Ex Ombudsman Says He Told Defence Minister About Vance Allegations in 2018

Canadian Forces ombudsman Gary Walbourne appears at a Senate veterans affairs committee in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 4, 2016. Walbourne has dropped the gloves in what appears to have become a tense battle with National Defence, accusing officials of "insidious" attacks whenever his office releases a report critical of the department. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

OTTAWA—Former military ombudsman Gary Walbourne told a parliamentary committee Wednesday that he informed Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan of allegations of misconduct against Gen. Jonathan Vance during a “hostile'' closed-door meeting three years ago.

Walbourne’s remarks appear to contradict Sajjan’s own testimony to the same committee Feb. 19, when he said he was as surprised as anyone when Global News first reported Vance’s alleged misconduct in early February.