44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 3, 2023 02:00PM
- May/3/23 3:03:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, or CSIS, informed the Prime Minister in 2019 that a prospective Liberal MP was receiving support from China, he kept it secret and did nothing.
When CSIS informed him in 2021 that an opposition MP and his family were being threatened by China, he kept it secret and did nothing.
The Prime Minister keeps things secret when it serves the Liberals and when it does a disservice to the opposition. After all that, this same Prime Minister tells us to trust his investigation, to trust his rapporteur, whom he appointed and who reports to him.
When will there be an independent public inquiry?
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- May/3/23 3:04:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the reason we have confidence in Mr. Johnston is that he is an individual with a remarkable track record. What is more, he served as governor general, having been appointed by a former Conservative prime minister.
This is not a partisan issue. We are always willing to work with Mr. Johnston. When the recommendations are made, the government will respect them.
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- May/3/23 3:05:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are two days away from the coronation of Charles III and the Liberal convention, and Liberal MPs are starting to be heard. They are telling us that the oath to the King is outdated and it is time to make it optional.
Members of the House should be loyal only to the public. There should not be two loyalties: one to the Crown and one to the citizens. There should be only one loyalty, and that is to the people.
People no longer want oaths to the King, nor God Save the King. The time has come for change. This is a good opportunity.
Why not finally cut ties with the British monarchy once and for all?
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- May/3/23 3:05:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I get the feeling from the other side of the House that there is a lot of enthusiasm for the response.
While Quebeckers and Canadians are concerned about affordability, health care, dental care, building the economy of tomorrow and talking about investments, the Bloc Québécois is talking to us about the monarchy.
That is quite something, in 2023, to be talking about the monarchy while Canadians' minds are on affordability.
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- May/3/23 3:06:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Safety knew two years ago that a foreign agent participated in threats to a member of Parliament's family because of his vote in this House. Aside from the member for Wellington—Halton Hills, any evidence of any threat against any member in this House should have resulted in expulsion of that agent.
Who was asleep at the switch two years ago, and who is still asleep this week?
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- May/3/23 3:07:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, by now, given the repeated nature of the questions we are receiving from Conservatives, they will know that we have taken decisive and concrete action in supporting the member for Wellington—Halton Hills.
It was the Conservatives who were asleep at the switch, respectfully. They were asleep at the switch for 10 years when they had the reins of government. They could have introduced new powers for CSIS; they did not do it. They could have introduced an NSICOP; they did not do it. They could have introduced NSIRA; they did not do it. It was their incompetence and their being asleep at the switch that allowed us the opportunity to do that work, and we will continue to build on it so we can protect the people in our institutions.
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- May/3/23 3:07:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government is now trying to hide behind the Vienna Convention to explain its inaction with regard to an agent from Beijing harassing a member of Parliament's family. Let me read it. Article 9 states, “The receiving State may at any time and without having to explain its decision, notify the sending State that...any member of the diplomatic staff of the mission is persona non-grata.... In any such case, the sending State shall...either recall the person concerned or terminate his functions”.
Why is that agent from Beijing still in Canada?
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- May/3/23 3:08:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is increasingly clear, and it has been for several years, that China is a disruptive power. China is interfering in our society. We are very aware of that and we are fighting it every day. We are also very aware of the Vienna Convention. We are very aware of our abilities and our responsibilities.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- May/3/23 3:08:56 p.m.
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I am going to have to interrupt. Part of my job is listening to find out what is being said, and if I cannot hear it, I cannot do my job, so I am going to ask everyone to take a deep breath and let the hon. parliamentary secretary finish his response, and then we can go from there.
The hon. parliamentary secretary, from the top, please.
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- May/3/23 3:09:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to be extra clear: Our Minister of Foreign Affairs has been clear to her Chinese counterpart, as recently as a few weeks ago, when she was absolutely clear that any interference in Canada by any agency of the Chinese government is inappropriate and we will deal with it.
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- May/3/23 3:09:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for almost two years, the current government has known that an agent from the Communist regime in Beijing has been operating in Toronto. That agent orchestrated a harassment campaign against a member of Parliament because of a vote taken in this House. The government does not need to explain itself. If this does not rise to the level of expelling a diplomat, what on earth would? Why is the government more worried about the feelings of a Communist agent from Beijing than the very foundations of our democracy?
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- May/3/23 3:10:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is the foundations of democracy that are being well served by the authorities and the investments that this government has made in our intelligence community, which the Conservatives never did. They brag about their record when it comes to national security. They talk tough, but they never back it up with concrete action. It is the members on this side of the chamber who are rolling up our sleeves, doing the heavy work and protecting the people who work in this chamber so that we can protect our democracy.
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- May/3/23 3:10:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are still too many victims of sexual violence.
We know how important it is for police forces to have access to tools such as the national sex offender registry, to investigate and prevent sexual violence. We also know that the criminal justice process can be daunting for victims.
Could the Minister of Justice tell us more about the bill we introduced to protect Canadians and empower victims?
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- May/3/23 3:11:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Vancouver Granville for his question and his French.
We recently introduced Bill S-12 in the Senate to strengthen the national sex offender registry. Offenders will have to register, unless they can prove that they do not pose a risk to public safety.
Bill S‑12 also gives victims more choice over publication bans by clarifying the process. Some victims want to protect their identity, others want to tell their stories. It is their voice and it should be their choice.
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- May/3/23 3:12:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister expects us to believe that the dictatorship in Beijing donated $140,000 to the Trudeau Foundation to influence him but he knew nothing about it, even though it was his brother who arranged it. He would have us believe that Trudeau Foundation donors paid for the Prime Minister's vacations but he knew nothing about it. He would have us believe that intelligence officers knew two years ago that a member of Parliament and his family were being harassed, but the PM knew nothing about that either.
If the Prime Minister knows nothing, how is he supposed to protect us?
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- May/3/23 3:12:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has confirmed on a number of occasions, he has no relationship with the Trudeau Foundation, which is responsible for scholarships.
It is irresponsible to engage in such partisan attacks against a non-profit organization. The opposition is doing so without any evidence to prove such a relationship, because it does not exist.
The member should direct his questions to the foundation.
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- May/3/23 3:14:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we might disagree on some things, but here are the facts on which we all agree. We all agree that a foreign dictatorship had an agent organize threats against the family of an MP because of how he voted in the House. We all agree on that. We all agree that the government knew about this two years ago. We all agree, whether we like it or not, that the Prime Minister is the head of government. In other words, he is responsible for the action or inaction of his own government. In other words, he should have known and he should have taken action.
When will he finally show up for work, take responsibility and do his job?
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- May/3/23 3:14:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is precisely what this government has been doing since we took the reins of government in 2015. We have put in place the authorities, the personnel and all the technology to protect our institutions from foreign interference.
We will continue to work with the members opposite, despite all of the chicanery, despite all the lobbing of insults, despite all of the distraction, and despite their incompetence of 10 years when they had the opportunity to do this work. We are doing this work and we will do it regardless of partisanship to make sure that all the MPs in this chamber can do their job.
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- May/3/23 3:15:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is actually not about one member of Parliament. This is not about all members of Parliament. This is about millions of patriotic Canadians of Chinese descent who face this kind of abuse and harassment every single day. We hear stories of Chinese Canadians in tears because they are being intimidated by agents just like the one who attacked this member's family. These are our people. This is our home.
When will the Prime Minister finally do his job and protect us?
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- May/3/23 3:15:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is finally some measure of relief to hear that from the Conservative leader, who, for weeks and months, has been trying to politicize an issue that touches not only all members in this chamber, but all Canadians. One can only hope that now the Conservatives will abandon their hopped-up rhetoric and their counterproductive insults and work with the government to protect all members and all Canadians from foreign interference. That is our sworn obligation. We will continue to do that to defend our democracy.
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