Anita Anand's office censored military findings on troubled Ukraine charities
Defence Minister's staff removed conclusions about misconduct by Canadian Forces personnel involved in Mriya Aid and Mriya Report before public release.
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The Canadian Forces concluded that military personnel involved in two controversial organizations purporting to help Ukraine were misguided and in some cases wrong in their actions — but the office of then-Defence Minister Anita Anand stepped in to censor those conclusions before they could be released to the public.
Access to information records released this week show staff in Anand's office ordered sentences removed from a statement the Canadian Forces intended to release in April 2023. The censored text read: "We also recognize that the unfortunate actions of some contributors to these charitable endeavours might have been misguided, or in some cases, wrong."
The Ottawa Citizen had reported in early 2023 on allegations of mismanagement and wrongdoing at Mriya Aid, an Ottawa-based non-profit, after Ukrainians and former volunteers came forward. The New York Times also covered problems with volunteer efforts for Ukraine. Separately, the Citizen reported on mismanagement of funds collected for Ukraine by the Mriya Report, a charity created and operated by Canadian Forces Captain Joseph Friedberg.
Some officers conducted Mriya Aid activities using military emails and offices contrary to government rules. Military officers, in uniform, met with U.S. politicians and political staffers without approval to discuss Ukraine-related activities. In the case of Mriya Report, its 24 volunteers eventually resigned, with some alleging donations meant for Ukraine were instead spent on pizzas, Home Depot purchases, unauthorized volunteer payments, and payments to a convicted felon linked to Donald Trump.
Seventeen Canadian Forces personnel were involved in what was first known as Trident Aid and later became Mriya Aid throughout 2022 and 2023. Military involvement ended in spring 2023, after the Citizen's coverage prompted scrutiny. Anand is currently the foreign affairs minister and did not respond to a request for comment. Colonel Melanie Lake, former chairperson of Mriya Aid, declined to comment.
