QUESTION PERIOD — Foreign Affairs
Foreign Influence in Canada
November 17, 2022
My question is for the government leader. Yuesheng Wang, a researcher employed by Hydro-Québec, appeared in court in Longueuil yesterday, after being arrested on Monday by the RCMP, accused of economic espionage for the benefit of China. La Presse reported that Tina Zhu was there to support him.
Ms. Zhu said she was a representative of the Canada-China Friendship Promotion Association, an organization whose exact workings are nebulous. Ms. Zhu said she does not work for the Chinese government and that it’s a coincidence that she advocates for Chinese officials in Canada and peddles the same messages as Beijing.
A bill I introduced in the Senate last February, Bill-237, would have allowed us to determine whether Ms. Zhu is working for the Chinese government. Unfortunately, that bill was blocked by a senator appointed by the Trudeau government.
Senator Gold, why does the Trudeau government oppose Bill S-237 and the creation of a foreign influence registry? The provisions of that bill would easily apply to authoritarian countries such as China, Iran and Russia.
Thank you for your question, Senator Housakos. I am not doing anything to block the bill. Every bill introduced in the Senate must be properly examined, step by step, and your bill will be treated the same as every other bill.
Senator Gold, we have seen many examples of the Leader of the Government in the Senate exerting his power. When you have an interest in a bill, you have influence. Right now, Canada is in a situation where it is truly threatened by a number of countries that are trying to influence it.
The charges against Mr. Wang are very serious and unprecedented in the history of Canada. Senator Gold, can you reassure Canadians and confirm that the Trudeau government will see the proceedings against Mr. Wang through to the end and will not come to an agreement with the Chinese government to bury the matter, as it often does?
Given that the proceedings involving Mr. Wang are under way, it would be inappropriate for me to comment. All I can say, Senator Housakos, is that the government takes very seriously the interference of any country, including China, in our institutions and democratic process. We will continue to defend the interests of Canadians in that regard.
