A Canadian army corporal has been fined after attacking a fellow soldier during a night of drinking that followed Remembrance Day ceremonies in St. John’s last year.Blacklock's Reporter says court martial records show Cpl. Mikayla Harper, 27, a supply technician with the 5th Canadian Division Support Group, punched Pvt. Chloe Parsons in the face at the Garrison St. John’s junior mess on Nov. 11, 2023, then continued hitting her until bystanders intervened.The altercation began after the two had a conversation in the women’s changing room earlier in the evening. Harper later confronted Parsons near the bar and pool table, knocking her to the ground. Evidence showed Harper struck her “several more times” before being pulled away, and later sent Parsons a social media message saying, “you deserved that.”.Court martial judge Col. Nancy Isenor said the timing of the assault — coming just hours after a solemn ceremony to honour Canada’s war dead — showed “a significant shortfall of expected military decorum.” She stressed that members of the Canadian Armed Forces are expected to show restraint, discipline and respect, particularly on such a day.Harper pleaded guilty to the offence of fighting and was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine. The maximum penalty for assault under the National Defence Act is two years in prison. Isenor noted the offence is taken seriously to protect discipline, morale and cohesion within the ranks.
