Foreign interference: Jagmeet Singh accuses parliamentarians of “treachery” | Public inquiry into foreign interference

It was a resounding media outing that the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Jagmeet Singh, made on Thursday afternoon in Ottawa, to share his conclusions after reading the confidential report of the Committee of Parliamentarians on Security national security and intelligence (CPSNR).

This report, of which a redacted copy had been made public, alleges that certain MPs began to knowingly help foreign state actors shortly after their election, notably by sending them confidential information.

He accuses, without naming them, parliamentarians of treachery and said he himself had been the target of foreign interference. However, he does not specify whether they are current parliamentarians or not.

He also accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of inaction over allegations of foreign interference, while that he had been informed.

Mr. Singh also attacked the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre, who refuses to obtain the necessary security clearance to have access to secret documents, accusing him of ignoring the serious allegations affecting his party.

I am more alarmed today after reading the report. What is clear to me is that Justin Trudeau knew and did not act, and Pierre Poilievre does not even want to be informed of the serious allegations affecting his party. To me, this disqualifies him as a leader.

Contradictions with Elizabeth May’s conclusions

The New Democratic leader thus contradicts the leader of the Green Party of Canada, Elizabeth May, who also had access to the unredacted version of the report of the CPSNR and who said she was “relieved” after reading it.

On Tuesday, Mrs May repeatedly said that there was no list in this report describing sitting MPs having knowingly collaborated with a foreign state.

However, she raised the case of a former parliamentarian, whose name is not mentioned in the report, who allegedly proactively shared privileged information with a foreign agent. This individual was fully aware of his actions […] and should be fully investigated and prosecutedMrs May said during her press conference.

Mr. Singh for his part speaks of parliamentarians in the plural.

After reading the report, I am more convinced than ever of its conclusions that some parliamentarians participate, in part or deliberately, in the efforts of foreign states to interfere in our politicshe said.

There are also politicians at all levels of government who have benefited from foreign interference, he added. Some of this behavior seems absolutely criminal and should be prosecuted.

A call to the Bloc and Conservative leaders

When a journalist asks him if he thinks that these parliamentarians should be considered as traitors? He answers in the affirmative.

What do [ces parlementaires] is not ethical. In some cases it is illegal and they are indeed traitors.

However, being bound by secrecy, Mr. Singh was unable to answer the question of whether these MPs were still sitting in the House of Commons and which parties they represented.

The NDP leader, however, assured that he did not intend to exclude any member of his own caucus, but called on the leaders of other parties, who have not already done so, to obtain a security clearance to read the unredacted report.

Mr. Poilievre and the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, are the only ones who have still not read this report.

On Tuesday, Mr. Blanchet said he had theintention to apply for a security clearance and that the process had been launched to the Privy Council.

Mr. Poilievre, for his part, refuses to make such a request, saying that it would limit his right to express himself and that he would therefore be required to keep secret what he learned.

Every political party leader should read the unredacted version [du rapport]. We should be able to discuss the necessary steps to take as leaders to ensure that our parties are protected from foreign interference […] and thus protect our democracy.

The Conservatives have been putting pressure on Justin Trudeau’s government for several days to reveal to the public the names of the MPs who appear in the report CPSNR.

Last Thursday, the Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc repeatedly assured that he a completely reliable list of names does not exist of parliamentarians who have collaborated with foreign state actors.

He stressed that the report in question is based on intelligence documents which cannot be considered as evidence.

A Bloc motion aimed at broadening the scope of the public inquiry into foreign interference by Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue so that it examines the allegations contained in the CPSNR report was also adopted Thursday in Parliament.

Commissioner Hogue released a preliminary report in early May stating that there was indeed foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections, but that this had no impact on the results.

She notably targeted China and India as being the main countries responsible for foreign interference in Canada.

A final report is expected to be submitted in December 2024.