The Chinese regime represents an “existential threat” to Canada’s national security, says Liberal MP John McKay, whose comments come amid a flurry of reports that Beijing interfered in Canada’s past two federal elections.
McKay, who chairs the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence, made the comments to reporters in Ottawa on March 8.
“The government of China is an existential threat to Canada on a multiplicity of levels,” he said, according to Global News.
“We need as a nation to come to grips with the desire of the government of China to turn us all into vassal states.”
McKay’s comments come on the same day Global News journalist Sam Cooper published an
article saying two high-level national security reports from 2019 and 2022 suggest that senior federal officials were informed of alleged funding of candidates by Beijing in the past two federal elections.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
has denied several times ever being briefed specifically about the Chinese regime funding federal candidates. Yet, one of the high-level national security reports cited in the Global report was prepared by the Privy Council Office (PCO) for the Trudeau government, dated January 2022, and was finalized—which suggests it was intended to be read by the prime minister and his senior aides.
“A large clandestine transfer of funds earmarked for the federal election from the PRC Consulate in Toronto was transferred to an elected provincial government official via a staff member of a 2019 federal candidate,”
says the PCO document from January 2022 titled, “Special Report.”
Foreign Interference
Trudeau’s national security and intelligence adviser, Jody Thomas, previously said her office has seen no evidence of the Chinese regime funding candidates in past federal elections.
However,
Thomas recently told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs that Trudeau has been “briefed on foreign interference in the elections multiple times between 2019 and 2021 and 2022.”
She also said she would try to provide the committee with the exact dates the prime minister was briefed on the matter.
Opposition parties have been calling on Trudeau to initiate a public inquiry into the election interference reports, but he has so far refused to do so. The prime minister
announced this week that he will instead appoint an independent special rapporteur to look into foreign interference in Canada’s elections.
Opposition MPs on the Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs
all voiced support on March 7 for a motion that would’ve called on Trudeau’s Chief of Staff Katie Telford to testify before the committee on Beijing’s election interference.
However, Liberal MP and committee chair Bardish Chagger suspended the meeting around 2:00 p.m. before a vote could be taken, and Liberal members of the committee did not return following question period in the House.
In a scrum after question period, MPs from the three opposition parties said they were ready to continue the meeting but Liberals MPs were not present and a quorum could not be reached.
Noé Chartier contributed to this report.
