QUESTION PERIOD — Global Affairs
Foreign Interference
April 11, 2024
Senator Gold, when reports first surfaced that the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service, or CSIS, had briefed Justin Trudeau about Beijing’s interference in the previous two elections, he returned to one of his favourite phrases. He claimed that the story in The Globe and Mail was false. He repeatedly denied, including on the chamber floor in the House of Commons, knowing anything or even having been briefed by CSIS. However, this week, at the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference that the Prime Minister was shamed into calling for, it was revealed that his office was briefed by CSIS on foreign interference, at least 34 times between June 2018 and December 2022, and that the Prime Minister himself was briefed on at least two occasions during that time.
My question is simple, Senator Gold: Why did the Prime Minister lie about those briefings? Why did he lie to the Canadian people? Why did he lie on the floor of Parliament? What else has he lied about in regard to this file?
Senator Housakos, thank you for your question, but you are not stating facts that are correct.
Again, the Prime Minister testified under oath. There is a difference between the Prime Minister’s Office being briefed and the Prime Minister being briefed. That came out very clearly in the public inquiry, which is an important institution in the Parliament of Canada. We heard from Ms. Charette. I do not have time to quote her, but it is in the public record. We heard from Jeremy Broadhurst.
It does a disservice to our democracy and this chamber — and, frankly, does no honour to your party — when you do not speak accurately about the public record.
I guess The Globe and Mail, the National Post — all of them — cannot speak English; they do not understand the testimony that they heard. Thank you for clarifying that.
Senator Gold, during a previous appearance at a House of Commons committee, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Katie Telford, testified that the Prime Minister reads every document that he is given. However, during his testimony yesterday, the Prime Minister said that he does not do much reading and that the only way to make sure he is aware of something is to tell him verbally.
Who is telling the truth, Senator Gold, and who is not telling the truth? Is it Justin Trudeau who is lying about this or is it someone else? Someone is not telling the truth.
There is no inconsistency between the two statements. You can continue to hammer this point to your heart’s content and to the pleasure of those on your social media feed. However, the fact remains that the Prime Minister’s statements stand. His words stand for themselves, as do those of Katie Telford. There is no inconsistency between the two, as I tried to explain earlier in response to Senator Plett.
