My understanding of the arrangement that saw General Fortin overseeing the distribution of vaccines as they arrived in Canada was he was on temporary assignment, seconded to the Department of Health. Every time he appeared before the cameras he was in full uniform. Not once did I see him in civilian clothing so he was and is still a member of the Canadian Army, with all that comes with that distinction.
As with all temporary military assignments they can end with little or no notice for any reason, including no reason at all. My understanding is General Fortin is still a member of the Canadian Army and he still holds his rank. He was either sent back to his old job in the Army or asked to take leave pending the investigation that prompted his reassignment.
Part of being a member of the military is that the organization that the member works for can assign them to any job whenever they like, based on operational requirements, or based on other requirements. There is no real recourse for the member if they do not like the assignment accept for resigning from the military. Although, it should be known that the military usually does not give such orders without first consulting with the member to determine if that member would be agreeable to the assignment. If not, most of the time the military will make other arrangements. They can be more arbitrary is if the member has some special skills that are not easy to find elsewhere.
He can seek legal recourse regarding his reassignment. That is his right. However, his reassignment came from his superiors, so I would assume it came down the chain of command, which incidentally includes the Defence Minister and the Prime Minister. If he took orders from someone not in the chain of command then he would have a problem. So, I cannot see what he hopes to achieve with his legal challenge.
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