Anything less than a public inquiry on foreign interference is not enough: Poilievre – National | Globalnews.ca

A public inquiry into allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian elections and society is the only option Conservatives will accept, Leader Pierre Poilievre says.

Poilievre made the comments to reporters on Monday as the House of Commons resumes following a two-week hiatus, and as suspected Chinese foreign interference in Canada is expected to be a hot topic this week.

When asked if Conservatives would accept being briefed by security officials regarding the allegations first reported by Global News and the Globe and Mail over recent months, Poilievre said that would be a “trap.”

“What they would do is bring opposition MPs or leaders into a room, give them some information and then swear them to secrecy so they couldn’t ever speak about it again,” he said.

“Effectively that would be a trick to try and prevent anyone debating the subject anymore, so no, we’re not going to have a situation where Conservatives are told that they have to be quiet about this scandal because they’re sworn to secrecy.”

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The NDP, which is upholding the minority Liberal government through a supply and confidence agreement struck last year, is calling for the government to hold a public inquiry.

The idea also has the backing of the Conservative and Bloc Québécois parties.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has so far resisted calls for a public inquiry, saying Friday there are other procedures underway — including a House of Commons committee’s expanded probe into the matter — that are equipped to address the allegations.

He has suggested the proper place to examine the allegations, including the classified information held by intelligence agencies, is the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, where members are cleared to receive classified information and sworn to secrecy.

Poilievre said Monday both can be done at the same time.

“We need is a public inquiry that is truly independent to get to the bottom of it all while continuing the parliamentary investigation,” he said.

Last Thursday, the members of the procedure and House affairs committee investigating the allegations called for a public inquiry into the matter.

Conservative and Bloc Québécois members of the procedure and House affairs committee voted in favour of an NDP motion that seeks to launch “a national public inquiry into allegations of foreign interference in Canada’s democratic system.”

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Whether one will be launched remains unclear. Liberal MPs on the committee voted against the measure. The government has been under pressure to launch an inquiry after multiple media reports detailed alleged attempts by China to influence Canadian society and elections.

The reports from Global News and the Globe and Mail have also called into question how much Trudeau and Canadian officials may have known about the alleged interference attempts, and whether the allegations should have been shared with the public earlier.

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The NDP now plans to bring a similar motion to the House of Commons as a whole.

Specifically, the motion adopted in committee on Thursday notes that the committee cannot compel the government to launch a public inquiry. The motion also calls for any such inquiry to investigate “abuse of diaspora groups by hostile foreign governments,” and for it to have the power to order and review any documents it deems necessary, including documents related to national security.

It calls for the person to head such an inquiry to be “selected by unanimous agreement by the House Leaders of the officially recognized parties in the House of Commons” and notes that while the motion calls on the government to launch a public inquiry, the committee can’t compel it to do so.

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