A Public Inquiry on Foreign Election Interference is the Only Answer

Plus trouble at the Trudeau Foundation, appreciation for our firefighters, and more

A Public Inquiry on Foreign Election Interference is the Only Answer

On April 14, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff finally appeared before the Procedure and House Affairs Committee to testify on allegations of foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections in Canada. Consistent with the Liberal government’s lack of transparency, she waived off most inquiries on account of national security, refused to clarify what intelligence the government had on the topic and the extent of the interference. She further claimed that reports of candidates receiving funds from the Consulate of the People’s Republic of China were inaccurate, citing a lack of evidence, despite news investigations to the contrary. She also failed to explain what the inaccuracies were and what public information was not factual. She also contradicted the prime minister’s public and repeated claims that he had not been briefed on foreign interference when he had actually been briefed on five separate occasions.

The chief of staff’s testimony comes after months of cover-ups by the Liberal government about foreign influence on Canada’s democratic process. Following a particularly intense two-week filibuster by the NDP-Liberal coalition intent on preventing the testimony, continued Conservative pressure finally forced the Liberals to relent and allow the top advisor to testify on Beijing’s interference. The continued cover-ups by the Liberal government on this matter is appalling. Canadians need to hear the truth about these allegations of foreign interference in our democracy. Sunlight is the best disinfectant as they say, and a parliamentary committee is the absolute minimum that citizens, voters and taxpayers should expect. A public inquiry would be the gold standard and remains the Conservative demand.

This is a government plagued with ethics and transparency violations since coming to power in 2015, one that has shown a continued weakness to foreign financial influence. Ethics rules created by the federal conservatives and by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2006 have repeatedly tripped up the Liberal prime minister, cabinet ministers, and the Liberal government. The cozy relationship with lobbyists, insiders and gatekeepers continues to be a great weakness of the Liberal government. Three major scandals have engulfed the Liberal government and all of them feature the Prime Minister as a central figure. The Bahamas vacation in 2016 that was an ethics violation, the SNC Lavalin prosecution scandal in 2019 that saw two cabinet ministers resign and get fired from the Liberal Party, and finally, the latest scandal involving Beijing’s foreign interference in our elections that the prime minister did little to nothing about.

This is the third time in eight years that the prime minister’s chief of staff has appeared before parliamentary committees to answer for the prime minister’s failings. Each time, he has placed his top advisor on the frontlines to defend his government’s actions and his personal choices, when, given the gravity of the matter, he should have stepped up himself and been subject to direct parliamentary questioning. That’s what leaders do, especially when a parliamentary committee demands answers, to show up voluntarily and answer questions. Hiding behind his advisors shows a lack of confidence in his position and weak leadership, qualities not befitting a person leading a G7 country. An open, independent public inquiry is the only way to credibly investigate Beijing’s interference in our democracy and to uncover what and when the Prime Minister acted or not. Citizens, voters, and taxpayers deserve nothing more than a completely transparent public inquiry where all the information is made public.

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Trouble at the Roots: the Trudeau Foundation

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. The same applies for foreign interference and corruption. Recently, the Globe and Mail and La Presse uncovered damaging allegations against the Trudeau Foundation. They revealed that the foundation board had accepted a $200,000 donation from a businessman connected to the People’s Republic of China. When they publicly agreed to return it, they could not find the original source of the funds because it did not match with the signer for the cheque. When new board members called for an investigation, the old guard fought it eventually leading to a mass resignation of the board members, as well as the President and CEO, of the Trudeau Foundation. The reluctance of the ‘old guard’ at the Trudeau Foundation to be transparent, all raise new concerns about the $200,000 donation directed by Beijing’s government. Further reports revealed the Prime Minister had gone on an extravagant Jamaican vacation, courtesy of wealthy billionaire Trudeau Foundation donor. This simply confirms one thing many already suspected: large donations to the Trudeau Foundation can buy access to the Prime Minister. Despite the Prime Minister’s insistence that he has cut ties with the Trudeau Foundation after stepping into his current role, multiple instances of overlapping events, meetings and personnel indicate otherwise. This combined with the knowledge that the communist regime in Beijing has used donations to the Trudeau Foundation to try and influence the Prime Minister, is cause for great concern in Canada. A parliamentary investigation into the Beijing-funded Trudeau Foundation is needed to get to the bottom of who got paid and who got privileged access to the Prime Minister.

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Appreciation for Calgary Firefighters

Grateful to the firefighters at Fire Hall #39 for taking the time to bring me on a tour of their station, and for walking me through a day in their life. Huge appreciation for what this team does on behalf of residents in the southeast part of Calgary, and for firefighters across Canada who risk their lives daily to keep us safe.

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Conservative Legislative Agenda Continues to Find Success

In the last several weeks, Conservatives have made many strides in advancing and passing private member’s bills. Selection for debate on private member’s bills is determined by a random lottery, and less than three percent of private member’s bills become law. It is a testament to our tenacity and effectiveness that many are becoming the law of the land despite being in opposition.

• Bill C-241, proposed by MP Chris Lewis, will provide equal tax treatment between professionals and the skilled trades with a tax deduction of traveling expenses for tradespersons. This is currently in the Senate. Link.

• Bill C-242, proposed by MP Kyle Seeback, aims to help and reunite families applying to make long-term visits to Canadians and permanent residents from abroad by improving visa measures. This is currently under committee consideration in the Senate. Link.

• Bill C-234, proposed by MP Ben Lobb, aims to provide a carbon tax exemption for farm fuels. This will help reduce skyrocketing grocery prices. This is currently in the Senate. Link.

• Bill C-291, proposed by MP Mel Arnold, aims to amend the Criminal Code to further combat child sexual exploitation. This is up for second reading in the Senate. Link.

• And more recently, Bill C-228, proposed by MP Marilyn Gladu, aims to protect private sector defined benefit pensions and place pensioners near the top of the queue in the event of corporate bankruptcies. This has passed the Senate and will soon become law. Link.