But former military officers say such activities, which prompted allegations about Canadian Forces personnel "digging up dirt" on the minister's political enemies, cross the line and jeopardize the long-standing political neutrality of the military.
Air force officers recently found themselves in the spotlight after it was revealed they quietly gathered information on Liberal MP Scott Simms, a member of parliament who criticized the decision by MacKay's office to order up a search-and-rescue helicopter to retrieve the minister from a private fishing lodge. That flight cost taxpayers $16,000, according to reports.
But the Defence Department and the head of the Royal Canadian Air Force say there's nothing wrong with providing such information.
"We provide information when it is requested of us by anyone requesting it, as long as it is not classified or does not cross the boundaries of protected information," air force commander Lt.-Gen. Andre Deschamps told senators at a recent meeting.
Military documents show that air force officers swung into action the morning after a news report in September about MacKay's use of a Cormorant search-and-rescue helicopter while on his vacation.
They poured over flight logs to try to find out if opposition MPs had taken rides aboard military aircraft. Military emails obtained by the Toronto Star indicate the air force focused their attention on Simms, who had been critical of MacKay in the television report the night before.
They quickly found information that Simms, whose Newfoundland and Labrador riding is home to a search-and-rescue unit, had flown on a helicopter to get a better understanding of how the military does its job. A Canadian Forces officer in MacKay's office then demanded to know who invited Simms for the ride and whether the MP had paid any money to reimburse the military for the flight.
It later turned out Simms went on the flight at the behest of MacKay's office. That, however, didn't stop MacKay from using the information gathered by the military to attack the MP in the Commons for his flight on a helicopter.
But the actions of the Canadian Forces personnel were out of line, say former military officers. They argue that it is important for the military to remain independent from the political process.
"This is going on a fishing expedition to find information that could be used for political purposes," retired colonel Michel Drapeau, now an Ottawa lawyer, said of the military's actions. "They ought to have known better."
Drapeau pointed out the military documents outlining the search for information on Simms showed a "level of enthusiasm" among officers that the public should find disconcerting.
University of Ottawa professor Paul Jackson said close relationships between government ministers and the military has been an ongoing problem in Canada.
"It's not the job of the military to protect ministers," said Jackson, who has served in both the British and Canadian forces. "The military is to serve the Canadian public, not the minister."
Jackson said he believes the officers should not have collected the information on Simms.
The Defence Department, however, doesn't see it like that. It issued an email to the Ottawa Citizen stating "departmental officials and members of the Canadian Forces are regularly tasked with providing information relevant to questions posed by Members of Parliament, Parliamentary Committees, members of the public, members of the media and through the access to information process.
"In each case, the Department and the CF provide factual, available and comprehensive information to satisfy these requests," the email added.
The Citizen made two requests to DND for a list of parliamentarians on whom the Canadian Forces has gathered information, but no response was received.
Jay Paxton, MacKay's spokesman, stated in an email that his office engages "the department in order to provide facts and context to an issue of public interest" and citing examples of MPs who take military flights is relevant.
But Drapeau said it is ridiculous to compare the actions of the RCAF officers speedily working on MacKay's behalf to gather information on political opponents to the answers the military provides to standard requests for information from the public, media or MPs.
Simms said he was taken aback by the efforts of the military officer in MacKay's office to collect information on him. "The fact that this military officer is using military resources to back up Peter MacKay is incredibly disturbing," he added.
Simms spent five hours with search-and-rescue crews, learning about how they did their job. That trip, he said, was much different than MacKay's use of the search-and-rescue helicopter to pick him up at his vacation spot.
MacKay has denied any wrongdoing, adding that he was observing the military crew do their job. Opposition MPs, however, have questioned MacKay's claims, pointing out department documents released through the Access to Information law undercut his version of events.
The Canadian Forces has been quick in the past to come to MacKay's aid when he has found himself in embarrassing situations.
When the minister came under fire last year after media outlets reported nearly $3 million was spent to shuttle MacKay around the country in a Challenger jet, Canada's top soldier issued a memo to all soldiers praising the minister.
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk said in the memo, also released to journalists, that the media was misguided in its reports.
But Natynczyk's message was in stark contrast to the silence from the military when the issue of Challenger jet abuse surfaced in 2005. The Conservatives, then in opposition, launched a spirited attack against Liberal ministers for using the plane.
But Jackson said issues surrounding close relationships between the military leadership and politicians are not just confined to the Conservatives. He noted Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Maurice Baril accepted blame for then prime minister Jean Chretien missing the funeral of the King of Jordan. Documents later revealed government officials knew the king was dying and had enough time to make arrangements, but didn't.
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: David Pugliese
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