Canada Privy Council Says Informed Of Top Military Officer Abuse Charges Before Suspension

TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th February, 2021) Canada's Privy Council Office was informed of misconduct allegations made against the country's top military commander before he temporarily stepped down, PCO spokesperson Beatrice Fenelon told Sputnik.

Earlier this week, Canada's Chief of Defense Staff Admiral Art McDonald temporarily stepped amid a probe into misconduct allegations that, according to media reports, date back to interactions with a female junior officer in 2010.

"As announced by the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) is investigating the allegations of inappropriate behavior. PCO was informed prior to the announcement," Fenelon said.

The PCO is responsible for referring all matters of national interest to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), however, Fenelon said that the PCO could not further comment on the issue and did not specify when the agency was first made aware of the allegations or when, or if, the information was shared with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau's office referred Sputnik to Sajjan's earlier statement. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trudeau refused to comment on the allegations only saying that every Government of Canada employee has the right to work in a safe and healthy environment.

Asked about the timeline of events and the nature of the allegations, the Department of National Defense (DND) did not respond to Sputnik's request for comment.

The complaint against McDonald is the second set of misconduct allegations leveled at current or former top Canadian military officials after Global news reported that former Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance is being accused of misconduct by two female subordinates, including during his time as the country's commanding officer.