Former Canadian Armed Forces corporal Stéphanie Raymond won justice against her attacker, former warrant officer André Gagnon, in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in 2021 after a decade-long battle, heated trials, botched investigations and a court-martial.
Today, the former soldier is calm about this story and agreed to speak openly with the director Gaëlle d’Ynglemare for the documentary “Armed Assault”, which traces her setbacks in the armed forces and is available from this Tuesday on Vrai.
In these 90 minutes, some of which are impressive and even repulsive, Stéphanie Raymond, along with other victims who were willing to surrender, revisit their stories and lift the veil on the culture of trivializing reprehensible sexual behavior that exists in Canadian society The army prevails, as does this law of silence that exists for the “so-called good of the troops”.
“Publicly denouncing in the media was my last resort,” recalled Stéphanie Raymond during an interview with the QMI agency. By pulling this joker card out of her sleeve, she saw her concerns taken seriously and, moreover, initiated journalistic investigations that brought a lot of attention to the armed forces, particularly in the magazine “L’Actualité”.
Former non-commissioned officer Stéphanie Raymond and her therapeutic pigeon in the documentary “Armed Assault” by Gaëlle d’Ynglemare, available on Vrai from October 17, 2023. Photo provided by Vrai
Since then, “the army has done many things to change the culture, but they have only been half-hearted attempts,” believes the ex-soldier.
“Impunity is still very present. It is not true that assault cases are automatically referred to the civil criminal justice system. It’s still the military police and often still the court-martial. “All the people who support the crime, the cover-up and the reprisals always remain unpunished,” she added, emphasizing that in her story no one but the aide was held responsible for the intimidation and humiliation she suffered after her denunciation .
“Moreover, I am not frustrated because I am lucky that my story ended well. The fact that it was public knowledge means everything to me,” she continued.
Return to the event
On December 15, 2011, after a drunken Christmas party between soldiers, Ms. Raymond’s superior asked her to follow him to the officers’ mess to talk, but the man had other plans…
The ex-soldier hesitated for two weeks before filing a complaint. When she finally made up her mind, a descent into hell and all kinds of reprisals followed. Having resigned herself to asking permission to leave the armed forces after two years, he was finally dismissed with disgrace and reprimand.
As a result, she lost her career, her social network and her reputation. She says she still suffers from chronic fatigue, short-term memory loss and difficulty concentrating.
Excerpt from the court-martial in the case between the former non-commissioned officer Stéphanie Raymond and her attacker, the former aide André Gagnon, in the documentary “Armed Assault” directed by Gaëlle d’Ynglemare, available on Vrai from October 17, 2023. Photo provided by Vrai
The book
The former non-commissioned officer, who now leads a peaceful civilian life, was asked by Éditions de l’homme to publish her story just over a year ago.
“I agreed immediately. “I’ve always wanted to write a book with this story, but it seemed like I didn’t have the courage or energy to tackle it again,” she admitted. However, the fact that she worked with journalist Claudie Coté, who covered part of the trial, took a significant burden off her shoulders, she said.
“I am quite satisfied with the result. “The book is quite easy to read for the common man, is very popular and I think it can be of interest to all age groups,” she concluded.
The book “You will write NON in the front” about Stéphanie Raymond’s struggle, written by journalist Claudie Côté, will be available in bookstores on October 18, 2023. Photo provided by Vrai
Armed Assault is available on Vrai from Tuesday.
The book “You Will Write NO on Your Forehead” hits shelves on Wednesday.