Close X
Tuesday, November 5, 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 An invitation to a later reception in New Delhi was rescinded as soon as news broke that Atwal was on the guest list.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

    Airbnb Rentals Being Used For Alleged Human Trafficking: Toronto Police

    Airbnb Rentals Being Used For Alleged Human Trafficking: Toronto Police
      Toronto police say a recent case of alleged human trafficking is the latest in a growing trend involving people using Airbnb rentals to conduct their illicit transactions.

    Airbnb Rentals Being Used For Alleged Human Trafficking: Toronto Police

    Police Ask For Help In Case Of Vancouver Mom Who Didn't Pick Up Kids From School

    Police Ask For Help In Case Of Vancouver Mom Who Didn't Pick Up Kids From School
    Vancouver police are focusing on a park as they investigate the case of a missing woman who failed to pick up her children from school.

    Police Ask For Help In Case Of Vancouver Mom Who Didn't Pick Up Kids From School

    Ford's North America Head Raj Nair Leaves Company After Misconduct Allegations

    Ford's North America Head Raj Nair Leaves Company After Misconduct Allegations
    A top-level Indian-origin executive who was in-charge of auto-maker Ford Motor's North American operations, Raj Nair, has left under a cloud and has been replaced by another, Kumar Galhotra, the company announced Thursday.

    Ford's North America Head Raj Nair Leaves Company After Misconduct Allegations

    Canadian PM, Politicians Must Not Attend Events Glorifying Militants: Ujjal Dosanjh

    Canadian PM, Politicians Must Not Attend Events Glorifying Militants: Ujjal Dosanjh
    Canadian politicians, including the Prime Minister, must start appreciating India’s deep sensitivities on this issue,” said Dosanjh, who was the first person of colour to become Premier (equal to Chief Minister) in Canada in 2000

    Canadian PM, Politicians Must Not Attend Events Glorifying Militants: Ujjal Dosanjh

    Face The World With Your Head Held High, Sophie Trudeau Tells Young Women In India

    Face The World With Your Head Held High, Sophie Trudeau Tells Young Women In India
    Addressing a group of Indian women students in New Delhi at the Asia launch of the global campaign -- 'She Will Grow Into It' -- Sophie Trudeau also asked them to speak up for those who cannot, and "have fun".

    Face The World With Your Head Held High, Sophie Trudeau Tells Young Women In India

    B.C. Businesses Say New Health Tax Will Raise Prices For Consumers

    VANCOUVER — Small business owners in British Columbia say a new health-care payroll tax will result in higher prices for consumers as companies struggle to absorb the cost.

    B.C. Businesses Say New Health Tax Will Raise Prices For Consumers