QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
Emergencies Act
October 20, 2022
Your Honour, this question is from Senator Plett:
With the Emergencies Act inquiry currently underway, Canadians are learning that CSIS, Canada’s intelligence agency, had informed senior government officials that no evidence was found of foreign actors or states financing the convoy protest in the week prior to the Emergencies Act being invoked. As was reported in The Globe and Mail, CSIS Director David Vigneault said:
There is not a lot of energy or support from the U.S.A. to Canada. CSIS has also not seen any foreign money coming from other states to support this.
Yet on February 11, Prime Minister Trudeau was asked by Marieke Walsh more details on the percentage of finances coming from the U.S. This is what the Prime Minister said:
Those aren’t details that I have right in front of me. I have heard that, on certain platforms, the number of U.S. donations are approaching 50%.
Senator Gold, those are two very different storylines. I cannot see how they can possibly differ or contradict one another any further. Leader, who are Canadians supposed to believe — CSIS or the Prime Minister? Again, it is a very simple question — CSIS or the Prime Minister?
I think Canadians should have confidence, first and foremost, in the parliamentary oversight procedures that the Emergencies Act has put in place. We are in the process of conducting a democratic oversight of the invocation of the act. The Government of Canada respects and looks forward to the results of that particular process.
