A Conservative-led push to have the prime minister fire his top aide is up for debate in the House of Commons Tuesday, following the revelation that Katie Telford was aware of sexual misconduct allegations against Gen. Jonathan Vance — but did not tell the prime minister.
In their opposition day motion, the Conservatives contend Telford was “complicit in hiding the truth from Canadians” when she didn’t notify Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of the 2018 allegation against Vance, first reported by Global News.
“The House call upon the Prime Minister to dismiss his Chief of Staff for failing to notify him about a serious sexual harassment allegation at the highest ranks of the Canadian Armed Forces and for being complicit in hiding the truth from Canadians,” the motion read.
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Defence committee meeting cancelled after Tories call for Telford to be fired
However, the motion itself isn’t binding and Trudeau is under no obligation to fire his chief of staff, even if multiple parties vote in favour of the motion.
The call for Telford’s firing comes three months after Global News first reported allegations of inappropriate behaviour levelled against Vance, the former chief of defence staff.
In the weeks since, military police have opened investigations into Vance as well as Adm. Art McDonald, Vance’s successor as chief of defence staff. Multiple women have also spoken out publicly, sharing allegations of high-level sexual misconduct in the Canadian Forces.
Vance denies all allegations of inappropriate conduct. McDonald declined to comment, citing legal advice and the investigation that remains underway.
Global News’ reporting has also since led to multiple committees studying the issue of sexual misconduct in the military. It was at one of those meetings that Telford’s former colleague Elder Marques shared new information that prompted the Tories to call for Telford’s firing.
Marques, who was a senior advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office in 2018, told a committee Telford was aware of a 2018 allegation against Vance and that he kept her updated as bureaucrats at the Privy Council Office opened a probe — which they abandoned shortly thereafter — into the matter.
The revelation prompted questions about why the prime minister’s closest confidantes allegedly opted not to share any details of the complaint with him.
Trudeau has spoken out in defence of Telford, stating last week that she is the reason the current government calls itself a “feminist” one.
“It’s because of Katie that I have sat down with multiple women leaders within the Armed Forces and elsewhere to have conversations about this over the years to look at what more can and should be done,” he said.
–With files from Global News’ Amanda Connolly