After 11 years of bringing you local reporting, the team behind the Vancouver Observer has moved on to Canada's National Observer. You can follow Vancouver culture reporting over there from now on. Thank you for all your support over the years!

Prime Minister Stephen Harper accepts resignation of Chuck Strahl

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement on the resignation of Chuck Strahl as Chair of the Security Intelligence Review Committee:

“Mr. Strahl has submitted his resignation to me, and I have accepted it, effective immediately. In the interim, Deborah Grey will act as Chair until a new Chair is appointed. With the appointment of Ms. Grey as Chair of the Security Intelligence Review Committee, there will be no gap in the review of CSIS’s activities or in addressing complaints from the public.

Former Reform MP Deborah Grey, who will replace Chuck Strahl as SIRC chair. 

 “I would like to extend my personal best wishes to Chuck in all of his future endeavours.”

 The Security Intelligence Review Committee is an independent, external review body which reports to the Parliament of Canada on the operations of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

Strahl's resignation comes after revelations by The Vancouver Observer that Strahl registered as a lobbyist for Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline just before the National Energy Board's Joint Review Panel recommendation in favour of the project.

More than 60 publications covered the story, Strahl accused the Vancouver Observer of being "aggressively anti-pipeline" in the National Post, and Democracy Watch called on Strahl to step down from his post.

That Strahl was working both as a lobbyist for Enbridge and as the top spy watchdog followed the Vancouver Observer's expose on Enbridge coordinating the RCMP and CSIS to spy on environmental groups during the Joint Review Panel hearings on the Enbridge pipeline proposal.

That Strahl was working both as a lobbyist for Enbridge and as the top spy watchdog followed the Vancouver Observer's expose on Enbridge coordinating with the RCMP and CSIS to spy on environmental groups during the Joint Review Panel hearings on the Enbridge pipeline proposal.

More in News

Views from a refugee camp: Who gets into heaven?

I have just returned to Vancouver Island from Greek refugee camps where I met a Yazidi man named Jason who told me about his escape from ISIS in Iraq.   His story begins on a desert road where a...

Vancouver's bicycle sharing grows as 15 new stations installed

Mobi bicycle by Shaw Go in Vancouver. Photo by Christopher Porter from Flickr Creative Commons

International Women's Day Concert celebrates female musicians who turned tragedy into triumph

Every March 8, on International Women's Day, we hear about the achievements of brilliant, talented women around the world. But how often do we learn about the physical and mental disabilities or...
Speak up about this article on Facebook or Twitter. Do this by liking Vancouver Observer on Facebook or following us @Vanobserver on Twitter. We'd love to hear from you.