Ottawa: Exposing Justin Trudeau-led Canadian government’s vindictive campaign against India yet again, two senior officials in the Justin Trudeau govt have admitted that they leaked the so-called ‘intelligence” on India to the American media, much before it was revealed at home.
Nathalie Drouin, Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor, and David Morrison, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, disclosed the leaks to The Washington Post before the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) publicly accused India of involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and other incidents in Canada.
During a parliamentary panel session, Drouin revealed that the leak, coordinated with Morrison, was part of a “communications strategy” to ensure that a major American outlet received Canada’s perspective on the escalating diplomatic row with India, according to local media reports. She clarified that the information, which was allegedly non-classified, was released before Canada’s Thanksgiving on October 14.
Drouin claimed the strategy was seen by the Prime Minister’s Office but did not require authorisation from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Global and Mail reported. Drouin insisted that the leaked intelligence did not contain classified information and was aimed at sharing Canada’s concerns about alleged illegal activities by Indian agents against Canadians, including threats to Canadian lives.
The parliamentary panel questioned Drouin and Morrison’s decision to share sensitive information with The Washington Post rather than the Canadian public. Conservative public safety critic Raquel Dancho condemned the move as “unfair to the Canadian public,” adding that details were given to the American media before Canadians were informed. RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme supported Drouin’s stance, affirming that the leaked information was unclassified and withheld from the public to avoid compromising ongoing investigations.