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Franck Gervais,
who spoke with CBC on Remembrance Day wearing a uniform and medals, has been
charged by Ottawa police. (CBC)
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Ottawa police charged Franck Gervais
Saturday for impersonating a decorated soldier during a Remembrance Day
ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. Gervais, 32, is not a member of the
Canadian Forces and faces two charges of personating a public officer, one
charge of unlawful use of military uniforms and one charge of unlawful use of
military decoration.
After seeing Gervais speaking as a
"sergeant" on television, a number of veterans and soldiers
called CBC News to question his status as a soldier.
It is an offence for someone who is not
serving in the military to wear a current military uniform.
"Falsely impersonating a Canadian
Armed Forces member is an issue to be taken seriously and is covered under
Section 419 of the Criminal Code of Canada," a spokesperson for the
Defence Department said in an emailed statement earlier this week.
"Such activities are a disservice
to the proud men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, who earn the right to
wear their uniforms through their hard work and the sacrifices they make for
our country."
Gervais is from Cantley, Quebec. He was
arrested in Ottawa on Saturday, charged and released. He is scheduled to
appear in court on Dec. 9. The investigation remains ongoing.
The CBC issued a statement Wednesday
about the event: "During CBC's extensive coverage of Remembrance Day
commemorations in Ottawa, we interviewed many veterans and serving members of
the Canadian Forces. These included one man who had been standing among a group
of uniformed personnel. To civilian eyes, he appeared to be an authentic
soldier," the statement said.
"We have since learned that he was
not, that his uniform was not correct, and that he was wearing medals he had
not earned. All this was drawn to our attention by veterans and serving
members, who were understandably angry at seeing this counterfeit soldier. We
regret this, and are following up to learn more about the man."
Warning signs?
CBC News asked Jake Flanders of
the Airborne Regiment Association of Canada to review the tape from Tuesday's
interview.
Flanders said a number of "red
flags" jumped out at him, such as Gervais's facial hair, the red
sash he wore across his uniform and his maroon beret.
"The red flags are, first off, his
facial hair. In the military, you're not allowed to have a beard like
that."
Flanders said that for someone
claiming to be a "sergeant," Gervais wore his red sash the
wrong way, while the maroon beret he wore is traditionally reserved
for soldiers serving in parachute units.
"I can tell you that all sorts of people,
ex-airborne people and military jumpers, were all over Facebook saying,
'Does anybody know this guy?' And there are just too many... symbols that
he's faking it.
"But the thing that really irks me
about him is he has a medal for bravery on," Flanders said.
"It's all wrong."
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/
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