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Part of her plan was to tour Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt and CFB Comox, both major hubs for the military’s search-and-rescue operations in B.C., as well as a Canadian Coast Guard facility in Victoria.

“I wanted to look at the [search-and-rescue technician] training program and what they had out there and the Buffalo aircraft and so on,” she said of her planned visit to the military bases.

Jones says her staff contacted military officials at both Esquimalt and Comox more than a week before she was set to arrive and were told that organizing a tour shouldn’t be a problem, pending permission from the minister’s office.

But “when we contacted Nicholson’s office, we were denied,” she said. “And the response back was that only the local member of Parliament would have consent to visit the base.”

Jones did get permission to visit the coast guard facility.

Nicholson’s spokeswoman, Johanna Quinney, confirmed a member of the minister’s political staff, Casey Babb, communicated the decision not to let Jones visit the two military bases.

But Quinney said Jones’s request was denied on the basis of a policy “created by the [vice-chief of defence staff’s] office to manage requests from members of all parties and ensure the resources of the Canadian Armed Forces are used effectively.”

According to Quinney, the base visit policy reads: “CF Wing/Bases are to support cabinet committee work, commissions as well as their own MPs/Senators within capabilities.”