44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 29, 2023 11:00AM
- May/29/23 2:33:41 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I am in trouble. I am being investigated, and my company is being investigated, but my colleagues should not worry; it is going to be okay. I have appointed my long-time neighbour and friend to investigate. Wait; sorry, I thought for a moment I was the Prime Minister.
Appointing one's friend to investigate oneself is unethical, absolutely. No one other than the Liberals puts any faith in this old friend's report.
What will it take for the Liberals to finally call a public inquiry?
89 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:34:21 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I quote: “Mr. Johnston has a strong record of public service, a broad base of support and an impressive list of achievements. He has extensive legal expertise, a comprehensive understanding of government and a deep appreciation of the duties and tasks now before him.... David Johnston represents the best of Canada.” That was said by Stephen Harper.
It is interesting that somebody whom the Conservatives lifted up and venerated as one of the greatest Canadians, when he disagrees with them, suddenly is roadside trash. Suddenly, the things he says mean nothing. It is despicable, and I have great disregard for the way in which somebody—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
115 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:35:06 p.m.
- Watch
Are we okay to continue? There is a lot of chatter going on. It is nice to see members getting along, but if they want to talk among themselves, they should go into the lobby or leave. They do not have to be here. If they want to talk among themselves, that is okay, but they should not do it here when people are trying to hear the question and the answer. Do I have everyone's agreement on that? Very good.
The hon. member for Dufferin—Caledon.
89 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:35:47 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, a conflict of interest arises when there is an appearance of conflict. Appointing an old friend to investigate oneself is an absolute appearance of conflict. To do that knowingly is completely unethical. Therefore, we get to the point where we have to ask why. Why would someone appoint a friend? What are they hiding? Why would a public inquiry not be called? The question Canadians ask every day now is this: What are they hiding?
I will ask again. What will it take for the Liberals to finally get rid of this conflict of interest report and call a public inquiry?
103 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:36:30 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, of course, David Johnston has been a great friend to Canada. He is somebody who has dedicated his entire life. The idea that Mr. Johnston, after a lifetime of dedicated service, including service that the party opposite called him into—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
48 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:36:44 p.m.
- Watch
I will ask the government House leader to start over. I am having a hard time hearing. There are some comments being made and some shouting taking place. We will wait until everyone calms down.
The government House leader.
39 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:37:01 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, what is clear is that David Johnston has dedicated his life to this country.
The reality is that national security is something that I know every member of the House is deeply seized with, and that is precisely why we are having a hard time understanding why the Leader of the Opposition refuses to take information, why he refuses to take his hands from in front of his face and look at the information he has been asked to look at in the interest of national security so that we can work together to preserve the democracy we all so deeply care about.
105 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:37:40 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister appointed a family friend and Trudeau Foundation member to investigate, more like cover up, foreign interference by Beijing in our democracy. That family friend then appointed another Trudeau Foundation member to supposedly clear them of their conflict of interest, and then hired a lifetime Liberal donor to work for them. This has been a sham from the very beginning. Canadians do not have confidence in this process.
That is why they want a public inquiry, and that is why that was what was passed in the House. Will the Prime Minister call one today?
99 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:38:20 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives can continue to malign Mr. Johnston despite the fact that he has distinguished public service, which was recognized by a former Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper.
The fact is that his first report speaks for itself in its quality. It looked at the most accessible information and verified that the 2019 and 2021 elections were free and fair, and it carves out a path in order to bring Canadians along in a way in which we can protect our democratic institutions. It is solely the Conservatives who want to continue to engage in partisanship rather than defend the national interest. They should reverse course.
108 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:39:01 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, if the minister does not know what a conflict of interest is, let me give him an example. The Trudeau Foundation takes $140,000 from the dictatorship in Beijing. Then, in investigating foreign interference, the Prime Minister, who shares the same name as the foundation that was the target of a foreign influence operation, appoints a member of that very foundation, two members of that foundation, in fact, to investigate foreign interference.
They do not understand what a conflict of interest is, and that is exactly why we need a public inquiry: to get to know what these Liberals knew and when they knew it, and so we can restore confidence in our democratic institutions.
Will they call the inquiry today?
123 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:39:43 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the person whose character they are maligning is actually David Johnston, the person whom they appointed to look into the allegations against former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney. It was okay for them to choose him to look into malfeasance for their former prime minister and former leader, but now, all of a sudden, they do not trust him. All of a sudden, he is not a credible Canadian.
It is beyond all reasonableness that they attack and malign, frankly, anybody who stands in the way or disagrees with advancing their political interest.
95 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:40:23 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, it turns out that the Prime Minister's special rapporteur was not that special after all, except maybe for his ties to the Prime Minister's family and his attachment to Communist China.
What other reason could there be for Mr. Johnston to reject an independent public inquiry into Beijing's interference despite a majority vote in the House, the recommendations of national security experts, and the wishes of the majority of Canadians?
The Prime Minister picked the title, the mandate and the findings of the possibly special, but definitely not independent, rapporteur. Will the Prime Minister end this circus and order an independent public inquiry today?
109 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:41:01 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, our government has taken the threat of foreign interference seriously from the moment we formed the government.
The former Conservative government was in power in 2013 when intelligence agencies detected the growing threat of foreign interference. The Conservatives, however, did absolutely nothing to strengthen our democratic institutions. We have done exactly the opposite since we formed the government.
We will rely on reports by experts from everywhere to strengthen our democratic institutions.
74 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:41:44 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, here is what makes the Prime Minister's special rapporteur so special: Beijing's President considers him to be an old friend of China; he established a Confucius Institute, which is linked to the Beijing regime, at the University of Waterloo; he received an honorary doctorate from a member of the Chinese Communist Party; three of his daughters studied at universities in China; he was a member of the Trudeau Foundation, which received $140,000 from the Beijing regime; and he himself boasted about being a close friend of the Trudeau family.
Will the Prime Minister end this glaring conflict of interest today by launching an independent public inquiry, which will now also have to shed light on the appointment of his friend as special rapporteur?
128 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:42:26 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, perhaps my colleague opposite should consult his former boss, Mr. Harper, the former Conservative prime minister of Canada, who asked this individual, Mr. Johnston, to serve not only as the Governor General of Canada, but also as an adviser to the former Conservative government about an issue as important as a public inquiry into the Airbus situation.
If they were confident that this individual had sufficient judgment carry out those duties, I think it is unfortunate that they have lost that confidence for partisan reasons.
87 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:43:10 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, all human rights groups in Canada from the Chinese diaspora community are calling for a public inquiry into Beijing's interference.
Mehmet Tohti, representing the Uyghur nation in Canada, pro-democracy dissidents in Hong Kong, the Falun Gong and Tibetan independence fighters—all of whom were already experiencing Chinese intimidation tactics on Canadian soil long before this scandal broke—denounced the Liberals in The Globe and Mail. These Canadian citizens have been abandoned by their own government.
The Liberals must now do right by these individuals and call an independent public inquiry.
96 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:43:51 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I would like to reassure the member and all of my colleagues in the House.
It goes without saying that if any diplomats here in Canada fail to comply with the Vienna Convention, we will, of course, declare them persona non grata. That is exactly what we did with the former Chinese consul in Toronto, Zhao Wei.
Under the circumstances, I would be happy to work with my colleague to ensure that we continue to support the Uyghur community and shine a light on human rights violations in China and around the world.
95 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:44:27 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I am not the one asking for this. They are.
The government needs to stop using security reasons as an excuse whenever the issue of Chinese interference comes up. We do not have the memory of a goldfish. We remember the case of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen who was tortured in Syria. There were plenty of security issues in that file. However, there was an independent public inquiry into the matter that, moreover, was initiated by a Liberal government. Clearly, when they want to, they are able to launch such an investigation.
Why do they not want to do that in this case?
107 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:45:04 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect for my colleague, the independent special rapporteur, Mr. Johnston, meticulously reviewed classified information. He verified the findings of two other independent panels regarding the fact that the 2019 and 2021 elections were free and fair. Now, he is recommending that we invite all Canadians and everyone to have an open and transparent conversation about creating new tools to defend our democratic institutions.
70 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 2:45:46 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, am I to understand that the Liberals can organize a public inquiry into events that happened in Syria and that involved the secret services of three countries, but they cannot organize one into Chinese interference in Canada?
Something is missing, and that something is political will. It would take political will to rise above partisan politics and protect our democracy. It would take political will to protect citizens of Chinese origin who are really feeling the sting of the regime's intimidation.
When will the Liberals get their act together and order an independent public inquiry?
98 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
