A former senior advisor to the prime minister is expected to testify on Friday as part of a defence committee probe into who knew what when about sexual misconduct allegations against Gen. Jonathan Vance.
Global News has viewed a notice circulated internally by the House of Commons defence committee that states Marques “has agreed to appear” on Friday afternoon at the committee.
The Canadian Press first reported on the notice on Wednesday.
Trudeau has said he was not personally aware of the allegation against Vance.
But the fact the allegation was shared with a senior staffer in the Prime Minister’s Office and apparently never shared with Trudeau himself has led to questions over whether Marques informed anyone else in the office, and whether staff failed to do their jobs and inform Trudeau of the allegation.
It remains unclear whether the government will attempt to instruct Marques not to appear, which it previously did when the committee requested Sajjan’s former chief of staff Zita Astravas as well as when other committees requested staffers involved in the WE Charity scandal.
Liberal MPs on the defence committee have also recently filibustered discussions on witnesses, causing several to be repeatedly delayed and ultimately passing a motion last week to shut down the committee’s probe into high-level military misconduct allegations first brought to light by Global News.