Strike former spy watchdog Arthur Porter from Privy Council roll, say Greens

OTTAWA – Green party Leader Elizabeth May is calling on the prime minister to strip the former head of Canada’s spy watchdog of his privy councillor status.

Arthur Porter, now living in the Bahamas, is wanted on fraud-related charges linked to construction of a hospital mega-project in Montreal.

Five years ago the Conservatives appointed Porter — a medical doctor and cancer specialist — to the Security Intelligence Review Committee, which keeps an eye on the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and investigates complaints about CSIS.

Committee members are sworn to the Privy Council, meaning they must swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen and promise to keep confidential matters secret.

Porter became chairman of the committee in 2010 but quit abruptly the following year amid questions about his private business dealings.

May says Porter’s removal from the Privy Council is warranted, given the government’s apparent lapse in judgment in making the appointment in the first place.