Two senior officials of the Justin Trudeau-led government have admitted that intelligence and sensitive information against India was leaked to the Washington Post even before the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) publicly alleged that India was involved in murder, extortion and oppression, according to Canadian media .

Nathalie Drouin, Trudeau’s national security and intelligence adviser, told a parliamentary panel that he was not required to have the Prime Minister’s permission to approve the leak. According to Canadian media reports, Drouin said that the leak of sensitive information was part of the communication strategy developed by him and Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison. He insisted that no classified intelligence had been made available to the US publication a day before six Indian diplomats were recalled from Canada.

He said they wanted a major US media outlet to air Canada’s version of the ongoing diplomatic dispute with India. He said the communication strategy was seen by the Prime Minister’s Office, according to Canadian media.

The information also linked India to the murder of Khalistani activist Sukhdool Singh Gill, who was shot in Winnipeg on September 20 last year after Trudeau accused Indian agents of involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

“We provided declassified information about the actions we took to cooperate with India and explained that evidence showed links to the Indian government engaging in illegal activities against Canadians, including threats against their lives,” Drouin said, according to The Globe. and Post.

Conservative public safety critic Raquel Dancho asked why the prime minister, the ministers of foreign affairs and public safety and the RCMP did not share the same information with the public when six diplomats were recalled. He said he found it unfair that the information was leaked to the Washington Post and not to Canadian citizens.

The RCMP Commissioner said the information was not made public due to concerns it could impact ongoing criminal investigations.

Drouin also detailed Ottawa’s back-channel efforts to convince India that Canadian officials had credible evidence. He said the RCMP wanted to go to New Delhi on October 8, but India prevented it on an “administrative technicality.”