NDP Delays Passage of Comprehensive Foreign Interference Legislation.
The NDP has raised objections to a motion aimed at swiftly implementing new legislation to combat foreign interference in elections. They argue that Conservatives acted in “bad faith” by including terms that were not previously agreed upon.
Conservatives have indicated their intention to expedite the passage of the recently introduced government’s Bill C-70, which includes measures to enhance resilience against foreign interference. During second reading of the bill on May 29, Conservative MP Michael Chong put forward a motion for the House of Commons to approve the legislation by June 12.
“As the upcoming general election approaches and the current Parliament’s term nears its end, time is running out to bolster Canadians’ confidence in our elections through legislative measures,” he stated in the House.
Mr. Chong sought unanimous consent to allocate priority to the public safety committee for House resources, extend meeting hours, and have all amendments submitted by June 10. Following the passing of bills at second reading, they are sent to committee for examination.
Before Mr. Chong could finish presenting his motion, an MP voiced opposition. “That was not what was agreed upon,” remarked NDP MP Peter Julian.
“We had constructive discussions on this motion,” added Mr. Julian’s colleague, Alistair MacGregor. “We were in agreement up to a certain point.”
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The full motion text was not read aloud but was reviewed by The Epoch Times. It outlined various other procedural steps to adopt the bill with a June 12 deadline.
Tory House Leader Andrew Scheer proposed continuing discussions on the motion “offline” to understand the reasons behind the NDP’s opposition to passing the bill by a specific date. “That was the crucial element,” he noted.
Mr. Julian mentioned that his party supports the bill at second reading and emphasized that “we all concur that this bill must be approved before the upcoming election.” He then put forth a motion similar to Mr. Chong’s, excluding the June 12 deadline and other components.
Mr. Julian did not receive unanimous consent. “The NDP’s proposal is to remove the deadline,” stated Mr. Scheer.
“I am astonished by the lack of good faith exhibited by the Conservatives in the House,” expressed Mr. Julian. “They draft something, reach an agreement, and then simply refuse to pass the motion that was agreed upon.”
The Epoch Times contacted Mr. Julian for comments but had not received a response by the time of publication.
Despite disagreements on the course of action, Bill C-70 passed second reading and was directed to the public safety committee for examination. The committee held its initial meeting on the bill on May 30, with representatives from the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Justice, and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in attendance.
The bill aims to modernize the Canadian Security Intelligence Act of 1984 to equip CSIS with new capabilities to collect and analyze datasets. It also enables CSIS to share information with non-government entities “to enhance resilience against threats to Canada’s security.”
Additionally, the bill establishes a foreign influence registry and amends the Security of Information Act to create new offenses related to foreign interference.
