was set off by dissatisfaction over COVID-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers.
“It piqued my interest,” Knight stated in an interview.
Knight will not only interview military officials but experts and decision makers from all works of life to decipher what attracts white supremacists to the armed forces and devise strategies to weed them out.
He said it seems that white supremacists are “infiltrating the military in Canada”.
“That is concerning to me because we expect the military to be there to protect the Canadian people,” he said.
“When you have individuals who are directly in opposition to the Canadian government, obviously it is of concern and that’s one of the reasons I thought it would be useful to take a deeper dive into why this is the case.”
Knight’s research follows a scathing report that the military’s attitude towards sniffing and preventing white supremacists and violent extremism was lackadaisical.
“My study will focus on the embedded culture in the military and establishment that allows individuals that have that mindset to be attracted to the military,” he said.
“How do these individuals get attracted to the military and how do you root that out in the future?”
Knight said expects military brass to cooperate and recognizes the difficulty in getting feedback from the rank-and-file within the Force.
“I think there’s already some pushback. It’s the kind of subject matter that hits a raw nerve, particularly in the military, right? No one wants to believe that the military has a culture and attracts that type of individual.”
The professor stated that he has interview some individuals who had served in the military, and expressed confidence that others were willing to contribute to this inquest. He promised that those who are involved will remain anonymous.
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