The NSICOP reports to the prime minister. Trudeau needs to reveal the truth or he will be singularly responsible for what might be the greatest political scandal in Canadian political history.

By Ryan Alford | Special to National Post

Summary

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) released a heavily redacted report last week that appears to corroborate a disturbing story of foreign influence and collusion. A reckoning can now only be forestalled by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself, as members of NSICOP would be subject to 14 years in prison for revealing what he has censored.

Trudeau needs to reveal the truth or he will be singularly responsible for what might be the greatest political scandal in Canadian political history. A number of parliamentarians may have been witting or unwitting participants in foreign interference, but the actions of one particular MP may exceed all the others.

The NSICOP report suggests that Han Dong, a member of the Liberal Party who sought and secured the nomination for Don Valley North, may have engaged in activities that could be considered compromising, including meetings with officials from the Chinese government and advising against the release of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who were detained in China.

As the redactions in the NSICOP report were made under the authority of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it raises questions about the balance between the need for transparency and the protection of national security, and the potential implications for Canadian democracy if members of Parliament are compromised by foreign interests.

Prime Minister Trudeau dismissed suggestions that Han Dong was not loyal to Canada as unacceptable allegations of racism. However, the NSICOP committee was clearly not deterred by such rhetoric from scrutinizing potential disloyalty cases.

The NSICOP report describes a “particularly concerning case” of an unnamed MP maintaining a relationship with a foreign intelligence officer, seeking to arrange meetings, and proactively providing that officer with confidential information. This scenario closely mirrors what has been reported about intelligence leaks related to Han Dong, though his name is not explicitly stated in the passage. If Han Dong is indeed the MP referenced in the NSICOP report’s redacted name, it raises the question of why his identity would have been redacted, given that CSIS allegations against him have already been made public.

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