Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) warrant officer James Topp entered a guilty plea to two military court charges about him speaking out against vaccine mandates. “Guilty,” said Topp at a Tuesday hearing at the Office of the Chief Military Judge. Topp was slapped with two military court charges for opposing vaccine mandates in 2022. READ MORE: WATCH: Canadian veteran Topp charged for public protests against vax mandatesHe was put on an unpaid administrative leave for standing against vaccine mandates while in uniform on two occasions. The Department of National Defence said he is “facing two charges under the National Defence Act Section 129, Conduct to the Prejudice of Good Order and Discipline, in relation to making public comments criticizing the Government of Canada policies.”The maximum penalty Topp could face after pleading guilty to these charges is dismissal with disgrace. Two other charges against Topp related to improperly wearing his uniform were withdrawn by the Crown attorney after he pleaded not guilty to them at the start of the proceedings.The charges stemmed from statements he made in two videos recorded in and around Abbotsford, BC, which he shared to TikTok and YouTube.In the videos, he appeared in the uniform of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, where he once served. He went on to lead a march from Vancouver to Ottawa and became a symbol for Canadians opposed to vaccine mandates and government overreach.Topp joined the CAF in 1990, deploying to Bosnia and Afghanistan. He transferred to the reserves in 2019.
