A former member of the Canadian Armed Forces is calling for an independent inquiry into racism in the military.
Wallace Fowler, who spent three years with the Canadian Armed Forces as a vehicle and traffic technician, says he and his family were subject to racism on and off the base.
“I remember standing out, there was a little white girl that said 'look mommy, there's a n-----,’” said Fowler. “I just sort of put my head down and the guy beside me said, ‘don't worry about it, they're like that out here.’”
Fowler’s lawyer Ron Stockton says his client was even more affected by how his family was treated, saying Fowler’s children faced racial taunting in school and in the community.
“My ex-spouse used to work on the base, and there'd be times people would literally refuse service because she was black,” said Fowler.
Stockton says others backed Fowler’s claims while he was posted in Esquimalt, B.C.
But after he moved to Trenton, Ont., there was another investigation and Fowler was told records of his complaints didn’t exist.
Fowler says he was released from service in 2003 for “not being able to adapt to military life.”
But now, he’s calling for the independent inquiry.
“I've never once asked for money, not once,” said Fowler. “I've asked for an inquiry to take place based on the people's involvement so this doesn't happen to the next family that goes through what I went through.”
“Without addressing all forms of discrimination the military, we don't believe can be successful in dealing with any of them,” said Stockton.
Rubin Coward, a former sergeant in the military, says he too suffered from racism.
“The military incessantly reports that they have a zero tolerance towards discrimination, and I want to make it unequivocally clear – they have no policy to deal with racism whatsoever.”
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jacqueline Foster.
