Trudeau aide leaked ‘intel on India’s role’ to US newspaper before Canada’s official briefing: report – Firstpost

Trouble continues to mount for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over his accusations against the Indian government, accusing it of using agents to carry out illegal activities, including extortion and assassinations, in the North American country. A Canadian newspaper has reported that Trudeau’s close aide leaked the information that Canadian police allegedly claimed at a press conference in an attempt to support Trudeau’s allegations to the US-based Washington Post.

Trudeau’s National Security Advisor Nathalie Drouin – the former Deputy Minister of State – “provided The Washington Post with sensitive information about India, days before the RCMP publicly alleged that Indian government agents were linked to murders, extortions and other violent criminal activity in Canada . wrote Canadian newspaper The Global And Mail, citing two sources who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.

The newspaper also writes that the leak to the American publication about the killing of pro-Khalistan militant Sukhdool Singh Gill, wanted by India. Gill was shot in Winnipeg on September 20, 2023.

Gill was killed two days after Trudeau alleged that Indian government agents were behind the killing of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia in June 2023. Trudeau told a Canadian parliamentary inquiry panel last week that he had no hard evidence to accuse India of the accusation he made in the country’s parliament.

The newspaper further says that the Trudeau government’s select leaking of said information to an American newspaper “contrasts” with its views on leaking classified information about China’s interference activities. The public inquiry into foreign interference was launched in Canada following allegations that China meddled in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections – both won by Trudeau.

According to the Canadian newspaper, the leaked information “would not be published” before Thanksgiving Day (November 23 last year), but the American publication did not heed the advice of its sources.

Nearly a year later, bilateral ties between India and Canada have hit a new low, with both countries recently expelling their high commissioners. Canadian police officers also claimed at a press conference on October 14 that they had clear evidence linking Indian officials to the violent crimes.

Interestingly, the Canadian officers have not released any details to support their claim. They argued that they needed to protect ongoing investigations and legal proceedings. They even refused answers to questions about when the alleged crimes involving India took place.

While interacting with the media, the police officers never acknowledged that the killing of Khalistani separatist Gill in Winnipeg was linked to India.

India has denied all allegations made by Trudeau and subsequently Canadian police, calling their claims “ridiculous” and linking the allegations to the Canadian Prime Minister’s dwindling political fortunes as he relied on a Khalistani-sympathizer leader to enjoy a majority in the country’s government. parliament.

At the same time, Trudeau remains publicly silent about China’s alleged role in the Canadian election he won. In his testimony at the public inquiry, Trudeau instead attacked The Globe And Mail for publishing national security leaks about Chinese interference activities. Trudeau called the paper reports, published in 2023, “criminal leaks of classified information (that) could be damaging to reputations and to people’s trust in our institutions and in our intelligence services.”

For its part, China has denied allegations of meddling in the Canadian elections. Trudeau downplayed the allegations against Chinese state actors, saying diplomats do this in any country.