Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Liberals Block Tory Effort To Call National Security Adviser Daniel Jean To Testify On Jaspal Atwal

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Mar, 2018 11:47 AM

    OTTAWA — Liberal MPs on the House of Commons national security committee have thwarted a Conservative bid to summon the government's national security adviser over the Jaspal Atwal affair.

     

    Tory MPs on the committee wanted Daniel Jean to appear before the committee to explain a media briefing last week that suggested factions in the Indian government had tried to sabotage Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's trip to India.

     

    In the briefing, Jean suggested Atwal's invitation to events with Trudeau in Mumbai was arranged by factions within the Indian government who want to prevent Prime Minister Narendra Modi from getting too cosy with a foreign government they believe is not committed to a united India.

     

    Atwal — a B.C. Sikh convicted of trying to kill an Indian cabinet minister in 1986 — attended a reception in Mumbai, where he was photographed with Trudeau's wife. An invitation to a later reception in New Delhi was rescinded as soon as news broke that Atwal was on the guest list.

     

    Liberals used their majority on the committee to adjourn debate on the Conservative motion to summon Jean to testify.

     
     

    Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, testifying at the committee on an unrelated matter, had little to say to journalists about the controversy beyond repeating the prime minister's message that non-partisan, professional public servants should be respected.

     

    Trudeau, in Montreal to promote his government's federal budget, also continued to face questions about the affair Thursday. And even as he appeared to lay the blame for the matter squarely at the feet of Liberal MP Randeep Sarai, the one who invited Atwal, he too continued to lend credence to the theory put forward in Jean's briefing.

     

    "The individual in question never should have received an invitation, and the member of Parliament responsible for extending that invitation has taken responsibility and apologized for it," Trudeau said.

     

     

    "On top of that, I continue to trust and support our national security agencies and officials, and when they highlight that there are concerns around a particular issue, I trust them and I believe them."

     
     
     

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Thirty-One Instant Millionaires: N.L. Co-Workers Presented With $60M Cheque

    Thirty-One Instant Millionaires: N.L. Co-Workers Presented With $60M Cheque
    ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — More than 30 Newfoundland construction workers became instant millionaires today when the Atlantic Lottery Corp. handed them a cheque worth a whopping $60 million.

    Thirty-One Instant Millionaires: N.L. Co-Workers Presented With $60M Cheque

    Manitoba NDP Appoints 2 Women To Lead Probe Into Sex Harassment, Misconduct

    Manitoba NDP Appoints 2 Women To Lead Probe Into Sex Harassment, Misconduct
    The Manitoba NDP has appointed two women as commissioners to investigate reports of sexual harassment and misconduct from staff and elected officials.

    Manitoba NDP Appoints 2 Women To Lead Probe Into Sex Harassment, Misconduct

    Boys To Men: Calgary Lecture Series Examines Masculinity In #MeToo movement

    Boys To Men: Calgary Lecture Series Examines Masculinity In #MeToo movement
    CALGARY — A Calgary professor of masculinity studies says the #MeToo movement has created a chance to talk about how boys learn to be men.

    Boys To Men: Calgary Lecture Series Examines Masculinity In #MeToo movement

    Police In Lower Mainland Issue A Warning About Disturbing Phone Calls To Women

    Police In Lower Mainland Issue A Warning About Disturbing Phone Calls To Women
    RCMP say a male caller accurately identifies the woman's name and address and claims he has been watching her through cameras allegedly installed inside her home.

    Police In Lower Mainland Issue A Warning About Disturbing Phone Calls To Women

    Police Department Creates Zone For Safer Online Sales In Abbotsford, B.C.

    Sgt. Judy Bird knows first-hand about the "sketchy" feeling that can come with buying or selling items on platforms like Craigslist, Kijiji or Facebook.

    Police Department Creates Zone For Safer Online Sales In Abbotsford, B.C.

    Surrey Man Surgit Singh Bachra Arrested On Child Pornography Charges In Ontario

    Surrey Man Surgit Singh Bachra Arrested On Child Pornography Charges In Ontario
    48-yr-old Surrey man Surgit Singh Bachra faces a pair of charges after allegedly being caught trying to cross the border with child pornography.

    Surrey Man Surgit Singh Bachra Arrested On Child Pornography Charges In Ontario