OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says while his office was made aware of a complaint against former defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance in 2018, staff did not know it was an allegation of sexual misconduct.

Trudeau said his team, including chief of staff Katie Telford, worked with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan’s team after the allegation was brought to light, to transfer it to the appropriate authorities to follow up on.

“The minister, my office, knew there was a complaint against General Vance, nobody knew it was a Me Too complaint. We did not have information on what was the nature of that complaint, of that allegation,” he said.

Looking for guidance, former military ombudsman Gary Walbourne went to Sajjan with the allegation after it was shared with him in confidence. Walbourne told the House of Commons’ defence committee he was abruptly turned away by the minister, who refused to look at evidence and instead instructed him to report it to the Privy Council Office (PCO).

The government has repeated the PCO was the best place for the allegation to land as the body handles governor-in-council appointments.

Last Friday, former Trudeau adviser Elder Marques told defence committee that Telford was aware of the allegation but could not recall whether the sexual nature of the complaint was known.

Trudeau defended his chief of staff on Tuesday, stating she has been a “strong leader” on this issue, organizing meetings with female leaders within the Canadian Armed Forces to determine what needs to be done to promote culture change.

“Katie’s leadership on this every step of the way is why we call ourselves a feminist government and why we will continue to look to do more. I’ve been working and engaged in the issue of fighting sexual assault and harassment since my university days,” he said.

His comments prompted a heated exchange during question period later in the day as Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole called on the prime minister to “be honest” with the House and with members of the Canadian Armed Forces about what he knew.

Trudeau responded the government has always stood up for survivors of harassment and intimidation in federal workplaces.

“We have made significant investments in improving systems and accountability and we will continue to do that,” he said.

With a file from The Canadian Press.