MONTREAL—The Canadian military is investigating one of its members from Quebec after “inappropriate comments” were posted on Facebook about Harjit Sajjan, the new minister of national defence.

A spokesperson for the Canadian Armed Forces would not reveal the content of the message, which was reportedly quickly removed from the social media site. But in a statement, Daniel Le Bouthillier wrote that “racist attitudes are not compatible with military ethos and with effective military service.”

The offensive comments appeared less than 24 hours after Sajjan — an observant Sikh who is a former Vancouver Police officer and a decorated soldier who served three tours in Afghanistan and another in Bosnia — was sworn in as defence minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government on Nov. 4.

A source in the department of national defence said the member of the military who allegedly wrote the Facebook post is a non-commissioned officer from CFB Valcartier, near Quebec City.

“We have had an incident in which a high-ranking member of military posted negative comments on a Facebook page about our minister,” wrote Chief Warrant Officer Kevin West, the military’s top-ranking non-commissioned officer in an email to troops on Nov. 5 that was obtained by Le Droit.

“It’s totally unacceptable. We already deal with conduct problems on a daily basis in our ranks and it’s our duty, and that of our leaders, to put an end to it immediately. I was made aware of this incident and to say that I am mad is not the word.”

West’s email to the troops was written in English and translated into French by the newspaper. In the message, West apologized for sending an English-only email but explained that he wanted to get his message out urgently.

But Le Droit reported that the unilingual warning apparently displeased some francophone troops and a complaint has been filed with the Official Languages Commissioner’s office, which enforces breaches of the Official Languages Act.

Nelson Kalil, a spokesperson for commissioner Graham Fraser could not comment on the report or confirm whether a complaint had been filed because the office was closed for Remembrance Day.

The military statement explained that the individual’s commanding officer who must decide what further action, if any, is required. Other disciplinary measures can include ordering the individual into counseling, a probationary period, suspension from duty or even a recommendation of release if the incident is deemed sufficiently serious.

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