44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 6, 2023 11:00AM
- Mar/6/23 2:37:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, they concluded overall that they were free and fair.
Last election, the G7 rapid response mechanism in Global Affairs Canada tracked Chinese Communist Party interference targeting candidates like Kenny Chiu. Despite Global Affairs tracking interference in real time during the election, nothing was done. Kenny Chiu was not informed. Clearly, the critical election incident protocol did not work.
Since the PMO had a hand in setting up this protocol, will the PMO let its officials testify in front of a committee in order to tell us why the protocol was set up the way it was?
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- Mar/6/23 2:37:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, this government set up the SITE panel and the critical instant reporting protocol to ensure that independent, non-partisan, professional public servants would make decisions about which allegations of foreign interference would be disclosed. This is a process that has served our democracy well.
Now we will take the recommendations from Morris Rosenberg and work closely with the public service to implement them so we can build on the strong track record of this government, which remains vigilant and clear-eyed about fighting against the threats of foreign interference.
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- Mar/6/23 2:38:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister initially denied allegations of foreign interference in our elections by the communist regime in Beijing. He thought he could sweep the whole thing under the rug and people would move on, but that did not happen. Suddenly, all kinds of things were revealed in the papers, on Global News, in the Globe and Mail, and the revelations keep coming. Every day, we find out more about how the communist regime in Beijing interfered in our elections. While the PM looked the other way, the Trudeau Foundation returned $200,000 to a Chinese businessman.
Why is the Prime Minister refusing to launch a public inquiry into Beijing's interference in our elections?
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- Mar/6/23 2:39:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague clearly stated, our government took this matter seriously the moment we took office. My colleague across the way claims people looked the other way, but he knows that is not the case. As my colleague pointed out, there were threats over 10 years ago, and if his government had taken them seriously, it might have implemented robust measures like the ones we implemented specifically to counter this kind of unacceptable interference. We will keep doing what needs to be done to strengthen our institutions.
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- Mar/6/23 2:39:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if he wants to talk about the past, then let us talk about 2013. In front of a group of women gathered for a Liberal Party fundraiser, a person in the audience asked the Prime Minister what country he admired, other than Canada. He answered, and I quote: “There's a level of admiration I actually have for China. Their basic dictatorship is actually allowing them to turn their economy around on a dime.”
We will not take any lessons from the Liberal Party's past. The regime in Beijing employed a sophisticated strategy to disrupt the 2021 federal election through its diplomats and their proxies. That is what we learned from The Globe and Mail.
Why is he refusing to allow Katie Telford to testify before the committee?
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- Mar/6/23 2:40:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned 2013. I thought he was going to say that that was when CSIS identified the potential threat of Chinese interference in our election. Who was the minister responsible for the integrity of democratic institutions in 2013? It was the current Leader of the Opposition. He did nothing in 2013 or in 2014. He did not do anything in 2015 either.
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- Mar/6/23 2:41:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are two possibilities: Either Chinese authorities are interfering in our electoral system and we have to do everything in our power to stop them, or there is no interference and a commission of inquiry will help restore public trust in our electoral system. In any case, the best thing to do, or rather, the only thing we can do to ensure that the public continues to trust their institutions, is to launch an inquiry.
Under these circumstances, when will the government call an independent commission of public inquiry?
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- Mar/6/23 2:41:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I said a few moments ago, since we formed government, we have acknowledged the threats of foreign interference in our democratic system, in our democratic institutions. That is why we amended the Canada Elections Act to prevent foreign contributions to our election campaigns. That is why we passed legislation, a bill, to create a committee in charge of overseeing the national security agencies, with representatives from all parties, including the Bloc Québécois, and we referred this important matter to those members.
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- Mar/6/23 2:42:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us be serious. The Prime Minister must realize that he is sending the wrong message by refusing to create a commission of inquiry. What does he have to hide? What is he trying to protect? Who is involved and how?
Those kinds of questions are not the right message to send. The message should be that we will never let anyone interfere in our electoral system, and we will do everything in our power to prevent any foreign interference. To do that, we need an independent commission of public inquiry.
Will they set up an independent commission of public inquiry?
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- Mar/6/23 2:43:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague that we must work together to do whatever it takes to safeguard elections in Canada and our democratic institutions.
I have good news for him: That is exactly what our government has been doing since we came to power. We are always looking for advice on how to strengthen the robust measures that are already in place.
We will continue to do whatever it takes because we agree with my colleague that this interference is completely unacceptable.
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- Mar/6/23 2:43:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs passed a motion calling for the creation of an independent commission of public inquiry on foreign interference in our elections.
The committee agreed with the Bloc Québécois proposal that the commission chair be appointed with the consent of all parties represented in the House. Why is that important? Because it must transcend partisan politics. What matters most is the absolute infallibility of the electoral system.
Will the government comply with the committee's request and create a commission of inquiry into foreign interference in elections?
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- Mar/6/23 2:44:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague that we must work together, as parliamentarians, precisely to counter foreign interference in our democratic institutions.
My colleague knows this very well because she sits on the parliamentary committee. I look forward to seeing her when I attend on Thursday.
We have been transparent with parliamentarians, but we have also introduced important measures to counter foreign interference. These measures are working very well.
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- Mar/6/23 2:45:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Globe and Mail reported, based upon a review of CSIS documents, that Beijing launched “an orchestrated machine” to help the Liberals in the 2021 election. In the face of these alarming revelations, Canadians deserve answers from the Prime Minister. What they do not deserve is a Prime Minister who obstructs, deflects and hides.
If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, will he let his chief of staff testify before a committee, or is he going to double down on his cover-up?
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- Mar/6/23 2:45:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague has heard now on a number of occasions, we take these matters very, very seriously. We approach them very soberly, and that is why this government has put in place the authorities required for CSIS to both address and mitigate potential foreign interference.
That is why we have also created the requisite transparency for Canadians, including through the creation of NSICOP, NSIRA, and the independent panels, which have both examined the circumstances and the allegations around the 2019 and 2021 elections. Yes, both those elections were free and fair, but we will continue to do this work together.
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- Mar/6/23 2:46:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Conservatives have tried to bring the Prime Minister's chief of staff to testify at committee three times. The Liberals, with the support of the NDP, blocked that effort three times, despite scandalous reports that senior PMO officials had been briefed by CSIS about Beijing's interference and did nothing about it.
Is the Prime Minister shielding his chief of staff because he knows his PMO turned a blind eye to Beijing's interference?
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- Mar/6/23 2:47:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague and the member of the parliamentary committee had the benefit of hearing extensive evidence from our government's most senior public servants implicated in the area of national security and intelligence, including the Prime Minister's national security advisor.
It is important for my colleague to remember that this is not a partisan issue. That is why we will continue to be upfront in that committee. That is why we will continue to leverage the other agencies and bodies, which are there to raise the bar of transparency and sunlight in the way we fight against foreign interference, so we can protect our democratic institutions.
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- Mar/6/23 2:47:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what are they trying to hide? That is the question.
It is pretty clear that this Beijing communist influence operation has been going on in Canada for a long period of time. We know that senior members of the PMO were briefed. All we are asking is that they come to testify, but they hide. They obfuscate. They will not deliver these people.
Why? That is the question that Canadians should be asking themselves. What are they hiding? Why will they not bring her to testify?
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- Mar/6/23 2:48:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, every reasonable member in this chamber can look at the laws we put into place, including the bodies and agencies, to readily see that they contribute to being transparent and upfront with Canadians. Those are important institutions that are there so we can explain to Canadians how we are tackling this issue together.
The parliamentary committee has heard from witnesses. We are continuing to look for ways we can be transparent with Canadians so we can undertake the work of fighting together against foreign interference to protect our democratic institutions.
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- Mar/6/23 2:48:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's spy agency has warned us that the climate crisis will threaten national security, critical infrastructure and our food systems, but in the face of this clear and very real threat, we have the Conservatives, who deny that we need to act, and the Liberals, who keep delaying while handing out billions to big polluters. Oil and gas CEOs are laughing as they rake in record profits and scale down their climate commitments.
The climate crisis threatens everything we hold dear. When will this government force big polluters to clean up their act and stop making Canadians pay the price?
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- Mar/6/23 2:49:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague's question points exactly to the reason why, in the last year alone, we have presented the first-ever emissions reduction plan for Canada, which shows a path of how Canada will meet its 2030 targets. For the first time in history, we have put forward a national adaptation strategy. Both have been applauded by industry, non-governmental organizations and experts alike, and it is why we are investing $120 billion to fight climate change and support Canadians.
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