OTTAWA—The battle between the federal Liberal government and Admiral Art McDonald heated up on Thursday as cabinet ministers ordered the naval officer to remain on leave rather than return as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces. The surprise move only days before an expected election call represented the latest twist in a drama that had already taken several turns since McDonald’s lawyers released a defiant statement Wednesday saying their client planned to return as chief of the defence staff. The assertion followed the end of a military police investigation into an allegation of misconduct that resulted in a decision last week not to lay any charges, which McDonald’s team said exonerated the admiral and paved the way for his return. But Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan responded to McDonald’s lawyers a few hours later saying he expected the admiral to remain on leave until the government could decide what to do …