A former top advisor to the prime minister on national security matters says he is “not surprised” that crucial intelligence about a Beijing threat to MPs did not reach the higher echelons of government.
“The July 2021 report on the targeting of Mr. Chong and other individual MPs was produced and distributed after my departure,” former National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NSIA) Vincent Rigby told a House of Commons committee on June 8.
“But I am not surprised that this intelligence was not raised to the political level. This is where the system is particularly weak.”
The report refers to a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) assessment of Beijing threats to MPs, including Conservative Michael Chong, which reached the NSIA’s office within the Privy Council Office (PCO) but was never briefed to the prime minister….