New national security committee to look at Jaspal Atwal controversy

He was photographed with Trudeau’s wife and at least one cabinet minister during an event in Mumbai; an invitation to a second event was rescinded after news broke of Atwal’s presence.

Trudeau’s national security adviser, Daniel Jean, suggested during a background briefing that factions in the Indian government had sabotaged Trudeau’s trip.

Jean advanced the theory that rogue factions in the Indian government arranged for Atwal’s presence in a bid to prevent Prime Minister Narendra Modi from becoming too cosy with a foreign government they believe is sympathetic to extremist Sikh separatists.

Initially, Jean’s briefing was attributed only to a senior government official but the Conservatives soon outed Jean as the official in question. They have been demanding ever since that he give the same briefing to MPs.

The Liberal government initially rejected that demand, offering up only a classified briefing to Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer.

However, last week Jean offered to testify openly before the House of Commons public safety committee, in addition to giving a classified briefing to Scheer.

The national security committee of parliamentarians will provide its own special report by the end of May to the prime minister and the ministers of foreign affairs and public safety, and an unclassified version of the report must be tabled in both the House of Commons and Senate.

The Liberal government passed legislation last year to create the new committee as a forum where politicians with the highest level of security clearance can hear secret testimony.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

New national security committee to look at Jaspal Atwal controversy

What's Trending