National Defence committee  I'm not sure which part of the testimony the member is referring to, but if we're speaking about the rumour, that is correct. The rumour was conveyed to me. I asked the national security adviser in Privy Council to investigate the rumour immediately, which he undertook to do and did and reported back to us, as per my testimony.

National Defence committee  I obviously am not privy to all the details of who knows what in the current government between the minister and the Privy Council. All I can say is that, in my case, when rumours were brought to me, I immediately conveyed them to officials, asked for an investigation and ensured there was an outcome, and if there had been facts, then decisions would have been taken accordingly.

National Defence committee  I've been very candid on what information was known. I've been very candid that the then prime minister directly asked General Vance, in March of 2015, about the issue from the NATO deployment relating to how he met his wife, and I have been very candid on what his answer was to that.

National Defence committee  Yes, I believe that in early July, when the rumour was received and conveyed to the national security adviser for investigation, there was, in the days thereafter, a discussion about the need potentially to defer or cancel the change of command ceremony. In that context, there was a discussion between the Prime Minister's Office, the Privy Council Office and the office of the Minister of National Defence.

National Defence committee  I won't speculate on why the pay raise decisions were taken. I think those questions are best directed to the government of the day.

National Defence committee  I'm before the committee to discuss the appointment process for General Vance, so I'm not sure.... I do have views on that, but I'm just not sure it would be appropriate to get into them today.

National Defence committee  Not to my knowledge, no.

National Defence committee  Yes, absolutely. I am very confident in saying that if there had been additional information known, whether conveyed by that anonymous email, or whether the investigation of the rumour had picked up any facts or anything else that needed to be investigated, that change of command ceremony would have either been deferred or cancelled.

National Defence committee  Yes, absolutely. In the case of the rumour, I conveyed it to the senior officials in the Privy Council and asked that it be investigated. In the case of the email that was received by someone at the department, it was our senior officials in the Privy Council who briefed us on it who indicated to us that the receipt of the email had triggered the national investigation service to again review the matter.

National Defence committee  The chief of the defence staff is a GIC appointment. That is correct.

National Defence committee  The appointment is made by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister.

National Defence committee  No, that's not correct. The chief of staff to the Minister of Veterans Affairs at the time was a different individual.

National Defence committee  That's correct. Minister O'Toole was the minister at that time and it was his chief of staff who conveyed the rumour to me.

National Defence committee  Yes, the external review was commenced under our government and did report that spring. That is exactly the case. Let's be very clear about what information was available to us at the time. In March 2015, we were aware of the matter of how the general met his future wife at NATO.

National Defence committee  Again, I can't bring a legal perspective to that answer, but I think it is not only appropriate but essential that, if a political level of the government, whether that be senior staff or the minister, receives information, rumours or allegations, those be immediately shared and investigations be pursued by the appropriate authorities.