OTTAWA—Canada’s new national Security Committee is facing a difficult test to gain the trust of the intelligence community after one of its members was subject to an online extortion attempt, intelligence experts say.

Ex-Conservative MP Tony Clement stepped down from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) two weeks ago after revealing he sent intimate images and a video to an unknown party. Clement said the party then blackmailed him for 50,000 Euros.

But the impact of Clement’s actions may go beyond his political career and the women he had relationships with, security watchers said. For intelligence agencies, it means more skepticism about NSICOP — and civilian oversight into spy operations.

“If the national security and intelligence community here in Canada does not believe that this committee can be trusted, then sharing (information) could be seriously limited and co-operation could be minimized,” said Stephanie Carvin, a former CSIS analyst and current Carleton University professor.

“I don’t believe the Clement issue is fatal, but it is just a problem in that this is a formative stage (for the committee). And MPs have to demonstrate that they are capable of this kind of work and trustworthy enough to carry it out.”

NSICOP was created in 2017; part of the Liberal government’s pledge to provide oversight into national security and intelligence operations. Canada is the last of the “Five Eyes” countries — including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand — to provide civilian oversight for national security agencies.

The committee, chaired by veteran Liberal MP David McGuinty, meets in secret to review the operations of agencies like the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE).

Until two weeks ago, Clement was a member of that committee; cleared to receive sensitive information from Canada’s most secretive agencies. After publicly alleging he was being extorted, Clement stepped down from the committee and was booted from the Conservative caucus.

But the Star reported Clement was aware of attempts to embarrass him for months before making the matter public, based on the testimony of two women who said they had relationships with the 57-year old married MP. The Star agreed not to reveal their identities.

Members of NSICOP have “top secret” clearance, according to the committee’s regulations. But in effect, “top secret” is a stand in for a range of classifications that run from the janitors at CSIS to the prime minister’s national security adviser.

It’s difficult to know the different levels of “top secret” clearance as that information is classified. So are the screening procedures that NSICOP members go through to receive Canada’s most-guarded secrets — meaning it’s unclear if Clement’s social media habits were screened before he joined the committee.

The Star requested interviews with senators Percy Downe and Francis Lankin and Liberal MP Hedy Fry who, like Clement, had already held positions that required security clearance before joining NSICOP. All three referred questions to the committee.

Members of NSICOP are required by law to inform Canada’s top bureaucrat — the Clerk of the Privy Council — for any change in their circumstances that could compromise their membership on the committee.

Sources told the Star that Clement informed the council days before making the issue public, while the women who spoke to the Star said he knew for months about the extortion attempts.

The Privy Council Office refused to say whether any current or former members of NSICOP had lost their security clearance, citing privacy law.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

When asked if Clement was under investigation for violating the committee’s rules, Clement’s lawyer Joseph Neuberger told the Star that he was not.

The RCMP also confirmed that while Clement’s “sextortion” complaint was being investigated, the force was not investigating him for violating the committee’s regulations.