National Defence Committee on April 6th, 2021

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

I'm sorry...?

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Did General Vance have any role in your appointment to positions you held in the military in Afghanistan?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

The positions that I held in Afghanistan...?

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Yes.

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Yes, in my second deployment to Afghanistan, he was the commander of the task force at that time.

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

You reported to General Vance at that time.

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Yes, I did.

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Thank you very much, Minister.

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, if you don't mind, the member makes an assertion here—just because I served my country, and I serve—that seems to leave Canadians with the message that I had some type of personal relationship.

I have served four deployments. I've served a U.S. general. This is one of the reasons I take serious concern with the member's assertions here. As I stated before, I'm not going to let him define what my experience was in my deployment or what my experience was in the Canadian Armed Forces.

I know that the member does not like this, but I'm sorry. I am not going to allow him to do so. If he wants to ask me a direct question.... Do I have a personal relationship? I answered him no. If he wants to ask a question, sure, but please do not leave an assertion, because I find that extremely distasteful.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karen McCrimmon]

Thank you very much.

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Well, Minister—

[The Chair, Liberal, Karen McCrimmon]

We will go on to Madame Gallant, please.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

When the phone call took place with the Clerk about Vance's performance as part of the performance review process, why didn't the minister raise the issue of the allegation at that time?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, that phone call took place earlier, in the late fall.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Minister, you had said that the Prime Minister is the minister responsible for the PCO. Since the PCO did the investigation, are you saying the Prime Minister is responsible, then?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, no politician should ever be responsible for an investigation of anyone.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

So—

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Politicians should not get involved. I think it is very dangerous.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Is the Prime Minister responsible for the actions of the PCO, or inaction?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, I'm not sure how to answer that question.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Who informed you that the Prime Minister was aware that you had raised those concerns with the PCO?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, as I stated, my former chief of staff informed the Prime Minister's Office of what had transpired and the actions that we were taking.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

When the minister received information from former military ombudsman Gary Walbourne about an allegation of sexual misconduct by General Vance, did he review General Vance's PCO file history?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Can you repeat that question? I'm sorry; it was difficult to hear you.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

When you received the information from Ombudsman Walbourne about the allegation about General Vance, did you review General Vance's PCO file history?