The Conservative Party is asking that national security adviser Daniel Jean appear before a House of Commons committee to explain why he told a group of reporters that factions of the Indian government orchestrated invitations of a would-be assassin to events with Canada's prime minister in India last week.
Conservative public safety critic Pierre Paul-Hus put forward a motion Thursday to have Jean testify in front of the standing committee on public safety and national security. He also wants the committee to make recommendations and report its findings to the House.
In a background briefing arranged by the Prime Minister's Office, a senior government official with knowledge of Justin Trudeau's security protocols suggested to reporters that an invitation to Jaspal Atwal was arranged by factions within the Indian government to make the Canadian government appear sympathetic to Sikh extremism.
The Conservatives later identified the official as Trudeau's national security adviser, Daniel Jean.
Atwal attended at least one event tied to the Trudeau visit, at which he was photographed with the prime minister's wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, and Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi. Another invitation was rescinded soon after reports of it leaked out.
Atwal was a member of an illegal Sikh separatist group and was convicted of attempting to assassinate Indian cabinet minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu in 1986. He was also charged — but not convicted — in the 1985 attack on Ujjal Dosanjh, who later became B.C. premier and a federal Liberal cabinet minister.
Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus, shown Jan. 31 in the House of Commons, is the party's public safety critic. He has put forward a motion asking that Canada's security adviser testify before a committee regarding the Atwal affair. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
The Indian government flatly denied any involvement with the invitations.
"Let me categorically state that the government of India, including the security agencies, had nothing to do with the presence of Jaspal Atwal at the event hosted by the Canadian high commissioner in Mumbai or the invitation issued to him for the Canadian high commissioner's reception in New Delhi," said official spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. "Any suggestion to the contrary is baseless and unacceptable."
Trudeau has both defended Jean and said the invitation was the fault of B.C. Liberal Randeep Sarai.
Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and his deputy minister, Malcolm Brown, are testifying in front of the public safety committee Thursday morning.
Paul-Hus also tried to have an emergency committee meeting about the Privy Council Office's screening practices, but that attempt fizzled last week.
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