Mendicino defends timing of when Canadians learned of Chinese spy balloon

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino defended the government on Monday at a meeting of the special committee on Canada-China relations when asked about the timing of when Canadians learned a suspected Chinese spy balloon had been in Canada's airspace last week. Mendicino said in terms of briefings the government receives from the national security and intelligence agencies, "there is a lot of regard to being careful and cautious around when information is released so that we do not jeopardize either the integrity of operations which are being undertaken to protect national security as well as the people who are engaged in those operations."