National Post (National Edition)
Sajjan snubs watchdog 17 times
Cancels all meetings after ombudsman raises Vance
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan cancelled 17 meetings with the Canadian Forces ombudsman as the military watchdog became more vocal about the need for the government to help injured soldiers.
The details of the cancelled meetings are contained in Gary Walbourne's calendar, now tabled with the House of Commons committee examining allegations of sexual misconduct against Gen. Jon Vance, who retired as chief of the defence staff in January.
Walbourne was increasingly frozen out by Sajjan and senior defence officials after he started delving into how injured Canadian Forces personnel were treated, producing six reports in two years on the lack of support for military staff and their families. At the same time Walbourne was also recommending his office no longer be under the control of senior defence officials and instead report directly to Parliament.
Walbourne testified before the Commons committee on Wednesday that he found himself totally cut off in 2018 after he informed Sajjan about serious allegations of sexual misconduct against Vance, Canada's top soldier and the minister's friend.
His calendar shows in the aftermath of that meeting, Sajjan cancelled all seven meetings that had been scheduled. In total Sajjan cancelled 17 of the 24 scheduled meetings he had with Walbourne from November 2016 to September 2018.
“I left the job early on the advice of my doctors and my own realization that no reasonable person could possibility be expected to continue in the hostile circumstances created by the Department of National Defence,” Walbourne told MPs on Wednesday.
Walbourne had been named ombudsman in 2014 and served until the fall of 2018.
His testimony in front of the Commons defence committee painted a portrait of a toxic culture at National Defence headquarters. His testimony also contradicted Sajjan's statements that he only found out about the sexual misconduct allegations against Vance from news media reports weeks ago. Walbourne noted that not only had he briefed the minister about the misconduct allegations in March 2018 but he offered physical evidence of those allegations. Sajjan refused to accept the evidence.
Military staff continued to recommend Sajjan meet with Walbourne to hear about the various concerns Canadian Forces personnel were bringing to the ombudsman. But the minister steadfastly refused.
Asked about the minister's refusal to meet with Walbourne after the March 2018 meeting about Vance, Sajjan's spokesman Todd Lane noted in an email: “The Minister has always been committed to having a productive working relationship with the CAF Ombudsman and had regular meetings up until he was informed of the then-Ombudsman's intention to resign.”
Walbourne testified that his request for independence prompted what he described as a vindictive campaign to get rid of him.
DND had kept the ombudsman on a short leash, with Walbourne even having to seek permission from the department's deputy minister to travel to a base to hear concerns of military personnel and their families.
Several months after Walbourne tabled a report in March 2017 recommending the ombudsman's office be made independent, DND officials told him a complaint had been made against him. They refused to provide details other than to suggest it had to do with inappropriate contracting.
Walbourne testified he heard nothing more until Oct. 27, 2017, when deputy minister Jody Thomas told him the allegation against him would proceed to a formal investigation. Walbourne still wasn't told specifics.
The notification came the day before Walbourne was to testify in front of a Commons committee about DND's failure to act on his recommendations to help military personnel. “It was obvious this process was being used as a means of intimidation prior to my testimony before the committee,” Walbourne testified.
Sajjan released a statement after Walbourne's testimony Wednesday, noting, “I disagree with parts of the testimony.”
The defence minister also repeated his previous statement that any allegations that were brought forward were sent to the proper authorities.
Vance has denied doing anything improper.
The Liberal MPs on the defence committee tried to put the blame on Walbourne, suggesting he should have gone immediately to military police or conducted his own investigation.
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 to determine how to proceed. “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.”