Former intelligence adviser fears Trump may leverage intel sharing against Canada

OTTAWA — A former top advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s worried the U.S. might put intelligence sharing on the table in talks about Canada’s laggardly defence spending.

Vincent Rigby says he’s afraid that at some point, intelligence will become a negotiating tool as the Donald Trump White house seeks to extract gains from Canada.

Rigby was Trudeau’s national security and intelligence adviser during the early years of the pandemic.

Trump and other U.S. lawmakers have been sharply critical of Canada for failing to meet its NATO commitment of spending two per cent of its GDP on defence.