Former Trudeau minister fears Libs could turn Parliament into ‘kangaroo court’ over Chinese interference

The Trudeau government must “clear the air” over allegations of foreign spies on Parliament Hill, says former public safety minister Marco Mendicino. During testimony at the Commission on Foreign Interference, Mendicino complained a Liberal-dominated committee could turn Parliament into a “kangaroo court.”

“I am very worried the entire conversation around foreign interference and parliamentarians is being transformed into a kangaroo court with very little regard for the process of understanding how we assess intelligence,” testified MP Mendicino.

“Have you read the classified or unclassified version of the Committee report?” asked Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue. “Just the public version,” replied Mendicino. “I have not been given access to the classified version.”

The Special Report published May 3 by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians said “a few parliamentarians” were in the pay of foreign embassies, though none have been publicly identified.

Suspects included legislators who spied on colleagues, acted at the “direction of foreign officials” and leaked to a foreign agent “information learned in confidence from the government,” said the Special Report. The 11-member Committee that wrote the document has a majority of seven Liberal MPs and Liberal-appointed senators, reported Blacklock’s Reporter.

Mendicino described the report as an outlier compared to security memos he’d read as Minister of Public Safety. “They have gone further than where the Canadian Security Intelligence Service or national security advisor have gone when it comes to findings,” he testified. “From where I sit, this is an important reminder.”

The Committee report outlined “particularly concerning examples” of misconduct by unnamed MPs and senators. “Some may be illegal,” said the Special Report. One example includes communicating frequently with foreign missions before or during a political campaign to obtain support from community groups.

Mendicino later claimed all federal parties have a “shared interest in protecting our democracy.”

Evidence to the contrary, a Liberal MP tabled a motion this week to end regular meetings of the Commons Canada-China committee, created in December 2019. 

Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who sponsored the motion, tabled it while hearings into Chinese interference remain ongoing. China is growing increasingly flustered by Canada’s ongoing criticism of its government, reported the Globe and Mail. 

Bloc Québécois MP René Villemure, the committee vice chair, contends meeting regularly is still justified. “The Liberals are trying to sweep under the rug all these debates which absolutely must continue,” he said. “We intend to do our job to the end.”

Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong says the Liberals want to “effectively shut down” the parliamentary committee’s work. He also accused the feds of skirting ministerial accountability in Canada-China relations.

In usual fashion, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland continues to dodge inquiries on Canada’s suspended activity with the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s trip to China last summer.

Chong earlier testified that Chinese agents could infiltrate closed-party leadership races to appoint the prime minister.

On April 3, Chong told the Commission on Foreign Interference that foreign states could wield undue influence on leadership contests, giving rise to concerns about political leaders installed by foreign operatives.

“We are effectively opening up the appointment of heads of state or provinces,” he said.

“We could have a situation where a prime minister resigns, and a prime minister is appointed and elected through a leadership process impacted by non-citizens and foreign state actors,” continued the member of parliament.

Chinese spies also targeted political staffers in a bid to influence Canadian elections, revealed a secret federal memo. 

The nine-page CSIS document, dated September 8, 2021, found parliamentary staff are co-opted as “gatekeepers” for MPs and senators. It further explained they can deceptively influence elected and appointed officials to bend the knee in support of Chinese or Communist Party interests.

“This occurs in many ways such as ensuring specific community groups are not seen or responded to, framing talking points to reflect Party narratives or holding public events at specific locations of interest to China e.g. a business owned by a People’s Republic proxy or a culturally significant location such as a city hall or legislative building,” said the memo People’s Republic Of China Foreign Interference In Canada: A Critical National Security Threat.