Former top NORAD commander was investigated for months after defence department said he broke no rules

An alleged extramarital affair involving Canada's former top commander at NORAD was investigated by military police for several months after the Department of National Defence (DND) publicly stated that no rules were broken by former lieutenant-general Christopher Coates.

Sources with knowledge of the probe told CBC News that interviews were conducted and statements taken from witnesses last spring — several weeks after the department publicly backed Coates.

Meanwhile, an access to information request filed by CBC News — looking for briefings and notes exchanged among senior military leaders about how the allegations were handled — was recently denied on the grounds that an active investigation was taking place.

CBC asked the defence department to explain the contradiction. It also asked DND when the investigation of Coates started, whether it has concluded and whether it yielded any action.

"As a standard practice, we do not confirm or deny the existence of investigations past or present," said Dan Le Bouthillier, the department's head of media relations.

"Confirming investigations does occur on a case by case basis with due regard to the integrity of the investigation, the privacy rights of all involved and the public's right to know."

The Ottawa Citizen reported last February that Coates had an affair in 2019 with an American woman, a civilian, who worked at NORAD headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The U.S. military has strict rules about fraternization and deems extramarital affairs a punishable offence. The Canadian Armed Forces does not outlaw affairs but considers relationships within the chain of command to be off-limits.

DND disputes the characterization of the relationship as "an affair," saying Coates — who is the brother-in-law of Canada's deputy defence minister — "was separated when he entered into a relationship with the individual in question." 

The military used that distinction to justify its claim that no rules were broken by Coates, and to smooth things over with the Americans — who were, according to sources, livid about the relationship.

Coates' personal life exploded into the open among senior NORAD staff in mid-December 2019 when his now-ex-wife wrote a scathing public denunciation of her husband in a note circulated online among the wives and partners of the bi-national command's senior officers.

Le Bouthillier said the relationship was reported to Coates' Canadian chain of command on Dec. 29, 2019.

When the story about Coates broke last February, DND stated that the woman was working outside of the lieutenant-general's direct chain of command to support its exoneration of the lieutenant-general.

The sources, however, say the woman in question provided support to the NORAD command team and her performance evaluations had to be approved by both American and Canadian senior staff.