The Conservative Leader says he invites CSIS to provide him with information on anyone in the Conservative Party who may have worked with Communist China.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems determined to delay and distract when it comes to China’s foreign interference in Canadian elections. As we know, Trudeau initially claimed reports on the issue were ‘inaccurate,’ before pivoting to accusing people of racism for wanting to confront China’s interference attempts. When that didn’t work, Trudeau sought to buy time with the appointment of a ‘Special Rapporteur.’
That ‘Special Rapporteur’ is a position Trudeau created solely to slow down demands for a public inquiry. Despite survey after survey showing Canadians demanding an inquiry, Trudeau has refused. Now, the ‘Special Rapporteur’ will likely take months before even deciding whether an inquiry should happen. In the time between now and then, the Liberals are clearly hoping attention on the issue will fade.
And of course, we know the Liberals are going after the national security whistleblower(s) who brought this information into the public consciousness in the first place. So, each step of the way we have watched the Trudeau government do everything possible not to take China’s foreign interference seriously. Given that China’s efforts seem to have been centred around keeping the Liberals in power and defeating the Conservatives, Trudeau likely knows that a full airing of all relevant information wouldn’t cast him in a positive light.
With that in mind, some news stories have also noted that Conservative politicians – so far at the provincial level in Ontario – were also allegedly part of China’s influence efforts. While the numbers are far smaller than the amount of Liberals accused of facilitating Beijing’s interference, it is still a concern.
At a recent press conference, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre addressed that concern directly. Poilievre was asked about the reports indicating some Conservative politicians were implicated in interference attempts. In response, he said that he wants CSIS to provide any information on Conservatives who willingly worked with Beijing, and said that those who did so would be removed:
This is a significant contrast from how Justin Trudeau has addressed the issue. After reports emerged that CSIS warned the Prime Minister about Liberal candidate – and now MP – Han Dong being allegedly part of China’s foreign influence attempts, Trudeau dismissed those reports and said he was “extraordinarily happy” with Dong as part of the Liberal government.
“I want to make everyone understand fully that Han Dong is an outstanding member of our team and suggestions that he is somehow not loyal to Canada should not be entertained,” said Trudeau.
Notice how Trudeau seems completely uninterested in addressing the substance of the concern, and instead tries to make it look like Dong is being unfairly attacked. Given that this is how Trudeau has repeatedly ‘handled’ the issue, and it’s not difficult to see why the CSIS whistleblower(s) couldn’t get anywhere running their concerns up the chain of command.
An objective look at the facts makes clear that while Pierre Poilievre wants to know about China’s influence attempts and wants to hold people accountable – even within his own party – for facilitating foreign interference, Justin Trudeau wants to keep his head in the sand and ignore China’s interference in Canadian democracy.
Poilievre is putting the national security of the country ahead of his own political interest, while Justin Trudeau is doing the opposite. The fact that the Prime Minister of our country seems so unwilling to protect our nation is a key reason why he has no business holding that office.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
