Senator Plett: The Communist Party in Beijing intimidates our fellow citizens right here on Canadian soil, including a campaign against elected members in the other place. In June, the RCMP confirmed that it opened an investigation into Beijing’s threats against Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family. Yet, just a few weeks later, the Trudeau government thought it was perfectly fine for Minister Guilbeault to take part in this organization, all the while inflicting terrible financial pain on Canadian families through the Prime Minister’s two carbon taxes.

Will the Prime Minister take Beijing’s interference seriously, leader, and order Minister Guilbeault to withdraw from this organization, stop sending the CCP money from Canadian taxpayers and axe the tax on Canadians?

Senator Plett: Well, certainly the two and a half months off that you had have not improved your answers, either. I guess maybe we both should have had another month, leader. I’m not sure.

Instead of taking the allegations of Beijing’s interference seriously from the start, leader, your government thought it could spin its way out of trouble and instead chose to waste time and taxpayer money. This is a criticism of your government, leader, not of the made-up rapporteur. He didn’t make up that title; Trudeau made it up.

The Trudeau government also thought it was appropriate to award this contract at a time when a record number of Canadians are using food banks, housing costs have doubled and people cannot afford to pay for gas to drive to work or to heat their homes. Contrary to what Minister Freeland says, we can’t all take a subway.

Leader, does the Trudeau government honestly believe this $4.5 million contract provided good value for taxpayer dollars spent? Yes or no?

Senator Plett: And by one party in the Senate.

Canadians know full well why Prime Minister Trudeau never took Beijing’s interference in our democracy seriously. He refused, Senator Gold, to announce a public inquiry, long after it was glaringly obvious that we need one. Why is that? Because it suits him and his office and his party to not have Beijing’s interference examined too closely, Senator Gold, as he benefited from it.

Leader, what is the rationale for Prime Minister Trudeau to continue to exclude the Senate’s official opposition from NSICOP? Please, leader, don’t tell me it is the Prime Minister’s prerogative and wash your hands of it. There must be a reason why he keeps refusing to name a Conservative senator. What is it?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Well, you’ve said before there’s a reason why it is called Question Period and not answer period.

In June, the Prime Minister’s made-up rapporteur confirmed he was receiving free media advice from Liberal and NDP strategists at the same time the crisis communications firm Navigator was being paid to help him. Leader, at that time, I asked you why taxpayer dollars were going to Navigator when he was getting free advice.

Yesterday, a written answer tabled in the House revealed that Navigator was subcontracted by the Torys law firm, which the Trudeau government awarded a sole-source contract worth $4.5 million.

Leader, given that the made-up rapporteur stepped down on June 9, how much of this $4.5 million was actually paid out? If I guessed all of it, leader, would I be right?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Let me first of all start off by saying I certainly will not withdraw anything that I have said. I have used the term “official opposition,” because that, in fact, is the term. I am the leader of the loyal opposition in the Senate.

You can shake your head all you want. That is the term.

And I am quite happy, Your Honour, to have you take under advisement whether supposed senators appointed by Justin Trudeau have the right to come in here and start changing the titles of what we, in fact, have gone by. You can call yourself “liaison” and “representative” and whatever you want. When it talks like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s a duck.

Senator Gold is the Leader of the Government. As was decided by the previous Speaker in a ruling that he made, Senator Gold, in fact, is the Leader of the Government, even if he doesn’t want to call himself that.

So if your point of order, senator, is on whether we are officially the opposition, you may take this as an insult, but I would like to say that’s a ridiculous argument. We are the official opposition. You can complain about us using the wrong terms when we talk about others. I didn’t besmirch any senator in this chamber. I was attacking the Prime Minister for making partisan appointments to NSICOP, because that’s what they are. They are his senators that he appointed to this chamber and then appointed to NSICOP to help him there.

I will stand on the position that we are the official opposition, Madam Speaker.