Committee report on Vance allegations at risk as calls mount for minister to resign
The federal Liberals are being accused of letting down victims of military sexual misconduct as a parliamentary committee prepares to rise for the summer without producing a report on the government's handling of allegations involving former defence chief Jonathan Vance.
The House of Commons defence committee has been investigating the government's handling of complaints against Vance as well as current chief of defence staff Admiral Art McDonald since allegations against the two first emerged in February.
Yet opposition members say nearly a month of Liberal filibustering has prevented the committee from finishing its final report before the House of Commons rises for the summer and a possible fall election.
It has also kept two other reports, including one on access to mental health for service members, from being tabled in the House of Commons.
"Multiple defence reports are now casualties of this government's partisan antics," Conservative committee member Bob Benzen told the House of Commons on Wednesday. "The Liberal members continue to place their party above the people, and especially above victims of misconduct in our military."
The committee is scheduled to meet on Friday and Monday before the House rises next Wednesday, which NDP defence critic Randall Garrison suggested might be barely enough time to get everything done. But, he added, that is only if the Liberals stop their delay tactics.
"If we don't finish something on Friday, then there's no way it's going to get tabled in the House," he said in an interview.
Liberal committee member Anita Vandenbeld in turn accused opposition parties of having dragged out the study, noting the committee previously agreed to start working on a report before the Conservatives pushed to call for more witnesses last month.
Those witnesses included Sajjan's former chief of staff Zita Astravas, who previously ignored a call from the House of Commons to appear before the committee.
"The committee had previously adopted a deadline that would have allowed us to finalize a report for tabling in the House of Commons," Vandenbeld said in an email.
"From the beginning, Liberal members have worked tirelessly to bring forward reports with recommendations focused on survivors and the women and men of the CAF."
Opposition parties say the Liberals have been filibustering the move to work on a report after the Conservatives sought last month to withdraw their efforts to have Astravas testify.
"We strongly denounce the Liberals' repeated obstruction of the defence committee," Bloc Quebecois committee member Xavier Barsalou-Duval said in an email in French.
"Ultimately, by blocking any new testimony and the good work of the committee, the Liberals will prevent the production of a report that would clearly blame the government for their mismanagement of cases of sexual misconduct in the military and their continued existence."
The defence committee is actually one of two committees looking into military sexual misconduct. The committee on the status of women has been investigating the broader issue and is expected to produce a report that contains recommendations to address the problem.
Yet Garrison argued that unless Parliament and Canadians understand why the Liberal government failed to do more when the military ombudsman flagged an allegation involving Vance to Sajjan in March 2018, then there is the risk a similar situation will occur again.
Garrison nonetheless said he was particularly upset that the study on military mental health could become a casualty of partisan politics given the clear needs that exist for those serving in uniform.
The Canadian Armed Forces reported last week that 16 service members took their own lives last year, bringing the total over the past decade to 191 -- more than died during the whole of the war in Afghanistan.
Global News first reported allegations in February that Vance had a relationship with a subordinate that began in 2001 and continued after he accepted the top job in 2015. Vance has also been accused of sending a lewd email to a junior member in 2012.
Vance, who stepped down in January, has not declined requests for comment from The Canadian Press, but Global has reported he denies any wrongdoing.
While opposition parties expressed concerns on Wednesday about the fate of the defence committee, the Conservatives were also putting the House of Commons on notice that they may force a vote to censure Sajjan and express the House's disappointment in him.
The motion is one of three that the party can choose to have the House of Commons debate during a special opposition day on Thursday, which would lead to a vote next week. The others include one on parliamentary rulings and another on Canada-China relations.
Conservatives also ramped up their calls for Sajjan to be fired, with Leader Erin O'Toole blasting the minister for his handling of sexual misconduct in the military, overstating his role in Canada's largest battle in Afghanistan and other actions.
Garrison said he also believed Sajjan should be removed as defence minister, a position he has held since the Trudeau government first came to power in 2015, particularly after two senior officers were discovered to have golfed with Vance earlier this month.
Sajjan in turn accused the Conservatives in question period of having let down the military during their own turn in power by cutting the defence budget. He defended his government's record when it comes to addressing inappropriate sexual behaviour in the ranks.
"Our government has a lot more work to do when it comes to dealing with misconduct, and we will (do) that," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING 122 active wildfires burning across Canada, 32 considered 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
B.C. parents sentenced to 15 years for death of 6-year-old boy
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has sentenced the mother and stepfather of a six-year-old boy who died from blunt-force trauma in 2018 to 15 years in prison.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
Miller scores late as Canucks grind out 3-2 win over Oilers in Game 5
J.T. Miller scored in the final minute of the game and the Vancouver Canucks came back for a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series Thursday.
Think twice before sharing 'heartbreaking' social media posts, RCMP warn
Mounties in B.C. are urging people to think twice before sharing "heartbreaking posts" on social media.
Police issue Canada-wide warrant for Regina homicide suspect
Police have issued a Canada-wide warrant for a man wanted in a homicide which occurred in Regina on May 12.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
Kevin Spacey receives star support as he fights to get his career back
Kevin Spacey is pushing back on the 'rush to judgment' against him and is being backed by some big names as he seeks to reclaim his acting career.
Speaker cuts ties with Sask. Party, alleges he faced threats, harassment from gov't MLAs
The Speaker of the Saskatchewan Legislature Randy Weekes has severed ties with the Sask. Party after accusing some members of harassment and intimidation tactics, including a situation he claimed saw the Government House Leader bring a hunting rifle to the legislative building.
Local Spotlight
Starbucks fan on decades-long journey to visit every store in the world
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
'Sacred work': Sask. First Nation learning how to conduct its own underground searches
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
'It could mean a cure': Cautious optimism for groundbreaking ALS research at Western
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.
B.C. musician's song catches attention of Canucks
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
'We're on standby': Team ready to help entangled right whale in Gulf of St. Lawrence
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Thieves caught on camera stealing pet chicken from North Vancouver backyard
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
'Reimagining Mother's Day': Toronto woman creates Motherless Day event after losing mom
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
Chris Hadfield inspires youth musical in Sudbury
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.