Senator Housakos: Yes, you have been clear; the government has been clear. We are going to continue to investigate. We are going to continue to have special or regular rapporteurs, or hire people from the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation to write reports.

At the end of the day, we have had no action. It has been months that we have had these illegal CCP police stations operating on Canadian soil.

We have also seen the government take two years to address the issue of a member of Parliament — him and his family — being threatened by CCP foreign interference. Your government took no action whatsoever. It took two years before we actually expelled somebody who was involved directly in that particular threat.

The questions I have are very simple: How much longer before our government shuts these down? How much longer will it take before the government holds the people responsible for these operations to account, and has them meet the full force of Canadian law? At the end of the day, that’s the only time when we can say the government is serious — when we shut them down, and when those responsible for this illegal operation on Canadian soil face the full force of Canadian law.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise to pay tribute to one of our esteemed colleagues in this chamber, Senator Leo Housakos. Senator Housakos has served the Senate and the people of Canada for many years and in various capacities, including as Speaker of the Senate in 2015. His particular passion, however, has been his commitment to international human rights, freedom and the rule of law. In that capacity, we know him to have spoken out courageously on matters of human rights all around the world.

Among the peoples he has spoken for are the people of Armenia. Armenia is a country that has suffered significantly in recent years, surrounded as it is by hostile and often aggressive neighbours. In 2020, Armenia was attacked by its neighbour Azerbaijan in the so-called 44-day war. That attack was supported by Turkey.

There were few voices in Canada speaking out for Armenia back then. Turkey is, after all, a NATO ally. The issue was considered too delicate for many. However, Senator Housakos had the courage to speak out. He exposed the silence of the international community on both the war and on the forced uprooting of many Armenian people from their homes. He condemned the lopsided settlement imposed on Armenia by its powerful neighbours.

Senator Housakos did not receive many accolades from the Government of Canada for his actions, but the people of Armenia did take notice. Indeed, he was recently awarded the Order of Friendship through a decree by the President of Armenia. This honour is in recognition of:

. . . his contribution to the strengthening & the development of friendly ties [between] [Armenia] & [Canada], & for his dedication to preserving universal human values.

Colleagues, I can say from a personal perspective that I am particularly proud of Senator Housakos’ work as he defends human rights and the rule of law around the world. I hope all senators will join me in extending our warmest congratulations to our friend Senator Leo Housakos. Congratulations on this well‑deserved honour.

Hon. Leo Housakos: My question is for the government leader in the Senate.

Government leader, this weekend we had Justin Trudeau’s Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino admit in a televised interview that there are new, illegal Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, police stations operating in Canada and intimidating Canadian citizens. Of course, honourable senators, to no one’s surprise, he vowed that the RCMP will shut them down immediately. The problem, of course, government leader, is that only a few weeks ago he rose in the House of Commons and said publicly that they have already been shut down. Now we know through media information that there are two illegal CCP police stations that have been operating for years in our own city.

The question is as follows: When the minister rose in the House of Commons, was he just displaying his and the government’s complete and utter incompetence regarding foreign interference, or was it a question of misleading the Canadian public?

Here is my question more specifically so that there is no ambiguity: When will the Trudeau government and Minister Mendicino shut down, once and for all, these illegal CCP police stations — and, if not, why not?