Military police warned of officer's claims about access to defence minister

A Canadian Forces officer in charge of a private Ukraine relief organization told a civilian she had access to then-Defence Minister Anita Anand and suggested she could shape how federal government funds were spent on the war-torn country.

Concerns about Lt. Col. Melanie Lake's interactions were raised in an August 2023 complaint to the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, according to documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.

Lake, who chairs Mriya Aid, a non-profit based in Ottawa, communicated with a Ukrainian civilian about an upcoming meeting with Anand and then-Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre at a military exercise in Wainwright, Alta. In May 2022 messages to Walter Lekh, a U.S.-based Ukrainian, Lake wrote: "What do you think are the most important needs from the Ukrainian side for me to mention when I have the Minister and CDS in my vehicle today? If I can at all shape how our government procurement money is spent."

Lake was exploring whether $12 million of Canadian funds could be spent on drones from a particular company. After her conversation with Anand, Lake reported back to Lekh: "I told her about the drones, their capability and how much they could be used. She asked how much and didn't bat an eye when I said $12M."

Canadian Forces records also show that military personnel associated with Mriya Aid and the related Mriya Report charity used government resources without permission and met with foreign officials without approval from their commanders. One Ukrainian general was under the false impression that Mriya Aid had Canadian Forces liaison staff in Poland.

Lake declined to comment. The Canadian Forces concluded two investigations into complaints about the organization: one determined no criminal charges were warranted, and the other was referred to the chain of command for action. Personnel were counselled, according to the department.