OTTAWA — Independent MP Kevin Vuong says he is co-operating fully with the Royal Canadian Navy, which has charged him for failing to disclose he was charged with sexual assault in 2019.
The sexual assault charge was later dropped and Vuong denies wrongdoing, but as a reservist he was supposed to tell his commanding officer about the charge.
Vuong is a naval reservist and holds the rank of sub-lieutenant. He wore his white naval dress uniform when he met the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2017 to accept a leadership award.
The Navy said the MP has not decided whether to face a court martial or a summary trial, which is less formal and designed to deal with relatively minor offences in the service.
If found guilty at trial, the scale of punishment would range from a fine to a reprimand — or a combination of both — or dismissal with disgrace.
Vuong said he has been aware for months that charges may be brought and he has been co-operating with the inquiry.
"As a sub-lieutenant in the Canadian Forces Naval Reserves, I have been long aware of a possible charge being made. Indeed, I have been assisting the Navy’s inquiry through my lawyer," he said in a statement.
Vuong was dropped as the Liberal candidate for Spadina-Fort York during last year's election campaign after it emerged he had not told the party he had previously been charged with sexual assault.
He was, however, elected in the Toronto riding and now sits as an Independent MP.
Since being elected, Vuong has spoken out in the House of Commons about racism, anti-Asian hate and antisemitism.
He has faced calls from members of the Spadina-Fort York Liberal riding association to stand down as an MP and prompt a byelection.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2022.
Marie Woolf, The Canadian Press
