OTTAWA — Postmedia journalist David Pugliese says allegations by a former Conservative cabinet minister that he was recruited by the Soviet Union’s intelligence agency in the 1980s as part of a global subversion campaign are “ridiculous” and “entirely false.”
Chris Alexander, a former politician and diplomat, made the accusations during a House of Commons standing committee on public safety and national security on Thursday evening, saying they were based on documents that “originate in the pre-1991 archives of the Ukrainian KGB.”
“His statements are entirely false and merely highlight another tactic in the ongoing attack on Canadian journalism,” said Pugliese, in a statement.
Alexander tabled seven pages of documents at the beginning of the committee meeting and said he had the papers “authenticated by several of the world’s leading experts on KGB documents.”
The documents cover a period of eight years from 1982 to 1990, Alexander said.
“In a nutshell, these records document a KGB operation to talent, spot, recruit, develop and run as an agent a Canadian citizen who’s been a prominent journalist in this country for over three decades,” said Alexander, during his opening statements at the committee meeting. Alexander would later identify Pugliese as the journalist during a round of questioning by Conservative MP James Bezan.
Pugliese said his articles on “financial irregularities at National Defence, bungled billion-dollar military procurements, massive waste of tax dollars and incidents of sexual assault in the Canadian Forces” are the likely cause of the false allegations. Alexander was parliamentary secretary to the defence minister when Pugliese was exposing controversies in the department.
“These articles are accurate,” said Pugliese.
Statements during committee meetings on Parliament Hill are covered by parliamentary privilege, similar to debate in the House of Commons, so witnesses and MPs can’t be sued for defamation for allegations made during these hearings.
“Mr. Alexander’s fabricated claims are not only ridiculous but dangerous to the safety of my family, particularly my children. His statements would also be libellous had he not uttered them behind the security of parliamentary committee privilege,” said Pugliese.
Nicole Feriancek, the editor-in-chief of the Ottawa Citizen, said Pugliese has had a long and decorated career as journalist, spanning four decades.
“At no point have we ever doubted David’s work or integrity, nor have we ever been approached by any intelligence entity concerning David or his work,” said Feriancek. “He will continue his vital reporting on military issues for the Ottawa Citizen.”
In a lengthy opening statement, Alexander blamed Russia for interfering in Canadian political debate on issues such as the truckers blockade, the yellow vest movement, the “Wexit” western separation movement, anti-vaccine movements, pro-Hamas protests and “many extreme elements that play into elections in Canada and in allied democracies.”
Alexander also claimed that Russian disinformation was involved in campaigns related to the People’s Party of Canada political party, which the PPC denied in an email to the National Post on Thursday.
“Populist parties like the PPC are rising in all Western countries because our establishment parties support these disastrous policies, not because we’re agents of Moscow,” said Martin Masse, a PPC spokesperson.
Alexander said all the documents pre-date the collapse of the USSR in 1991 and that anything after that can’t be obtained. “We have no access to those files because they’re in Moscow,” said Alexander.
“For decades, Moscow has been recruiting and paying policymakers, influencers, politicians, journalists and others, to act as their proxies, to undermine trust in our institutions, to dissipate our political will,” said Alexander.
The Canadian Association of Journalists condemned the allegations against Pugliese in a statement on social media on Thursday.
“The CAJ wholeheartedly denounces the ridiculous accusations made against David Pugliese today. It’s a sad irony these comments were made in a meeting examining disinformation campaigns. These claims are dangerous (and) designed to undermine the credibility of journalists. Period,” the statement reads.
Pugliese said the accusations won’t change the way he does his job.
“This is what journalism is supposed to be about; publishing things the powerful do not want to see in public. Rest assured, I have no intention of changing the way I conduct my reporting,” he said.
National Post
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