National Defence committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. I know you also served in uniform so I thank you for that, and I appreciate the opportunity today.

National Defence committee  I believe the minister did know about those rumours. I've been very candid that it was his chief of staff who relayed them to me as I would expect, and I asked for them to be investigated immediately by the national security adviser.

National Defence committee  It's abundantly clear that political offices, political staff, are not equipped. It would be entirely inappropriate to have the political organs of the government leading investigations. As we discussed, in our system, what is necessary and appropriate is for any information tha

National Defence committee  The perspective I can offer on that is from someone who spent 10 years in the Prime Minister's Office. Clearly, political staff are not equipped, trained or appropriate for these kinds of investigations. That's why we have senior officials. That's why we have structures in the Ca

National Defence committee  Actually, I've been very clear in my testimony that in March 2015 we were briefed by officials about the matter pertaining to the general's time at NATO, that he had been in a relationship with someone who was subordinate but not in the chain of command, and that he was at that t

National Defence committee  The only allegations I'm aware of are the ones I've spoken about. The issue related to how the general met his wife, and the rumour that was passed to me in July 2015 that I asked the Privy Council to investigate. Those are the only allegations I'm aware of. They were discussed,

National Defence committee  In hindsight, knowing what we know now six years later, particularly with the allegations we've all seen—very disturbing allegations—I think that's a fair question. At the time, I can't speak to the committee's deliberation on other candidates. I have shared very candidly with t

National Defence committee  Certainly in the case of something as serious as a rumour pertaining to the chief of the defence staff, I think it's entirely appropriate and expected that a chief of staff to a minister, or frankly any political staffer in the government, would undertake to relay that forward to

National Defence committee  As I indicated, when I received the rumour, I immediately relayed that information to the national security adviser and asked for an investigation. The Prime Minister was briefed, as was the Prime Minister's Office, on the results of that investigation some time after that.

National Defence committee  All I can say to the member.... I assure you, Madam Chair, I've never told someone I don't want to hear it when it comes to a rumour or an allegation of serious misconduct, harassment or anything else. I think how this rumour was handled in July 2015 was entirely appropriate in r

National Defence committee  The national security adviser, as I spoke to earlier, is one of the most senior public servants in the country. As chief of staff for the Prime Minister, I interacted with the NSA daily, sometimes multiple times a day. It's an individual who, in my experience in government, is br

National Defence committee  As I said, in July 2015, if either the anonymous email that was received or the rumour I received that I asked the NSA to investigate.... If either of those two issues had yielded additional facts or frankly any additional questions or avenues that needed to be pursued, or opened

National Defence committee  I'm not going to speculate on how or why the current minister has handled this matter. All I can speak to is how I handled a rumour, as I have, the rumour that was brought to me in July 2015. I think it's entirely not only appropriate but essential that this kind of information,

National Defence committee  I think it's up to the current government to speak to the facts of the matter. I think it's up to them to explain why General Vance served as many years as he did, even if there were questions or allegations being asked. All I can convey to the committee is what was known at the

National Defence committee  I believe the member is correct. This is an “at pleasure” appointment. I believe it can be changed at any time.