2005

October 31:

Minister of Foreign Affairs Pierre Pettigrew today announced the appointment of Bhupinder S. Liddar as Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in Nairobi, Kenya.

August 23:

Stockwell Day, M.P. and Opposition Conservative Party Foreign Affairs Critic, issues a press release blaming Martin/Chrétien feud for Chandigarh appointment fiasco.

August 5:

V. Peter Harder, Deputy Minister, Foreign Affairs Canada, writes: “Dear Mr. Liddar: I am writing with respect to the issue of your security clearance. Following my review of the SIRC report, I am not satisfied that the concerns of CSIS as regards the issues of loyalty and reliability have been substantiated. I, therefore, grant a clearance.”

July 27:

Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC) releases decision. SIRC Chair Paule Gauthier recommends Mr. Liddar be granted “a Level III (Top Secret) security clearance.”

May 31:

SIRC hearing.

March 30:

SIRC hearing

January 10, 11, & 13:

SIRC hearing

2004

December 15 & 16:

SIRC hearing

October 12:

SIRC hearing

May 5:

Ms. Alexa McDonough, MP, New Democratic Party's Foreign Affairs Critic, presented a Petition in the House of Commons, calling for "public inquiry into the violation of the rights of Canadian citizen Bhupinder Liddar, who, when his October 2003 appointment as consul general to Chandigarh was frozen, damaging his reputation and leaving his livelihood and his life in limbo, without benefit of due process, transparency or accountability.

Mr. Liddar deserves to know and Canadians want to know what role government officials, agencies and departments have played in freezing Mr. Liddar's appointment so that his name may be cleared, so that his life may resume and so that similar occurrences can be prevented in future."

March 26:

Liddar initiates s.42 complaint re: denial of Security Clearance.

March 26:

Liddar formally notified of the denial of the Security Clearance.

March 11:

Liddar meets with officials from Privy Council Office. He is told he has two options: 1) accept $60,000.00 (six-month salary) and agree to sign a confidentiality agreement, or 2) appeal CSIS decision to SIRC. Liddar chooses to appeal.

March 11:

Liddar receives a call to meet with DFAIT Assistant Deputy Minister David Mulroney. At the meeting Liddar is told one of the requirements to be appointed as Consul General is to obtain a security clearance and since he failed to do so, he cannot be appointed. He is told a meeting has been set up later that afternoon for him with Privy Council Office to discuss compensation.

January 30:

CSIS send Denial Brief to DFAIT’s Dan Livermore, Director General Security and Intelligence Branch, recommending that Liddar be denied Top Secret security clearance.

January 21:

Liddar interviewed for second time by CSIS.

January 16:

Liddar interviewed by CSIS.

January 8:

Liddar told to stop attending briefings until he receives a security clearance.

2003

November 29 to December 5:

Liddar attends regional Canadian Heads of Mission meeting in New Delhi

November 15:

Liddar sells Diplomat & International Canada magazine.

November 11:

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien steps down as Leader of the Liberal Party; Paul Martin takes over as Leader and transition process in Government begins.

November 6:

Congratulatory Statement in the Senate by Senator Michael Forrestall.

November 3 to December 12:

Liddar attends briefings arranged by DFAIT on a variety of topics.

November 3:

Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, M.P. questions Liddar’s appointment in the House of Commons and asks whether Liddar has a security clearance.

Hon. Denis Coderre, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration at the time answers that “all rules and criteria were followed” in appointing Liddar and that Liddar will be an excellent Consul General.

October 31:

Liddar meets with officials from the Office of Ethics Counsellor. Liddar is advised that he must sell or place in trust Diplomat & International Canada magazine, and give up his CPAC-TV Diplomatic World program and The Hill Times newspaper column.

October 24 to 26:

Liddar takes part in a trip to open the Consulate in Chandigarh with Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.

October 22:

Liddar’s appointment announced in the House of Commons and congratulatory messages read by MPs Colleen Beaumier and Gurbax S. Malhi (and by Sarkis Assadourian on November 04). Appointment announced in The Ottawa Citizen.

October 21:

DFAIT issues Press Release announcing Liddar’s appointment as Consul General in Chandigarh.

October 17:

Order-in-Council signed appointing Liddar as Consul General in Chandigarh