Canadians “have a right to know” which MPs have been accused in a new intelligence report of “wittingly” working with foreign state actors, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says.
“The national security committee indicates there are members of this house that have knowingly worked for foreign hostile governments,” Mr. Polievere said during question period on June 5. “Canadians have a right to know who and what is the information. Who are they?”
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc told the House of Commons that the government would not be naming the MPs suspected of working with foreign actors, saying it would be inappropriate to “discuss particularities of intelligence information publicly.”
Instead, he suggested Mr. Polievere seek the proper security clearance so he too can read the report.
“He would then be much more informed than he is now,” Mr. LeBlanc said. “We would invite him to do so, so that he would not stand up and cast aspersions on the floor of the House of Commons without any information whatsoever.”
“We do not need secrets and confidentiality,” Mr. Polievere replied. “That is what got us into this problem in the first place. We need the facts so that Canadians can judge.”
Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong also demanded details of the NSICOP report be released to the public.
“I cannot believe the following needs to be said. Parliamentarians’ duty is not to a foreign state, but to the people of Canada,“ he added. ”My question is simple. Will the prime minister release the names of these parliamentarians?”
Mr. LeBlanc again said it would be irresponsible to disclose the names of MPs “involved in specific intelligence situations.”
“It is not entirely accurate of him to claim that a responsible government, one that focuses on the security of Canada and our democratic institutions, would do such a thing,” he said. “I am glad that there are parliamentarians in the House who have the necessary security clearance to access all the intelligence behind that important committee report. I invite them to have a proper look at it.”
The NSICOP report has been a source of intense debate about the right of voters to know if their MP has been accused of working with another country’s government.
The report from the committee, composed of select parliamentarians of different stripes, says that some MPs “began wittingly assisting foreign state actors soon after their election.”
The committee members hold security clearances and reviewed approximately 4,000 documents for their study.
Oath of Secrecy
NSICOP chair David McGuinty told reporters earlier this week that he and other members of the committee took an oath of secrecy and can’t reveal the names of the MPs cited in the report or any material deemed confidential.“The committee’s hands are tied. We can only release what we can release,” Mr. McGuinty, a Liberal MP, told reporters on June 5.
“The members have always tended to want to be more transparent rather than less we have gone as far as we can, in this review, to reveal information without being in breach of the Security of Information Act.”
Mr. McGuinty said the matter is now in the hands of the RCMP and it will be up to the federal police force to investigate and determine if any charges should be laid.
The RCMP said it can confirm there are “investigations into a broad range of foreign interference in Canada.”
“The RCMP will not provide comment whether there is an active criminal investigation into any parliamentarian,” spokesperson Sgt. Kim Chamberland told The Epoch Times in a statement.
“The RCMP has spoken publicly about the problem of foreign interference and believe more public attention to this matter is necessary. At the same time, the RCMP must exercise significant caution with respect to public statements related to ongoing investigations.”
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said on June 5 that the Liberal Party would do an internal “followup.” She did not offer any details on what the review would look like.
“Some countries want to compromise our democracy and we cannot allow them to do so,” she said. “It’s a grave, grave problem that MPs in our House of Commons are part of that.”
She did not say if any accused Liberal MPs would be permitted to remain in the caucus.
The government has said it is taking action to deal with foreign interference in Canada with Bill C-70, which seeks to overhaul national security laws.
The Tories have said they are concerned the proposed measures, such as the foreign influence registry, won’t be in place before the October 2025 federal election.
