Minister announces Liberals’ backing for inquiry into MPs’ connections with foreign states

June 10, 2024 TruthUSA

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc states that his party backs a motion to have the foreign interference commission investigate parliamentarians working on behalf of foreign states.

“We agree with members of this House that the appropriate forum to examine these matters is the commission already established and operational,” Mr. LeBlanc mentioned on June 10 in the House of Commons.

Bloc Québécois MP René Villemure put forward a motion earlier that day requesting the expansion of the commission’s terms of reference to investigate senators and MPs elected in 2019 and 2021.

The motion also expresses concerns that certain elected officials may be working in the interests of foreign powers, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

Mr. Villemure’s motion is a response to the report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) released on June 3, which reveals that some MPs began assisting foreign state actors after their election. China and India are among the identified foreign states.

Mr. Villemure emphasized during his motion that foreign agents and governments are interfering in our democracy, and worse, they have the collaboration of elected officials.

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The foreign interference commission’s interim report from early May indicates that interference did not impact the overall election results but potentially affected individual ridings.

The commission has highlighted instances of Beijing supporting a Liberal Party candidate in 2019 and disinformation campaigns targeting Tory leaders in 2021.

Mr. LeBlanc informed the House that the commission already has access to all documents consulted by NSICOP for its report on foreign interference.

NSICOP, a parliamentary committee, reported that they reviewed around 4,000 documents to compile their findings on foreign interference.

Mr. LeBlanc mentioned that officials from the Privy Council Office have initiated discussions with the interference commission to plan the next steps.

“We believe that is the responsible course of action, rather than simply announcing a list of names illegally as my colleague proposes,” Mr. LeBlanc responded to the opposition’s query.

Last week, the minister noted that he has identified several parliamentarians involved with foreign states.

The Conservatives have demanded the disclosure of names before the scheduled election in 2025 to dispel suspicion hanging over the legislators.

Conservative MP Gérard Deltell stressed during the debate on the motion the importance of clearing up any cloud of suspicion in the House.

The NDP supports the Bloc motion but has emphasized Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre’s refusal to receive classified briefings on foreign interference, contrasting it with their Leader Jagmeet Singh’s approach.

NDP MP Alistair MacGregor criticized the Liberals for relying on judicial processes and RCMP investigations, while accusing the Tories of ignorance on the matter.

Mr. Singh has requested access to the classified NSICOP report and indicated on June 10 that he would expel NDP members from caucus if they were found to be knowingly working for a foreign government.

He also pointed out that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau received the unredacted NSICOP report in March but did not take any action.

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