Katie Telford, Chief of Staff to Canada s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, appears on a screen as she attends a House of Commons defence committee meeting on sexual misconduct in the armed forces, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada May 7, 2021. Photo by Patrick Doyle /The Canadian Press
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OTTAWA – Justin Trudeau’s chief of staff says she was “very concerned” but had no details about the allegation weighing against then Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance in 2018, though she was told there was “no safety issue” and so no one told the prime minister.
“I was not given the substance or the details of the allegation. My office and the Minister were not given the substance or the details of the allegation. We did not know what the complaint was about,” Katie Telford told members of the House’s national defence committee Friday.
Author of the article: Brian Lilley
Publishing date: May 07, 2021 • 4 hours ago • 3 minute read • Katie Telford, Chief of Staff to Canada s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, appears on a screen as she attends a House of Commons defence committee meeting on sexual misconduct in the armed forces, in Ottawa, May 7, 2021. Photo by Patrick Doyle /REUTERS
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Could Katie Telford have done more on the issue of sexual misconduct in the military?
Absolutely she could have, including asking about and following up on allegations of sexual misconduct against then Chief of Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance.
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Senior members of the Liberal government have become ensnared by allegations that they hushed up or ignored 2018 revelations that Canada’s top soldier was facing a sexual misconduct accusation.
It’s just the latest development in a scandal centring on Gen. Jonathan Vance, the former chief of defence staff who once vowed to root out sexual misconduct in the Canadian military but was allegedly simultaneously carrying on a clandestine affair with a subordinate.
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As MPs head into a fourth straight week of full-time House business which, with two weeks to go until the week-long Victoria Day break, traditionally constitutes the longest block of uninterrupted sittings in the year-long parliamentary cycle the leaders of two of the three opposition parties are both set to hit the stage in the West Block media theatre this morning.
First up:
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, who will likely provide an update on how his party intends to use its upcoming opposition day, which is currently set for Tuesday and could see the Tories aim the full power of the Commons spotlight on
As MPs head into a fourth straight week of full-time House business which, with two weeks to go until the week-long Victoria Day break, traditionally constitutes the longest block of uninterrupted sittings in the year-long parliamentary cycle the leaders of two of the three opposition parties are both set to hit the stage in the West Block media theatre this morning.
First up:
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, who will likely provide an update on how his party intends to use its upcoming opposition day, which is currently set for Tuesday and could see the Tories aim the full power of the Commons spotlight on