Top Officials Defend Sharing India Interference Info Exclusively With US Publication

Top security and foreign affairs officials have confirmed providing information on alleged Indian interference in Canada to a U.S. media outlet without sharing it with Canadians, but they denied sharing anything that was classified.
The confirmation came from the prime minister’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor Nathalie Drouin and Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister David Morrison who appeared on Oct. 29 before the House of Commons public safety committee.
Drouin said she and Morrison spoke to the Washington Post on Oct. 13 as part of a strategy to broadcast widely Ottawa’s message about illegal activities linked back to the Indian government after it didn’t cooperate on the matter.
Drouin had met with the national security adviser to the Indian prime minister on Oct. 12 in Singapore, where she said evidence on the alleged illegal activities was presented, along with options for India to address the matter. She said India did not cooperate and the next day went public on the issue, promoting the “false narrative” that Canada had not provided any evidence.
Drouin also said India has been accusing Canada of pursuing a “politically motivated” investigation.
“We were prepared for this accusation to resurface,” she said. “Therefore, we made a strategic decision to engage a respected international news outlet that had already published on the subject to ensure the record was straight and that our side of the story would be widely heard.”
Drouin said the information they provided was “not classified” and “available elsewhere,” and that it explained how Ottawa’s evidence showed links between New Delhi and illegal activities in Canada. Drouin also said the information provided is exactly the same that she briefed to the leaders of political parties.
The information that appeared in the Post article, including abound India’s alleged involvement in a murder in Winnipeg and how India’s home secretary has allegedly authorized attacks against Sikh separatists in Canada, had not been shared publicly in Canada by federal authorities. The allegation in the Winnipeg case relates to the murder of a Sikh community member in 2023.
Drouin said she and Morrison had not provided information to the post about India’s home secretary’s involvement, but when pressed by an MP, Morrison said he had confirmed the information with the journalist.
“The journalist called me and asked me if it was that person. I confirmed it was that person,” Morrison said.
Morrison said the Washington Post was chosen in order to “[speak] directly with our friends in the United States,” with Canada’s allies in the UK and elsewhere, and “directly to Indians.”
Ottawa has been seeking international backing from allies since it came out publicly last year accusing the Indian government of having a role in the assassination on Canadian soil of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Duheme said the information was “not sensitive to national security,” but nevertheless was something that the force normally wouldn’t share while investigating.
Duheme said he had not shared those details publicly during his Oct. 14 press conference because he didn’t think it was relevant “at that point,” and said that he was not a part of the conversations with the Washington Post.
The RCMP has not responded to an inquiry by The Epoch Times about whether it was aware Drouin and Morrison would approach the Washington Post.
Drouin told the public safety committee the strategy to engage that outlet had been developed at the civil servant level without direction from the prime minister.
The Prime Minister’s Office and other ministers’ offices were aware of the strategy, said Drouin, but the “prime minister did not direct us to do it, nor [did] they approve what was going to be shared with the Washington Post.”
The Indian government has denied being involved in criminal activities on Canadian soil and has said that no solid evidence has been shared by Canada.
Verma also said he had not directed anyone to collect information on Sikh separatists in Canada, which could then be used for targeting by criminal elements. He said, however, it’s in his “national interest” to keep tabs on what Sikh separatists, who seek to carve out a country out of India, are doing in Canada.