Retired general defends $ 72,000 move
Liberals call release of expenses politically motivated attack on those in military
OTTAWA — Retired Canadian Army commander Andrew Leslie has defended the $ 72,000 his former employer spent on moving him from his Ottawa home to another residence in the city and said he will not “descend to the level of the competition” in what some suggest may be a political smear job.
“We’ll let Canadian public judge for themselves,” the fledgling Liberal party adviser and former lieutenant- general and chief of the land staff said Sunday. “I’m pretty confident that they’ll come to an appropriate conclusion.”
As Leslie spoke, Defence Minister Rob Nicholson ordered a review into the defence department’s decision to pay $ 72,000 to move Leslie and his wife upon his retirement in 2011 from one Rockcliffe residence to another a few blocks away.
Nicholson said the in- city expense claims “appear grossly excessive.”
Nicholson added that he will be asking the Department of National Defence to examine how an in- city move could possibly total over $ 72,000.
“In the meantime, it is important for Andrew Leslie to explain why he believes this is a reasonable expense for hard working Canadians to absorb. This is a matter of judgment and the responsible use of taxpayer’s dollars.”
News of the expense claim was reported Saturday night by CTV News. The report did not reveal the source of the document, leading some observers to speculate Leslie is being targeted for his new affiliation with the federal Liberals, his first foray into politics.
“I am planning to remain above the fray,” Leslie said Sunday of the sudden attention. He quickly added: “Well, I am in the fray, aren’t I? — but I’m trying to not to descend to the level of the competition.”
Leslie’s moving expenses were eligible under a longtime DND benefit program called “Intended Place of Residence” ( IPR). It pays the moving and associated costs of veteran Canadian Forces members ( and RCMP) when they leave the service.
Leslie retired in 2011, and was hired by information technology firm CGI Group to lead its new Defence, Public Safety and Intelligence unit in Ottawa.
In September, after leaving CGI, he was named co- chair of the Liberal International Affairs Council of Advisers, providing advice on foreign and defence issues to federal Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau.
In the brief interview Sunday, Leslie said he had been unaware of how much his move had cost the government. He said DND directly negotiates legal fees, real estate brokerage charges and other costs associated with the resale of a home, and a private company is hired to perform the physical move.
“Looking at the value of the house that we sold, it’s not that much of a surprise, no, it doesn’t surprise me,” he said of the $ 72,000 bill. He and his wife, Karen, lived in the home for 12 years.
Liberal MP Marc Garneau, a former Navy officer and astronaut, came to the defence of Leslie and the IPR program Sunday and levelled a blistering verbal assault at Nicholson.
“There is a very, very clear understanding when you join ( the military) that the government of Canada is going to ask you to move around during the course of your career many times and maybe even send you into combat,” said Garneau, Leslie’s co- chair on the new Liberal advisory council.
Nicholson’s statement “is clearly an attack on our men and women” in the military. “It is biased politically because they know that Gen. Leslie is to be co- chair with me and an adviser on the council for foreign affairs.
“Nobody knows where this information came from. If it came from a political source, then it is definitely an attempt to do a smear job.”