CFB ESQUIMALT - Hundreds of Canadian Navy personnel were targeted with a surprise, mandatory drug test at the home of the Pacific fleet in December but the results have not been released.
The revelation came Wednesday at the cocaine-related court martial of a former petty officer, caught up in an undercover military "sting" operation in late 2005 and early 2006 that focused on crew members of HMCS Saskatoon at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt.
The court martial heard of the base's efforts to combat drug and alcohol abuse.
The massive "blind test" was conducted as a new component of the Canadian Forces drug enforcement policy, according to a base spokesman.
"There were several units tested. . . a team goes in and the whole unit, all members of the unit, are tested," said Navy Lt. Paul Pendergast. "That would have involved several hundred people."
He said buildings and ships at the base, near Victoria, B.C., were involved.
"It's urine testing. All exits would be blocked and the team would go in and before anyone can leave, all members would be tested."
Pendergast said the testing for the use of marijuana, cocaine and several other drugs was anonymous and no names were attached to the samples taken.
The purpose is to give Navy leadership what he called a "snapshot of drug use in a unit."
But he was in the dark about the results.
"I am not privy to the reason why the results have not been released," he said.
Lt. Pendergast's comments followed the first full day of proceedings at the long-delayed court martial of former Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Carlson, the warship's coxswain, and one of four Saskatoon crew members to be charged in an undercover operation involving the military's National Investigative Service.
Charges under the National Defence Act of trafficking and disgraceful behaviour were dropped Wednesday, replaced with a lesser charge of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline.
Carlson immediately pleaded guilty, which was accepted by the court.
Following Carlson's guilty plea, the court martial heard the base was trying to tackle problems of alcohol abuse and increasing drug use.
"The incidence of alcohol abuse was higher in the past than at present," testified Chief Petty Officer Paul Helston, who added that abuse of "hard drugs" appeared to be on the rise.
Documents put into evidence revealed that since 2004, 39 drug related summary convictions had been won against 27 members of the Canadian Forces at CFB Esquimalt, 11 involving marijuana and 16 involving cocaine.
There have also been five drug-related convictions obtained at courts martial.
Pendergast said 36 members from the Esquimalt base had been sent to "residential treatment in the last year," but he could not be specific about how many were being treated for alcoholism and how many for drug problems.
Cmdr. Craig Baines, the current commanding officer of the frigate HMCS Winnipeg who spent more than two years aboard the smaller Saskatoon, said as coxswain of the 55-metre warship Carlson's responsibilities were discipline, morale and ethics.
He said it was considered a law-and-order position aboard
"We consider the coxswain as the sheriff, he lays the charges. If he is breaking the rules, then there are no rules," said Baines
Carlson's former commanding officer on Saskatoon, Lt.-Cmdr. Jeffrey White, spoke highly of his former coxswain before becoming aware of the drug issue involving his crew.
"He performed very well," he testified. "At the time I was impressed, and he knew it".
In fact, White testified he had no suspicions about Carlson or any other member of the crew until he was approached by a senior officer with a tip.
White testified the National Investigative Service put a female undercover operative aboard Saskatoon in the role of a clerk as part of a sting operation, adding that everyone involved felt a woman would fit in more smoothly and be more easily invited to parties.
Carlson was released by the military and faced the court martial before the Canadian Forces chief military judge, Col. Mario Dutil, as a civilian.
Pendergast said punishment and penalties for the new charge can include the possibility of a permanent "dismissal with disgrace from Her Majesty's service."
Last August a second former crew member from HMCS Saskatoon had his trafficking charge dropped in return for a plea of guilty of bad conduct.
In the spring of 2007, a third crew member pleaded guilty to trafficking and the fourth pleaded guilty to selling a small amount of cocaine to an undercover officer.
Both were handed suspended sentences and fined.
