Senator Housakos: Minister, that’s very reassuring, actually. I appreciate that answer. It’s a good first step to recognize foreign interference and influence in various institutions in this country by various nefarious states around the world.

Would your government be supportive of a foreign influence registry, as proposed in Bill S-237 tabled in this chamber, that would force agents acting on behalf of foreign states and trying to influence our institutions and our democracies to register in the proposed registry so they are transparent and accountable?

I agree that this is a pressing and urgent issue and that we have to be vigilant and that we should be open to considering all of the tools so that our national security apparatus can protect our national security both here and abroad.

Hon. Leo Housakos (Acting Leader of the Opposition): Minister, you are now the third minister for public safety to hold this portfolio since the Trudeau government began its 5G security review in September 2018. Multiple times since, your government has promised Canadians that a decision was coming in regard to banning Huawei from our 5G. We were told that we would get a decision before the 2019 election, and we were told again that we would get a decision after the 2019 election. Of course, we’re still waiting.

The endless delay and indecision from your government has gotten to the point that, earlier this month, Huawei actually trolled your government on Twitter asking, “What’s the opposite of being banned?” The Government of Canada is being openly mocked by Huawei, minister, and still we have heard nothing from the government. Minister, when will the NDP-Liberal government come to a decision, yes or no? Will we ban Huawei once and for all?

Hon. Leo Housakos (Acting Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise today to bring attention to the unsettling reports we have seen over the last few days regarding the most recent escalation in the ongoing conflict in the Republic of Artsakh.

On March 24, Azerbaijani forces made various incursions into Artsakh’s territory, representing a gross violation of the trilateral ceasefire arrangement of November 2020, which was intended to bring an end to hostilities.

The attack of March 24 came just days after the disruption of a gas pipeline that runs through Azerbaijani-controlled territory in a deliberate attempt to deprive hundreds of thousands of civilians of vital gas supply. Additionally, there are reports that Azerbaijani forces have been threatening residents of front-line villages with violence if they refuse to flee.

Peaceful civilians are being forced to abandon their homes and their Indigenous lands. Women and children are being evacuated. Drones and artillery are being used to claim innocent lives and to engage in intimidation tactics meant to displace thousands of civilians, representing the worst escalation in the region since the November 2020 ceasefire arrangement.

Colleagues, there is absolutely no doubt who the aggressor is here. While Armenia has adhered to the terms of various ceasefire agreements, Azerbaijan has violated each and every one of them, making it abundantly clear that it is not interested in putting an end to hostilities through peaceful resolution. Rather, this attack represents its most recent attempt to fulfill its ultimate goal: the depopulation and ethnic cleansing of the Armenian people.

These continuous attacks by Azerbaijan must be called out for what they truly are: blatant war crimes and a clear violation of international law. It is our responsibility as Canadians, as defenders of democracy and as upholders of the rule of law to be unequivocal in our condemnation of these aggressions and to denounce the abhorrent crimes against humanity we are witnessing right before our eyes.

That is why, today, in the strongest possible terms, I stand to condemn Azerbaijan’s unprovoked aggression in Artsakh and to call upon the Azerbaijani government to abide by the November 2020 ceasefire agreement and refrain from escalating the situation. It is my hope, honourable colleagues, that the Canadian government will do the same. We must stand firmly with the people of Artsakh as they continue to live and fight in their historical homeland, and as they work to develop and strengthen their independent statehood.

Thank you.

Senator Housakos: Thank you, minister. Clearly, you do not appreciate the urgency because it has been three years and we’re still waiting for a clear and unequivocal answer on whether we will ban them or we won’t.

In December, The Washington Post reported 100 confidential PowerPoint presentations that lay out Huawei’s participation in mass surveillance of Chinese people by their communist regime, including the local tracking of political persons of interest. The document also shows how Huawei is involved in human rights violations against the Uighurs in Xianjing province through surveillance, cameras and facial recognition. One document appears to show that Huawei did technology design work on their prisons. Is this not enough reason to ban Huawei, minister? If this is not reason enough, what will it take for your government to ban them? And, please, it should not take three or four more years until we get a final decision.

I want to assure you that as we undertake a careful review of all of the factors that go into this important decision that we are not sitting idle, that we are deploying a number of strategies and countermeasures to ensure that any hostile actors, be they state or non-state, are being mitigated and addressed in real time. We’ve made significant investments into our national security apparatus with the various agencies that report to my portfolio, as well as others within government, so that as we leverage the new technologies and innovations that are important to keep Canadians and others connected through the internet and cyberspace we are doing so in a way that recognizes that there have been evolutions to the threat landscape, including those which may be perpetrated by hostile state actors. We’re very mindful of the concerns that you have expressed. We do recognize that there is an expectation and an urgency to communicating the decision and we will do so as quickly as we can.

Hon. Leo Housakos (Acting Leader of the Opposition): Minister, last week, your colleague the Minister of Foreign Affairs was asked during a House of Commons committee meeting if she believed that Canada experienced foreign interference by state or state-backed actors in last year’s federal election. Minister Joly declined to answer, saying the matter was under the purview of the Minister of Public Safety.

So I will ask this of you, minister: Do you believe Canada experienced foreign interference by state or state-backed actors in the last federal election? If you agree that it took place, where will you lay the blame for this interference, and what will your government do to take action and prevent this in the future?