Trudeau’s national security adviser says there are no ‘traitors’ in Parliament

National Security and Intelligence Advisor Drouin says cross-partisan report gave the “impression” the MPs were betraying Canada, but she has not seen evidence of that.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security advisor said she has not seen evidence that federal politicians are “traitors” through their dealings with foreign governments.

Speaking at the Hogue commission into foreign interference Wednesday, Nathalie Drouin suggested a recent report by a cross-partisan national security committee gave the mistaken impression that some MPs were betraying their country.

“The fact that (the report) focused on members of Parliament and thus gave the impression that some MPs might have been aware and might have acted in a way that is close to treason makes me very uncomfortable. Because that’s not what I see,” Drouin, a longtime public servant appointed Trudeau’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor in January, said.

“I’ve seen inappropriate behaviours, I saw some lack of judgment, and in the case of some individuals maybe I would trust them a bit less. But I saw no MPs responsible for espionage, sabotage or putting the security of Canada at risk.”

A cloud of suspicion has been hanging over parliamentarians after the national security committee suggested there is intelligence that an undisclosed number of politicians are knowingly working with hostile foreign powers.

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSCIOP) revealed in June that some federal politicians — no indication of how many, or from what party — are “witting or semi-witting” participants in foreign interference schemes.

“Some (of the activities) may be illegal, but are unlikely to lead to criminal charges, owing to Canada’s failure to address the long-standing issue of protecting classified information and methods in judicial processes,” the report read.

In other words, Canada’s intelligence agencies might have compelling information on politicians’ activities, but may not want to divulge how they came across those secrets in public court proceedings.