Did Canada abandon Ukrainians on hit list risk? Tempers flare as Joly pressed on report

The Globe and Mail cited three sources as saying Global Affairs Canada had intelligence confirming Russia's intention to wage war against Ukraine -- and to target embassy staff.

Tensions flared at the House of Commons foreign affairs committee on Thursday as Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly was grilled over a report that Canada “abandoned” Ukrainian embassy staff as the Russian invasion loomed.

The report, which was published by the Globe and Mail on Tuesday, cited three sources who alleged that Global Affairs Canada received intelligence confirming Russia’s intention to wage war against Ukraine — and that Ukrainian staff at Western embassies were among those on likely Russian hit lists.

Despite that warning, the Globe report said Canadian embassy staff in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv were told to keep that information from Ukrainian staff, who were not among those pulled out of the region when Canada moved diplomatic staff to neighbouring Poland ahead of the invasion.

Global News has not independently verified this reporting.

During Thursday’s committee, Joly found herself in the hot seat over the report.

Conservative MP Garnett Genuis accused Joly of issuing a “qualified denial” of the report, asking her to definitively share whether she believes the reporting to be correct.

“You said that you were not aware of kill lists that specifically named Canadians, but that was not the question, and that was not the Globe and Mail story,” Genuis said.

“Their story was that Canadian embassy staff were likely on lists, and that the Five Eyes briefed Canadian officials that Ukrainians who work for Western embassies were likely on the list, and further that the Canadian embassy made a decision not to pass that information along. So, Minister, to be very clear, is the Globe and Mail story in your view, correct or not?”