ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Security increased for prime minister's advisers after break-and-enter incidents

Share

Ottawa Police is investigating an attempted break-in at the residence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security adviser, the second such incident involving one of his top aides in recent months.

Last weekend, police responded to a call about an unsuccessful break-and-enter at the Ottawa home where National Security and Intelligence Advisor Jody Thomas is living. She was in the residence at the time.

Neighbours tell CTV News that police canvassed the area hoping to find security camera video of the incident.

Shortly before Christmas, the Ottawa home where Trudeau’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, and her husband live was also broken into, with some personal documents and other items taken. No one was home at the time.

The investigation was led by the Ottawa Police Service and at least one officer from the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) was copied in on details.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said, “the issues you are inquiring about are private, personal matters and we have no further comment. We refer you to the relevant authorities.â€

The Ottawa Police would not say if any arrests had been made in either case and said more details could be obtained only by filing a request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, a process that typically takes months.

In a city that sees about 2,500 break-and-enters reported to police every year, there is no indication either adviser was specifically targeted or that the two incidents were related, but both led to increased security.

Last night, a guard with a private security company could be seen keeping watch outside one of the homes.

While the prime minister, and sometimes his ministers, are protected by the RCMP, their staff typically do not have their own security details.

The two advisers have been the subject of a high level of public scrutiny over the past year. They both testified at the Public Order Emergency Commission into the government’s use of the Emergencies Act to end the “Freedom Convoy†protests.

Thomas also testified at a parliamentary committee looking into allegations of foreign interference in Canadian elections.

Telford was the subject of a motion calling for her to testify on the same subject before the House of Commons Procedure and House Affairs Committee. Though Liberal MPs on committee resisted forcing her to testify, she later agreed, and will appear in the coming weeks.

Telford is Trudeau’s top aide and has worked with him closely since he launched his Liberal leadership bid in 2012.

Thomas, a former deputy minister of National Defence, was appointed in early 2022 and is responsible for briefing the prime minister on national security and intelligence issues.

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.

B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.

Stay Connected