QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
Foreign Interference
October 30, 2024
Senator Gold, for too long your government has hidden behind ongoing investigations and classified information to avoid answering questions or doing anything to combat foreign interference in this country. But as we’ve seen with your handling of the India situation, there are no such concerns in that case. Last fall, the Prime Minister stood in the House and openly discussed it for political expediency. A couple of weeks ago, the RCMP held a press conference about it, again, for political expediency. Now we know that Mr. Trudeau’s National Security Advisor was leaking information to foreign newspapers, again, for political expediency. Meanwhile, your government won’t release the names of parliamentarians named in the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, or NSICOP, report. Why? Political expediency?
Now every parliamentarian is under a cloud of suspicion, colleagues. Just this week, Senator Woo and a former colleague were identified as being named in the report.
Senator Gold, how is any of this helpful? Will your government release the names and let us get to the bottom of this once and for all?
Senator Housakos, it is really rich to hear you talk about political expediency when your leader, who aspires to lead this government, is refusing to have the security clearance that all other leaders have taken —
It is also irresponsible to believe that, despite the important risks to national security and to the privacy of individuals that public disclosure would entail. Those are reasons why security clearances are required and Justice Hogue has agreed that these things should not be released publicly.
To stand here and link the threats to this country from India and others as a matter of political expediency and then to once again trot that out is honestly not serious.
Senator Gold, it’s so disappointing to see that even you are peddling conspiracy theories. You know full well that CSIS can brief Mr. Poilievre at any time under the law under the threat reduction measures. That’s the law. Unlike the PM, Mr. Poilievre isn’t interested in covering his own butt; he’s interested in the best interests of this country. Mr. Poilievre thinks all Canadians should know who is being compromised. He wants more transparency, while Trudeau wants more secrecy. That is what this is all about.
What do the PMO and Justin Trudeau have to hide? Give us the names and what they are accused of.
The passion with which you continue to repeat this doesn’t take away from the fact that my response is, as the great John McEnroe said to a referee, “Are you serious?” This is not a serious way to deal with important issues of national security.
