New East Coast navy commander says he has spoken with Proud Boys

The new commander of the navy on the East Coast says he has personally spoken with the Canadian Forces members who disrupted an Indigenous ceremony on Canada Day and let them know what he thinks of what they did.

Rear-Admiral Craig Baines made the comments in Halifax Friday following a change of command ceremony that included several tributes to the Canadian navy's relationship with the Indigenous community

He​ also said the July 1 incident involving five military personnel who said they were members of the Proud Boys, which describes itself on Facebook as a group "western chauvinists," should be used as a teachable moment.

"An old general once said, 'Never waste a crisis,'" said Baines, who assumes command of Joint Task Force Atlantic and Maritime Forces Atlantic.

"And what we need to do is take advantage of what has happened to educate people on why what happened was wrong, and what we need to do to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Baines didn't detail what he told the members, four of whom have returned to regular duties, and did not say whether they still consider themselves members of Proud Boys.

Change of command

Baines assumed command from Rear-Admiral John Newton, who is moving on to an appointment with Veterans Affairs Canada after four years in the top military job in Atlantic Canada.

Baines, who began his career in the navy in 1987, has worked under Newton for the past three years in his position as commander of the Canadian Fleet Atlantic.

"One of the great things about working with admiral Newton for the last three years is he and I were completely aligned and synchronized as to where the East Coast navy had to go and what we were doing in operations, what we were doing with readiness, so in fact you'll see a lot of similarities and very little differences," said Baines.

Twitter use

Newton was an avid user of social media, something his colleagues joked about as they presented him with farewell gifts, and Baines said he intends to continue that tradition.

"I have been using Twitter, but I will be doing it, I think, a lot more than I have previously," he said.