National Post (National Edition)
Liberals, admiral battle intensifies
OTTAWA • The battle between the federal Liberal government and Admiral Art McDonald heated up on Thursday as cabinet ministers ordered the naval officer to remain on leave rather than return as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces.
The surprise move only days before an expected election call represented the latest twist in a drama that had already taken several turns since McDonald's lawyers released a defiant statement Wednesday saying their client planned to return as chief of the defence staff.
The assertion followed the end of a military police investigation into an allegation of misconduct that resulted in a decision last week not to lay any charges, which McDonald's team said exonerated the admiral and paved the way for his return.
But Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan responded to McDonald's lawyers a few hours later saying he expected the admiral to remain on leave until the government could decide what to do with him.
McDonald voluntarily stepped down as defence chief on Feb. 24 because of the military police investigation, with Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre taking over as acting chief of the defence staff.
On Thursday, Sajjan announced McDonald was being put on administrative leave until further notice. A senior official speaking on background said the announcement followed an order-in-council from cabinet.
“Appointments like that of chief of defence staff must meet the highest possible standards and our goal must be to create a better workplace for the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces,” Sajjan added in a statement.
“A workplace that ensures that complainants and survivors are treated with the utmost respect and that allegations are taken seriously in every instance.”
Sajjan indicated Eyre will continue to serve as acting defence chief.
McDonald's lawyer Rory Fowler declined to comment on Thursday.
The nature of the allegation against McDonald has not been publicly confirmed, but CBC has reported that it related to an allegation of sexual misconduct dating back to his time commanding a Canadian warship in 2010.
Global News has reported that navy Lt. Heather Macdonald, a navy combat systems engineer, came forward with the allegation against McDonald. Macdonald was quoted by Global on Friday as saying she was upset by the military police decision.