A police officer and a detective are suing Canada’s spy agency because they think the agency made a mistake and wrongly connected them to another police officer who is accused of working for China.
Paul McNamara and Peter Merrifield say that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service gave wrong information, which made them lose their security clearances for their jobs.
“I’m really mad that they’re saying I’m a threat to national security,” McNamara said in an interview with the media. I will test you here. “I will go to my grave to show that I am not a danger to the country’s security. ”
McNamara used to work as a detective in the Vancouver Police Department. After he stopped working, he got a job as the person in charge of security programs at a company called VXL Enterprises. He was responsible for the security of the US Embassy and its consulates in Canada. He lost his permission to work and his job in 2021, and has not been able to find work since then.
Before Merrifield became the vice-president of the RCMP union, he was in charge of protecting the prime minister. When he was in that job, Merrifield says he was one of just a few Canadians who had “higher than top secret clearance. ” Merrifield’s clearance was stopped for almost a year between 2022 and 2023.
Merrifield said that the main difference between intelligence and evidence is the amount of proof needed. “Intelligence is not being held responsible for its actions. ”
They have filed a lawsuit in federal court, claiming that they were defamed and accusing that the investigation was not done properly.
“McNamara and Merrifield claim that CSIS had a political agenda to act tough on Chinese interference and targeted many people connected to Chinese businesses, including them. ”
“Instead of checking real information, CSIS made wrong claims about the Plaintiffs and gave them to their employers, knowing it would cause harm. ”
The two are asking for over $5. 5 million because they believe their income has been affected, they are upset and their reputation has been harmed. This happened because CSIS identified them in regular security checks.
McNamara said that if our intelligence service is not strong and well-managed, it can hurt Canadians more than foreign state actors. “China hasn’t done anything to harm me, but my own country’s security service has. ”
CSIS did not want to say anything about the lawsuit.
A CSIS spokesperson said they can’t talk about court cases.
The lawsuit is happening after two weeks of meetings at the public investigation into foreign meddling. During the testimony, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his cabinet and his staff kept saying that “intelligence wasn’t evidence,” as they disagreed with CSIS intelligence about Beijing’s involvement in the last two elections.
On Thursday, Trudeau talked to reporters and said that he has a lot of confidence in the people working in Canada’s security organizations. He thinks they are amazing.
“This job is very important and it keeps getting harder every day. ” But leaders and governments should not just wait for information to come to them, they should take action.
“We need to ask questions, think carefully, and encourage more research on sources and finding contradictions. ” This is something we all need to do to make sure Canadians stay safe.
McNamara and Merrifield say they have problems because they talked to William Majcher, a former Mountie who is now facing charges for interfering in foreign affairs. Merrifield says he was interviewed by CSIS agents for six hours, and they spent more than three hours asking about Majcher.
McNamara and Merrifield say they were not involved in Majcher’s work in China.
Majcher was a secret police officer who looked into illegal money activities for the RCMP before he stopped working in 2007. He moved to Hong Kong and started a business that helped recover stolen money that was being hidden in other countries. This business worked with Chinese investment banks and law firms.
Security experts say that this might have included official efforts to fight corruption, like Operation Fox Hunt. The Chinese government has used this program to send back suspects and fugitives without their agreement. The rights group Safeguard Defenders says that these programs also go after people who disagree with the government.
Majcher was accused in July of breaking the law about national security and spying.
In July, the RCMP said that Majcher used what he knew and who he knew in Canada to get information or help for China. He is accused of helping the Chinese government find and scare someone in a way that is not allowed in Canada.
In a special interview with the press while out on bail and waiting for trial, Majcher said he didn’t do what he’s accused of.
“In March, Majcher said I love my country, not betray it. ” I will be in a courtroom. I will do a lie detector test and I dare anyone accusing me to do the same.
Majcher thinks he became suspected when he was hired by a Chinese group to get information about how Canada handles extraditions. This was related to the case of Meng Wanzhou, who was held in Vancouver because the US wanted her to be extradited.
“Most people are freelancing, unless they work for the government or a big company,” Majcher said. “Everyone is working hard to make money in their business. “