QUESTION PERIOD — Office of the Government Representative
Senate Ethics Officer
June 5, 2024
Senator Gold, the Senate ethics rules state:
A Senator shall refrain from acting in a way that could reflect adversely on the position of Senator or the institution of the Senate.
The report released by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians found that:
. . . some Parliamentarians are, in the words of the intelligence services, “semi-witting or witting” participants in the efforts of foreign states to interfere in our politics. . . .
What steps will the Leader of the Government in the Senate be taking to protect public confidence and trust in the Canadian Senate? Will you be asking the Senate Ethics Officer to investigate foreign interference involving senators?
Thank you for your question. I am not in possession of information regarding individual parliamentarians — whether in this chamber or in the other place — nor is it my unique responsibility as a senator to bring things to the attention of the Senate Ethics Officer.
Having said all that, the report of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians is being taken very seriously by the government. At such time as there is further information about what further steps may be taken, they will be made public where appropriate.
I would hope it would be taken seriously by the Government Representative in the Senate as well. Senator Gold, not only do you represent the government, you also have a massive budget of over $1.5 million for your work. All that comes with additional responsibility.
As you know, the Senate Ethics Officer could, if he wanted to, interview every senator about their involvement — if any. All of us are currently under a cloud. Given the loyalty to Canada of parliamentarians who have been called into question by this report and given that some parliamentarians, according to the report, have accepted funds from foreign actors, as government leader, can you advise why parliamentarians discovered by our intelligence service —
Senator, I really do appreciate your vision of my role. Of course, I — like all of us — take this report very seriously. However, at this juncture, it is simply not only premature but inappropriate for me to comment further.
