National Post (National Edition)
Sajjan refused evidence on Vance
`Meeting was very hostile'
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan was fully aware of serious allegations against then Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance in 2018 but went so far as to refuse to accept evidence that was offered, a Commons committee heard.
Wednesday's testimony by former military ombudsman Gary Walbourne contradicts Sajjan's own testimony that he only found out about the sexual misconduct allegations against Vance from news media reports in early February.
Walbourne said he met with Sajjan in March 2018 to brief him about the allegations. The ombudsman also had evidence to give Sajjan, but the minister refused to accept it.
“Yes, I did directly tell him about an allegation of inappropriate behaviour against the chief of defence staff,” Walbourne told the defence committee. “I did tell the minister what the allegation was. I reached into my pocket to show him the evidence I was holding. He pushed back from the table and said, `No.'”
Because the complaint from the victim was informal, Walbourne said he was in a difficult position. He did not have permission from the victim to investigate so he went to Sajjan for advice. “The only thing I ever wanted the minister to do was his job,” he said.
“Doing nothing was not the response I was looking for.”
Walbourne said the “meeting was very hostile and ended bitterly.”
He said he asked Sajjan to keep the information confidential to protect the victim and advise him on how to proceed. A day later, he was summoned to the Privy Council Office and questioned about the victim. “I was absolutely shocked they knew about it,” he said.
The Privy Council Office took no action against Vance and Walbourne said Sajjan refused to meet with him again.
The committee is probing the allegations against Vance, who retired in January after five years as the country's top soldier.
Weeks after he stepped down, Global News reported that Vance had been accused of inappropriate behaviour with two female subordinates.
At his appearance before the committee on Feb. 19, Sajjan said he was surprised by the Global News report. When he was grilled on why he didn't remove Vance when first told in 2018 about allegations of sexual impropriety, the minister didn't answer the question, citing the need to protect an ongoing investigation.
Sajjan released a statement after Walbourne's testimony saying, “I disagree with parts of the testimony.”
The defence minister did not outline what parts of Walbourne's testimony he didn't agree with. Sajjan also repeated his previous statement that any allegations that were brought forward were sent to the proper authorities. He said that was done while respecting the need to protect the privacy of individuals involved.
The committee has heard that Sajjan and Vance were friends and that Vance had requested Sajjan for the Afghanistan mission when the minister was a military officer.
Walbourne said that he faced retribution from the senior National Defence leadership when he pushed for more powers to do his job in supporting Canadian military personnel.
He was put under investigation by National Defence but Walbourne testified that deputy minister Jody Thomas refused to tell him any specifics.
“I knew it was a hit job,” Walbourne said of the investigation. “I don't know if it was a cover-up, but I know it was a full-court press to get rid of me.”
Walbourne, who was named ombudsman in 2014, resigned seven months after the meeting with Sajjan.
Walbourne said there are good people in the Canadian Forces but the organization gets tainted by those who continue to act improperly. “What we need to do is get the dinosaurs off the table,” he said.
Vance is under military police investigation, sparked by the Global News reports that said he allegedly had an ongoing relationship with a woman he significantly outranked. Global also reported Vance is alleged to have made a sexual suggestion to a second, much younger soldier in 2012, before he was appointed chief of the defence staff.
Postmedia has repeatedly asked Vance for comment but he has not responded. He told Global he did nothing improper.
The Liberals on the committee tried to put the blame on Walbourne, suggesting he should have gone immediately to military police or conducted his own investigation.
NDP defence critic Randall Garrison questioned why some of the Liberal MPs were focusing on what Walbourne didn't do when the Sajjan, the minister, was the one responsible.
Sajjan and Thomas, who also appeared earlier before the committee, acknowledged that many in the Canadian Forces don't trust the various processes in place to protect individuals who complain about misconduct. In addition, Thomas acknowledged military personnel fear they could face reprisals if they come forward.