Senator Plett: Now we see Michael Chong being discredited by the Trudeau government, including by your parliamentary secretary.

Will the Trudeau government stop hiding the truth about foreign interference, stop blaming Michael Chong and apologize to him, or are we going to hear the Prime Minister’s infamous excuse — that people experience things differently — for his own bad behaviour?

Senator Plett: You started off by saying the Prime Minister was clear. He was, in fact, clear when he said something that wasn’t true.

Yesterday, the Trudeau government was repeatedly asked how many parliamentarians and their families were targeted by Beijing’s interference. The fact that they still refuse to answer this question shows their sheer incompetence, leader.

It’s also incredible that the People’s Republic of China diplomat, who CSIS says targeted an MP and his family, was only expelled from Canada yesterday. The Trudeau government was shamed into taking this decision, which should have happened two years ago, leader.

In two weeks, the Prime Minister’s made-up Special Rapporteur is supposed to make his initial recommendations. I don’t know how anyone who witnessed what has transpired just in the last week could conclude anything less than a public inquiry.

Now, of course, we’ll find out what this Special Rapporteur will suggest. The Trudeau government failed; they failed in their duty to protect Mr. Chong and his family against threats from Beijing. How many other parliamentarians has this government similarly failed? Why can this government not answer this basic question?

Senator Plett: Well, I find it strange. He is your parliamentary secretary, and you don’t know about claims that he has made.

Senator Plett: Well, yes, in fact, he is. It is similar to when the Prime Minister says that he isn’t aware of information — the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Katie Telford says that she ensures he receives everything that he needs and that he sees everything.

We have seen this before — as I just mentioned — from the Prime Minister and his government. Nothing is ever their fault — blame the victim, spread misinformation and never apologize unreservedly.

A few days after the SNC-Lavalin scandal was revealed in The Globe and Mail, the Trudeau government engaged in a smear campaign against Jody Wilson-Raybould. The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs rightly called it blatant sexism.

Minister O’Regan personally attacked veteran Sean Bruyea in a newspaper column. Vice-Admiral Mark Norman never received an apology for what the Trudeau government put him through.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): My question, of course, is again for the Liberal government leader in the Senate.

The Prime Minister claimed last week that CSIS never told anyone two years ago that an agent in Beijing’s Toronto consulate had targeted MP Michael Chong and his family in Hong Kong.

Leader, you said the Prime Minister’s words should be taken as true, when, in fact, his very words were false. There is a word for people who make false statements. The truth is that CSIS sent its July 2021 report to multiple government departments, as well as the Prime Minister’s own National Security Advisor, leader. This was confirmed to Mr. Chong by the current National Security Advisor. This directly contradicts what the Prime Minister told Canadians.

The Prime Minister will not come clean about what he knows about Beijing’s interference, and when he does say something, it’s false, leader, untrue. How can Canadians trust anything that this Prime Minister has to say about Beijing’s interference?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Government leader, in December 2021, Prime Minister Trudeau appointed Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate). According to the Library of Parliament, Mr. Gerretsen is the only parliamentary secretary in Canadian history to hold this title. I’m not entirely sure what this parliamentary secretary does to assist you in your work; I don’t think he helps you prepare answers to our questions. I do know, however, that last week he made false claims about the information provided to Michael Chong about Beijing’s threats against him and his family.

Leader, last year, you told this chamber the following:

Disinformation, in its various forms, is a really serious threat to our society, to our democracy and to all Canadians.

Given these words, do you agree with the false claims made in the other place by your parliamentary secretary?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): I will ask my first question. I won’t receive an answer, but at least the question will be on the record.

Leader, it has been widely reported that the official residence of Canada’s Prime Minister at 24 Sussex Drive is now formally closed, in part due to rodent infestation. In February, an answer provided to one of my written questions on the Senate Order Paper showed that the Trudeau government spent over $800,000 of taxpayers’ money trying to come up with a plan regarding what to do with 24 Sussex Drive.

The Trudeau government has had eight years and has spent over $800,000, and they still don’t have a plan. I can’t think of a more fitting symbol for the entire Trudeau government than this: Even with decaying rat carcasses in the walls, and even after spending more than the average family home costs in Canada, they still don’t know what to do.

How many more tax dollars will be spent before the Trudeau government comes forward with a plan?

Senator Martin: Hear, hear.