44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 21, 2023 10:00AM
- Mar/21/23 2:06:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, elections in Canada are for Canadians to decide, not to be influenced or decided by foreign interference to suit foreign interests or agendas. If our elections have been interfered with by foreign entities, Canadians deserve to know who is responsible, what actions have been taken against them and what is being done to prevent it from happening again, and yet the Prime Minister and his Liberal-NDP government are blocking attempts to get to the bottom of how Beijing operated interference networks to affect our 2019 and 2021 elections.
Canadians want and deserve a public inquiry into this election interference and they deserve to know why the Prime Minister and his NDP friends are doing everything they can to prevent this from happening.
What does the Prime Minister know, when did he learn about it and what did he do or fail to do about Beijing's election interference? These are questions from Canadians and the people of North Okanagan—Shuswap. What does the Prime Minister have to hide?
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- Mar/21/23 2:21:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is a very serious issue. It should not be a partisan issue, and it never should be.
That is why we have appointed David Johnston as an independent expert to identify any gaps in the system. The special rapporteur will make public recommendations, which could include a formal inquiry or some other type of independent review. We will abide by those recommendations.
Two national security bodies will undertake separate reviews of foreign interference in our elections, because we take this issue very seriously.
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- Mar/21/23 2:22:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it took weeks of pressure for the Prime Minister to back down and flip-flop, but allow only one of his top advisers, one of the key people involved in the campaigns that Beijing helped the Liberal Party win in multiple elections. However, what we really need is the full truth.
He has named his neighbour, family friend, ski buddy and member of the Beijing-financed Trudeau Foundation to look into the matter, which is nothing more than a delay.
Will the Prime Minister allow Canadians to get to the truth and prevent this from happening again before the next election, with a full public inquiry now?
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- Mar/21/23 2:22:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians know this is an extremely serious issue and should not be a partisan issue.
That is why we named David Johnston as the independent expert to identify any gaps in our system. He will make public recommendations, which could include a formal inquiry or some other independent review process. We will abide by those recommendations.
Also, we have two national security bodies that will undertake independent reviews of foreign interference in our elections, and we are also taking further immediate action to bolster our institutions, better coordinate government efforts to combat interference, counter disinformation and move forward on a foreign influence registry.
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- Mar/21/23 2:36:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know that the Prime Minister was frequently briefed about Beijing's election interference. In the face of that, this is what a CSIS whistle-blower wrote in The Globe and Mail: “Months passed, and then years. The threat grew in urgency; serious action remained unforthcoming.” That is an indictment of the record of the Prime Minister.
Beijing interfered in two elections under the Prime Minister's watch and he turned a blind eye to it. Why?
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- Mar/21/23 2:39:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a whistle-blower put their career on the line. That person made a deliberate choice to reveal the truth about Beijing's interference in our election even if they wondered, and I quote, “Who will take care of my family if I go to prison?”
This is a national security official who is well aware of the consequences of their actions. All because the Prime Minister did nothing to prevent Beijing's interference in the last two elections.
If the national security situation is so critical that someone risks going to prison, why did the Prime Minister turn a blind eye for so long?
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- Mar/21/23 2:41:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows very well that we did not ignore these warnings. The former Conservative government ignored them when it was in power. We did the opposite. We put in place a suite of measures to strengthen our democratic institutions and to share intelligence vital to national security with parliamentarians.
We have a panel of independent experts chaired by the Clerk of the Privy Council that certified that the 2019 and 2021 elections were free and democratic. The good news is that we will continue to strengthen these measures.
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- Mar/21/23 2:43:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, knowing that China interfered significantly in the last two elections, the Prime Minister has threatened to trigger another election with a confidence vote.
Before the details of China's interference tactics could even be investigated, before the electoral system could even be strengthened to counteract these illegal practices, the Prime Minister threatened to trigger another election, even if it means that Beijing can resort to the same strategy a third time in a row, scoring a hat trick.
When will we finally get an independent public commission of inquiry?
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- Mar/21/23 2:45:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and his loyal Liberal caucus keep trying to distract, divide and cover up their failure to protect Canadians from foreign interference. Canadians deserve to know the truth about Beijing's interference in our elections. We need to learn exactly what the Prime Minister knew and what was done to defend our democracy.
Will the Prime Minister finally identify all 11 federal candidates who received funding from Beijing, yes or no?
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- Mar/21/23 2:47:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is a government that believes in taking foreign interference with the utmost seriousness, which is why we have raised the bar when it comes to being transparent in how we are doing that work, through the creation of NSICOP, through the creation of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency and now with Mr. Johnston's appointment as the special rapporteur. He will put forward the next best practical steps so that we can continue to reinforce our democratic institutions, including our elections.
This is not a partisan issue. It is one that all members should unite behind, and I hope that will include the Conservatives as well.
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- Mar/21/23 2:48:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the mandate that has been given to Mr. Johnston will allow him to look into all of the questions and concerns that have been raised around the elections in 2019 and 2021. I will highlight the fact that two independent panels have already verified that those elections were free and fair. Now Mr. Johnston will continue to work with all parliamentarians and with the committees and bodies charged with the responsibility of protecting our national security so that we can shine a light on the way we protect our elections. That is precisely what this government is focused on. I hope Conservatives will join in that effort. This is not a partisan issue. It is a—
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- Mar/21/23 2:49:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is fully aware that our government has taken the threat of foreign interference seriously from the very beginning. That is why we put in place a series of measures that enabled a panel of senior officials chaired by the Clerk of the Privy Council to confirm that the 2019 and 2021 elections were indeed free and democratic.
We have strengthened the measures already in place. Mr. Johnston will provide an analysis and make recommendations if there are other measures we can implement to continue to ensure that there is no foreign interference in our elections.
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- Mar/21/23 7:03:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to my friend across the way, speaking notes are not required here. I can assure the member that what I am sharing with her now is strictly what I personally believe. At the end of the day, we need to put things into the proper perspective.
Foreign interference in elections is not new. It has been happening for many years. In fact, it was first really brought to the attention of the government when Stephen Harper was the Prime Minister of Canada and when the current leader of the Conservative Party of Canada was the minister responsible for democratic reform. Imagine the current leader and this information being brought to his attention. What did he actually do? The simple and factual answer is he did nothing. Stephen Harper and the government just ignored the issue completely.
Contrast this lack of action with what we have done. Virtually from day one, we have made changes. We can talk about the establishment of the parliamentary committee that joined the other four eyes of the Five Eyes countries to ensure members of Parliament on all sides of the House could hear the most secretive information our security agencies have. That was something we put in place months after taking the reins of power in Canada.
We have heard from numerous security agencies and civil servants about the issue of foreign election interference. Yesterday, I made reference to the ambassador of the United States to Canada. All of them have said that the allegations of foreign interference we hear about did not, and I underline the word “not”, impact the outcome of the last federal election.
This is an issue where partisan politics should be taken to the side, as election interference affects the fundamental principles of our democracy. I do not think any member in the chamber should be accused of not protecting Canada's interests on that file.
Not only have significant actions been taken by this government, many of which were initiated by this government, but we have had overtures of ensuring we will continue. The biggest one that comes to my mind is the special rapporteur. A Conservative Party-appointed Governor General, Mr. Johnston, is now charged with the responsibility of looking into the matter and reporting back on his recommendations, which could include a public inquiry in the future. Why do the Conservatives not have confidence in our civil service and in a former appointment made by Stephen Harper?
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