Canada's top general is denying a report that he's been asked to submit advance copies of his public statements to the Minister of Defence before delivering them.

The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday that Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier has been asked to run his speeches by the new Conservative government -- a practice that did not take place under the Liberals.

But Capt. Vance White, a spokesperson for Hillier, said that's not the case, and that the general's staff were asked only to provide the themes of speeches that Hillier intends to give.

"The (defence) minister's office has asked Hillier's staff to provide info . . . just to know what he's talking about at various events," White told The Canadian press. "So basically the themes or the key points in his speeches.''

But according to Defence Department sources, the blunt-spoken senior general has been asked to run his speeches by the Harper government.

"There's a lot of information that we're providing a lot further in advance, or trying to," a senior DND source told The Globe.

The source also told the newspaper that such requests are typical in transition periods.

Opposition

The Opposition reacted angrily to the report. Bloc Quebecois critic Claude Bachand suggested Prime Minister Stephen Harper is turning the general into a "puppet."

Harper rebuffed the allegation.

"I keep reading these stories about secret memos that I'm vetting this and that, but I'm not aware of any of them," the prime minister told reporters in Winnipeg.

"My understanding is the protocols that are in place are the existing protocols that have been there for some time."

"Generally speaking, senior members of the government and senior officials of the government are obviously supposed to share their views and public statements with other members of the government and I don't think we've changed anything.''

Critics say the report is evidence that Ottawa mistrusts the nation's top soldier.

"I think they should have more confidence in their Chief of Defence Staff," said Senator Colin Kenny, the former head of the Senate defence committee. "By the time you get to be a general or a flag officer, you've developed a fair bit of competence. The system clearly has trust in you and confidence in your ability."

"That is highly inappropriate," Liberal defence critic Ujjal Dosanjh told The Globe. "(General Hillier) is not a member of the cabinet. His role is to be a strong voice for our military and in that sense he's independent, so he can speak about the needs of the military."

New Democrat defence critic Dawn Black said the move raises questions about the relationship between Hillier and Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor.

"Clearly, there are some tensions between the minister and the Chief of Defence Staff," she said.

Dosanjh pointed out that Hillier has recently said that tactical, short-haul aircraft to replace the military's ancient C-130 Hercules transports are his priority.

O'Connor, however, has said that strategic or long-haul lift must come first.

Meanwhile, the Conservative government plans to launch its largest military recruitment drive in decades.

With the country's armed forces stretched thin with the current 2,200-strong deployment in Afghanistan, a recent advertising blitz by the military seems to have worked, according to O'Connor.

Ads shown on movie theatre and television screens helped bring in 5,800 applications to Canada's Armed Forces in the last fiscal year -- 300 more than the goal of 5,500.