Adviser Shocked Ex-Spy Chief Kept ‘Exquisite Intelligence’ on Beijing Interference From Trudeau

September 27, 2024 TruthUSA

Former Canadian spymaster David Vigneault expressed his surprise at the Foreign Interference Commission that a report on Beijing meddling produced by his agency was not read by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. This was reportedly due to the report not being shared by Trudeau’s top security adviser.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) report, known as the “Targeting Paper,” was created in 2021 to detail how and why the Chinese regime targets parliamentarians. This sensitive report went through various stages before being released in a simplified form in 2023.

Vigneault revealed that the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) informed him that then-National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NSIA) Jody Thomas never briefed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the report. Thomas held this position from early 2022 to early 2024.

Vigneault, who announced his resignation as CSIS director in June, testified before the commission on Sept. 27 alongside other past and present CSIS executives.

The commission is currently investigating the government’s ability to counter foreign interference and is examining how intelligence is shared within the government.

Vigneault emphasized that the Targeting Paper contained crucial analysis about interference by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

This analysis included detailed intelligence on the specific activities used by the PRC to target Canadian elected officials,” Vigneault stated.

He also noted that the paper should have been seen by Trudeau.

Discussed Among Officials

A summary of Vigneault’s confidential briefing with the commission provides additional information on the handling of the Targeting Paper. It had been shared among a select group of senior officials in 2021 but had not been made public.

The paper was officially released on Feb. 13, 2023, on the Slingshot platform managed by the Communications Security Establishment and accessible only to individuals with high-level security clearances. However, it was withdrawn a few days later on Feb. 22, 2023.

According to a NSIRA report from May, the paper was retracted at the request of Thomas.

The secrecy of the paper sparked discussions among high-ranking officials, including Thomas, during a meeting on Feb. 24, 2023. The paper identified parliamentarians targeted by the PRC by name.

The commission’s summary indicates that Vigneault was asked to revise the document for wider distribution, to which he agreed. The summary mentions, “Mr. Vigneault understood that a less sensitive version would be disseminated.”

Months later, Vigneault discovered during a review by NSIRA that the revised version of the paper had never reached the prime minister.

“Mr. Vigneault learned from the NSIRA or NSICOP [National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians] final report that the then-NSIA Jody Thomas chose not to share the paper with the PM [prime minister] because it was viewed as more diplomatic than foreign interference,” according to the summary.

“This revelation surprised him. He could not speculate on the reasoning behind such a decision, but he believed the paper was extremely relevant,” the summary concludes. “He felt it should have been distributed, but the NSIA had not consulted him nor sought his opinion.”

The Privy Council Office, which houses the NSIA, was approached for a statement.

The NSIRA’s May report, from a security oversight body, highlights several instances where various NSIAs prevented the circulation of intelligence reports related to Chinese interference in Canadian democracy.

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