OTTAWA –
Secretary of State Melanie Joly is asking the MPs’ Intelligence and National Security Committee to study allegations that Canada failed to heed warnings about the safety of Ukrainian embassy staff in the country. against the Russian invasion.
Joly raised the possibility of this study while appearing at the House foreign affairs committee today, where MPs focused on Canada’s decision to return a turbine to a Russian state pipeline that supplies gas. natural combustion for Germany.
The Globe and Mail reported this week that before Russia invaded Ukraine, Global Affairs Canada had received Five Eyes intelligence indicating that Ukrainians working for Western embassies were likely to be on the list. the list of people Moscow intends to hunt down.
Joly told MPs on the committee that she, her political staff and the department had no information on “kill lists” that specifically targeted Canadian diplomats and staff members involved. locally.
She said she would be willing to join the national security committee, made up of senators and congressmen with clear authority on top security, should they decide to address the issue.
The Canadian press did not independently verify the report.
Joly also told MPs that Canada was “preoccupied” by intelligence that the United States made public earlier this year that Russia planned to specifically target Ukraine during an invasion.
In February, days before Russia began its assault on Ukraine, media reported that the US government had “credible information” about the threats and had alerted the United Nations’ human rights chief. Country.
“It’s very important that we get to the bottom of the situation,” Joly said as she and Conservative MP Garnett Genuis spoke to each other in a heated exchange on Thursday.
“This is something that I take very seriously.”
Late on Thursday, Joly posted a statement on Twitter reaffirming that the national security committee would have “my full support and cooperation” if it researched the matter.
It said staff working locally in Ukraine “have been briefed on the evolving security situation as they make decisions to keep their families safe” and about immigration pathways to Canada. .
This report by the Canadian Press was first published on August 4, 2022.
