Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was briefed “multiple times” regarding Chinese election interference schemes in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections, says Jody Thomas, his national security and intelligence adviser.
Thomas made the comments while testifying on March 1 before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.
The committee is currently studying allegations of foreign election interference following reports by Global News and The Globe and Mail citing secret Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) documents and intelligence sources highlighting vast interference campaigns carried out in Canada by Beijing.
Thomas, who took on the role of national security and intelligence adviser to the prime minister in January 2022, said she would provide the committee with all dates on which her office has “briefed the prime minister formally” since January 2022. She noted, however, that her office also frequently has “informal discussions with him [Trudeau] about foreign interference and the activities in the national security community.”…