Andrew Scheer accepts briefing from Trudeau's adviser Daniel Jean on India trip
PM's national security adviser agrees to appear before House committee for unclassified briefing
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has accepted a meeting with Daniel Jean, the Liberal government's national security adviser, for a briefing on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's trip to India.
And in response to Scheer's demands, Jean has now agreed to make himself available to the House of Commons' national security and defence committee to provide an unclassified briefing to MPs about the trip that generated awkward headlines for the Trudeau government.
Scheer has been hammering the Liberals in question period for inviting Jaspal Atwal, a man convicted of attempted murder, to an official function at the Canadian high commission in New Delhi during the prime minister's visit to India in February.
As the scandal was dominating Canadian coverage of the trip, Jean briefed some reporters on the nature of Atwal's invitation and suggested elements within the Indian government might have been behind it, or might at least have been responsible for having Atwal's name removed from a blacklist of people banned by India from entering the country.
B.C. Liberal MP Randeep Sarai later said he was responsible for extending the invitation to Atwal. Sarai has since apologized for inviting Atwal and has resigned as the Liberals' Pacific caucus chair.
Two weeks ago, the Liberal government offered to brief Scheer on the circumstances of the Atwal affair.
Scheer said Tuesday he has confirmed the information provided by Jean to reporters was not classified, and so he wants other members of his Conservative caucus and members of the media to be present for the non-classified portion of the briefing with Jean.
"Justin Trudeau has failed to be honest with Canadians about why a convicted attempted murderer was invited to his official events in India. The prime minister blamed rogue elements within the Indian government for Jaspal Atwal's presence in India, but since that time, the Indian government, Randeep Sarai, Jaspal Atwal and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have all refuted Justin Trudeau's claims," Scheer said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the Privy Council Office (PCO) — the arm of the civil service that serves the prime minister — said Tuesday that since the Conservative leader has accepted the offer to meet with Jean, it would work with Scheer's office "to coordinate the classified briefing for him on matters related to the national security of Canada as soon as possible."
But the PCO spokesperson seemed to rebuff Scheer's demand that members of the Conservative caucus and media be allowed to partake in the unclassified portion of the briefing.
Instead, Jean has offered to appear before the House of Commons' national security and defence committee "to offer an unclassified briefing at the earliest practical opportunity should that be the wish of the standing committee," the spokesperson said in a statement to CBC News.
Conservative MPs carried out some procedural trickery two weeks ago — including a marathon voting session on a series of motions in the House that lasted the better part of 24 hours — to protest efforts by the Liberal government to kill a motion that would have demanded Jean appear before the committee to answer questions about the Atwal invite.
Now, Jean — a respected career public servant who was routinely promoted by the former Harper government — is making himself available to the committee despite Liberal opposition to the Conservative motion.
Atwal was convicted of the attempted murder of Indian cabinet minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu during a visit to Vancouver Island in 1986. He was also charged — but not convicted — in a 1985 attack on Ujjal Dosanjh, who later became B.C. premier and a federal Liberal cabinet minister. More recently, he was found liable in an automobile fraud case.
Atwal has said he has been active in Indo-Canadian politics for years, meeting with Liberal, Conservative and NDP politicians alike.
During a press conference with reporters in March, Atwal said he reached out to Sarai before the trip to India, asking if he could secure an invitation to the official reception. He said he "assumed there would be no problems" with his presence at the event.
"When my attendance became the news story that brings us here today, I was completely shocked and devastated," he said.
Atwal's lawyer, Rishi Gill, has denied his client is associated with any rogue elements of the Indian government, adding such claims should be made on the record.