OTTAWA -- The chief of staff to former prime minister Stephen Harper says the leader’s office was made aware of a relationship former defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance had with a subordinate before his appointment in 2015.
When considering Vance’s appointment for the military’s top post, Ray Novak told the House of Commons defence committee on Monday that, in March 2015, the National Security and Intelligence Advisor briefed then-PM Harper that the general was in a relationship with a subordinate U.S. officer who was "not in his chain of command" during a NATO deployment in Italy.
He was informed that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Department of National Defence had reviewed the matter and that there was no investigation or "reprimand" against the general and the woman that was his then fiancée. Harper had also scheduled a meeting with Vance following this briefing and raised the issue.
"In the course of that meeting, the prime minister raised the issue of the general’s time at NATO," said Novak. "I don’t recall the general making any comment other than to state he and his fiancée were relieved the matter had been reviewed and was behind them."
Months later, in July, 2015, – before the scheduled change of command ceremony that instituted Vance – anonymous emails came to light about Vance during his time at CFB Gagetown, according to Novak.
"The chief of staff to the minister of veterans affairs contacted me to relay a rumour that General Vance had an inappropriate relationship and or had improperly sought to further an officer’s career," said Novak, adding that he advised the National Security and Intelligence Advisor about the call and asked him to investigate further.
Around the same time, Novak said an anonymous email was flagged by the Department of National Defence about an "inappropriate relationship during the general’s time at NATO but contained no new information."
It did however, trigger a review by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, yet they later reported no new information was found and their investigation was closed. As for the "rumour" about Vance’s time at CFB Gagetown, Novak said the National Security and Intelligence Advisor briefed the Prime Minister’s Office that there was no evidence of a formal complaint and no active investigation.
Given this, Novak said they were comfortable proceeding with Vance’s formal appointment as chief of the defence staff on July 17, 2015, but added that he’s been "deeply disturbed" by the recent allegations of sexual misconduct against top-tier military officials.
The minister of veterans affairs at the time was Erin O’Toole, now the Conservative leader. In a statement to CTVNews.ca on Monday he acknowledged hearing about the reports.
"I was aware of rumours and I instructed my then chief of staff to notify the chief of staff to the prime minister. My understanding was that Gen. Vance was asked about these rumours and a review was conducted," he said.
Military police launched an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Vance in early February, 2021 following his retirement. CTV News has not independently verified these allegations.
CTV News reached out to Vance for comment on Monday but he did not provide a response.
Novak’s testimony is part of the national defence committee’s ongoing review into sexual misconduct in the CAF. They are also studying allegations of sexual misconduct against Vance’s successor Admiral Art McDonald, who has "voluntarily" stepped aside as a military investigation is ongoing.
The Liberal government is facing criticism over their handling of a reported allegation of sexual misconduct levied against Vance in 2018, brought forward by then-military ombudsman Gary Walbourne.
On March 3, Walbourne testified to the committee that he raised the allegation in a private meeting with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan but the minister refused to look at the evidence and abruptly ended the meeting.
After initially stating he was shocked to hear of the investigation into Vance launched in February, Sajjan has since acknowledged he knew about the allegation in 2018 and argued it would have been inappropriate for a politician to review a case of sexual misconduct. He said the most suitable place for it to land was at the Privy Council Office (PCO), which Sajjan’s staff informed about the situation.
Walbourne said he was contacted by PCO but didn’t have the victim's permission to release details.
Trudeau told Parliament on March 10 that he was made aware of Sajjan’s direction to take the allegation to "independent officials who could investigate."
The prime minister faced questions in Parliament on Monday about his approval of Vance’s salary raise in 2018, after he heard about the allegation against him. According to an order-in-council document, his salary was increased to between $260,600 and $306,500, effective April 1.
The committee moved to invite the former National Security and Intelligence Advisor Daniel Jean and the current military ombudsman Gregory Lick to appear following Novak’s testimony.
