Liberal MP David McGuinty, chair of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, answers questions from reporters before heading to a Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa, Wednesday, June 5, 2024. (Photo: The Canadian Press)
Ottawa and Quebec — The president of the Committee of Parliamentarians on National Security and Intelligence says he “can add nothing more” to the recent conclusion that certain MPs “knowingly” aided the efforts of foreign states to s meddling in Canadian politics.
These deputies are not identified in the report.
Liberal MP David McGuinty says the committee went as far as possible in its report to highlight the allegations.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said this week it was up to police forces to decide whether MPs had broken the law.
The findings of the Committee of Parliamentarians on National Security and Intelligence have fueled conversations on the Hill in Ottawa, as Parliament considers a bill to better protect democratic institutions against foreign interference.
The Committee’s report indicates that foreign states are engaging in sophisticated and pervasive foreign interference, specifically targeting Canada’s democratic processes before, during and after elections.
The report states that China and India are the most active foreign actors, and that these activities pose a significant threat to national security and the overall integrity of Canadian democracy.
Brossard supports the request for an investigation
The City of Brossard supports the request for an investigation into foreign interference made by the Parti Québécois (PQ), following the federal report on this subject tabled on Monday.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, the mayor of Brossard, Doreen Assaad, recalls that a councilor of the municipality is director of two organizations targeted by an RCMP investigation, for having exploited police stations Chinese on Canadian soil.
The City’s “significant concerns” regarding “foreign influence during the last municipal elections (…) remain unanswered,” we can read.
The Municipal Commission refused to intervene and PQ MP Pascal Paradis deplores that the City is “left to its own devices in this crucial issue for local democracy”.
During question period on Wednesday, he asked Minister Bonnardel to launch an investigation.
Mr. Bonnardel closed the door by repeating that nothing suggests that there is foreign political or other interference in Quebec.
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