Trudeau’s Top National Security Adviser Reveals Dates Of Foreign Interference Briefings
Adedokun Waliyu 
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security and intelligence adviser (NSIA) has revealed the dates of foreign interference briefings provided to the prime minister, his office, cabinet ministers, and cleared political party representatives between 2018 and 2023.
In documents provided to the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) ahead of Trudeau’s chief of staff Katie Telford’s testimony, Jody Thomas outlines how many times formal briefings were provided, and by whom.
Thomas and Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Director David Vigneault had committed to PROC during their March 1 and March 2 appearances as part of its ongoing foreign election interference study that they’d provide unclassified administrative details about when officials were briefed on Beijing interference efforts in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
What was turned over to the committee did not specify whether the briefings were about a certain country’s efforts, or just the issue of foreign interference broadly, but according to Thomas:
. Between October 2018 and March 2023 Trudeau received six briefings from either his NSIA or CSIS;
. Between August 2018 and February 2023 specific individual ministers received 15 briefings from either CSIS or the head of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE);
. The prime minister’s office received two briefings from the NSIA and CSIS, one in September 2022 and one in February 2023; and
. Cleared political party representatives received four briefings between June and September 2019 and another nine briefings between July and October 2021.
Last week, opposition MPs on the committee had written to the Clerk of the Privy council to express frustration that a month after vowing this information would be provided quickly, it had yet to be sent to the committee.
MPs requested that this information be provided prior to Telford’s testimony. Telford will testify at PROC at 12 p.m. ET today, for two hours.
