By: Jim Bronskill
Ottawa (CP) – The chairman of a national security watchdog says the panel “cannot add anything” to its finding that some MPs wittingly assisted the efforts of foreign states to interfere in Canadian politics.
The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians has gone as far as it possibly can to outline the accusations in its recent report, Liberal MP David McGuinty said Wednesday.
McGuinty noted that committee members are bound by the Security of Information Act for the rest of their lives.
“Anything that we can say about these issues is in the review. We cannot add any more,” he said. “Every word, every sentence, every paragraph has been through a very significant and detailed redaction process.”
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said this week it is up to law enforcement to decide if any MPs broke the law.
McGuinty echoed that notion Wednesday, saying it is the RCMP’s job “to decide on the basis of any intelligence or evidence they may have in their possession whether they’re going to take steps or not.”
The committee report says foreign states conduct sophisticated and pervasive foreign interference, specifically targeting Canada’s democratic processes before, during and after elections.
It says China and India are the most active perpetrators, adding these activities pose a significant threat to national security and the overall integrity of Canada’s democracy.
The committee’s conclusions reverberate as Parliament studies a government bill that aims to better protect democratic institutions against foreign meddling.
The legislation tabled in the House of Commons early last month includes a host of measures to deter, investigate and punish foreign interference.
It would usher in new criminal provisions against deceptive or surreptitious acts, allow for the broader sharing of sensitive information and establish a foreign influence transparency registry.
Civil society groups expressed concern Wednesday that insufficient time is being set aside to study the bill at a Commons committee. Hearings began late last week and could wrap up as early as this week.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is urging the committee to request more time “so that truly inclusive and substantive public consultations can take place.”
The Ottawa-based International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group would also like to see more debate.
“We find it disappointing and outrageous, actually, that the bill is proceeding so quickly,” said Tim McSorley, the group’s national coordinator.
“The fact that they’re moving so quickly makes it seem as though any amendments are highly unlikely.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said it is “concerning” that a parliamentary committee report says some Canadian MPs “wittingly” aided foreign state actors, but it is up to law enforcement to decide if they broke the law, on Tuesday.
The National Security and Intelligence Committee released a report alleging that foreign interference had been detected across a broad swath of Canadian politics and society, including every level of government, every political party, the media and the private sector.
It also made explosive allegations that some MPs had “wittingly” participated in efforts by other countries to interfere in Canadian politics. In one case, an MP allegedly sought a meeting with a foreign intelligence official and gave that official confidential information.
The report suggested all the actions of the MPs involved were “unethical,” and some could be considered illegal.
Freeland called the allegations “concerning.”
“It is a serious, serious problem that there are MPs in our House of Commons who are part of this,” Freeland said in French under questioning about the report at her weekly economic news conference Tuesday morning.
She did say that the Liberals are doing an “internal followup” as a political party but did not provide any detail about what that meant or if any Liberal MP who is accused would be allowed to remain in caucus.
But when pushed about why no charges have been laid or why the MPs in question aren’t being named, Freeland said that’s up to the police.
“I do really want to emphasize it needs to be law enforcement that takes the steps and takes the actions,” she said. “The actual enforcement actions can’t be politicized.”
— With files from Anja Karadeglija.
