QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
Foreign Interference
October 2, 2024
Senator Gold, when first we heard from whistle-blowers that your government had been ignoring their warnings of foreign interference in Canada, Justin Trudeau denied knowing anything about it. He denied having been briefed about allegations of foreign interference despite the fact his chief of staff testified at a committee that Mr. Trudeau reads everything put in front of him.
Over the past year, thanks to a public inquiry that the government was forced by the official opposition — the Conservatives — into calling, we now know that Mr. Trudeau lied about not having been briefed. We have specific dates as to when he received those briefings, Senator Gold, and they’re public.
Now, thanks to our Order Paper question that your government finally got around to answering, we also learned that your government was additionally warned 163 separate times over a six-year period about illegal foreign activity in Canada.
Government leader, why did the Prime Minister lie about this instead of doing something about it? Why? Was it to protect the Liberal Party? Why?
The Prime Minister answered accurately and honestly in terms of what he personally knew, which is a separate question from when information is necessarily sent to his office.
Again, senator, having been in government, you know that, too. So, once again, I’ve answered that question. The government has put into place important measures to protect Canadians from foreign interference. It’s committed to doing so, and it will continue to act in the best interests of Canadians, rhetoric notwithstanding.
What I know, Senator Gold, is that governments should be accountable and transparent.
Senator Gold, one of the worst offenders of foreign interference is the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, in Beijing. It’s been 16 months since your government was forced to boycott the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank after news broke that the CCP had infiltrated it. Can you tell this chamber what your government has done in those 16 months to get back nearly a quarter of a billion dollars of taxpayer money your government sank into that fiasco? How much taxpayer money has your government recuperated?
I have been clear in this chamber with regard to how the government has corrected its course as the nefarious activities of the regime in China have become more and more evident. The government made its decisions with the best interests of Canada in mind.
