Police could be called over leaked memo about Russian embassy, Ablonczy says

OTTAWA – The federal government is considering calling in the RCMP to investigate the leak of an internal memo about a lack of security at Canada’s embassy in Moscow.

The Canadian Press reported Sunday on an internal memo to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird that described the embassy compound as vulnerable to terrorist attack and the prying eyes of foreign spies.

Diane Ablonczy, minister of state for foreign affairs, says the government takes the leak “extremely seriously” and is considering whether to order a police investigation.

The memo from a senior bureaucrat says Canada’s embassy in the Russian capital offers “almost no protection” against a terrorist attack.

It describes in detail why diplomats won’t be moving to a more secure facility until January 2016, instead of last July as planned.

The delay has added nearly $30 million to the cost of the project, since Foreign Affairs received approval in 2008 to move the embassy to a more suitable building.