Military investigated reservist for ties to Canadian Nationalist Party

OTTAWA — The military launched an investigation last month into whether a reservist’s connections to right-wing political parties put his personal beliefs offside with the values of the Canadian Forces.

Officer Cadet Darik Horn was identified during the election campaign by an anti-hate group as one of the founding supporters of the Canadian Nationalist Party.

Among other things, the party advocates for maintaining the “demographic status of the current European-descended majority,” via the return to highly restrictive immigration laws of the mid-20th century.

Horn is also an active volunteer for the People’s Party of Canada, which was also heavily criticized for its stance on immigration and multiculturalism.

Col. Dan Stepaniuk, who commands Horn’s reserve brigade, says the military’s issue wasn’t the political parties specifically, but whether Horn personally and publicly held beliefs that ran counter to those of the Forces.

The investigation concluded late last week with no disciplinary action taken, but the military would not say why. Horn declined repeated requests for an interview.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 19, 2019.

The Canadian Press