Allegations that someone was posing as a Canadian soldier have lit up social media – with actual soldiers, past and present, rushing to condemn a man identified as Sgt. Franck Gervais.
The man, who referred to himself as Franck Gervais during CBC’s coverage at the National War Memorial, is not a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, according to the Department of National Defence.
The CBC said it received several calls from veterans and soldiers who saw Gervais in uniform during the interview and pointed to inaccuracies in his claim.
According to section 419 under the Criminal Code, it is an offence to wear a Canadian Armed Forces uniform, or a similar uniform that “is likely to be mistaken” for an authentic one.
The CBC said the man had been standing by a group of other officials dressed in uniform when he was interviewed.
“To civilian eyes, he appeared to be an authentic soldier,” the broadcaster said in an emailed statement issued Wednesday.
“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.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
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