Speaking publicly after being charged with one count of sexual assault, Major-General Dany Fortin says he’s been living through a ”nightmare,” with he and his lawyers knowing little about the case against him.

The military commander, who once led Canada’s vaccine distribution program, told reporters outside a Gatineau, Quebec police station where he was charged, that for the past three months he’s been forced to read much about himself in the media with no ability to defend his name.

Fortin also says he thinks he’s the victim of ”political calculus,” suggesting he lost his job to deflect criticism of the Trudeau government’s handling of other sexual misconduct incidents in the Armed Forces.

The charge against Fortin is believed to stem from an alleged incident in the late 1980s when he was a student at the Royal Military College.

He’s due in court September 20 – election day.