Five key takeaways from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's testimony on foreign interference
Five key takeaways from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's testimony on foreign interference
Dear downvoter in the thread: just testing something out here-
Parliamentarians who are wittingly working with foreign powers to interfere in Canadian politics, should be expelled from parliament.
Your thoughts?
The situation is just strange all around. Poilievre openly asking Trudeau to commit a federal crime, but at the same time, won't take the time to get the security clearance to get the information himself.
People are gobbling that bullshit and asking for more.
PM puts focus on Conservatives
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I'm glad to see this hitting the fucking fan. As much as I hate to say it, PP is right: canadians need to see who is compromised. I'm a staunch left voter, but I wrote my conservative fuckstick MP when the report was first leaked.
PP needs to see who is compromised.
When it comes to national security there's no excuse for our second major party and likely next PM to not have clearance.
At least Trudeau can hide behind national security on this, and I would like to see more. But PP isn't behaving responsibly or in good faith.
If pp cares so much, he can get the security clearance and look at the list himself.
Oh I agree: he's being a typical spineless conservative. The point remains, however, that if there is hard evidence of our MPs literally working with foreign interests, they should be held accountable and the public should know who they are voting for.
I would agree, except that it may be legally prohibited. At present, I believe JT would be violating national security laws by revealing the names.
Meanwhile, PP would much rather falsely scream "LIAR!" than admit that BS like that is exactly why he refuses to get a security clearance.
He refuses to get that security clearance. He still has the usual security clearance.
I must have missed the part where there was definitive evidence that anyone was compromised. I thought this was still an investigation.
If this has progressed to the stage that the evidence is strong enough than sure the names should be released, but I didn't think the investigation was at that point.
The alternative is the list of names is released and then it later comes out that a few names were actually innocent but it's too late to take it back because that incorrect news being public will have ruined their chances or reelection.
That would be irresponsible - this is intelligence, not evidence that would hold up in court.
Trudeau himself says that some of the intel could be wrong.
Of course, if they have irrefutable evidence regarding any individuals, I agree with you.
The issue is that foreign interference isn't properly encompassed by the legal system in Canada. The party in charge doesn't seem to be bothered by this fact, and has done nothing to actively remedy it. They could be setting definitions, and standards for what counts as interference, determining where the bar for intelligence credibility should be set, etc. Instead, they've left the door open to interference, and made it clear that when it happens, nothing will be done about it.
"I have the names of a number of parliamentarians, former parliamentarians and/or candidates in the Conservative Party of Canada who are engaged, or at high risk of, or for whom there is clear intelligence around foreign interference," [Trudeau] said.
The fact that Trudeau is comfortable using foreign interference as a cudgel against a political opponent is outrageous. FFS, the Liberals knew about Han Dong, and didn't do anything about it until it became public and their hand was forced. Had that not happened, there is no reason to expect that Han Dong wouldn't still be happily sitting as a Liberal.
If the Prime Minister cared about foreign interference, he would be putting measures in place immediately to ensure that if anybody sitting in the house of commons is compromised by foreign interests, they should be expelled. He's the Prime Minister. He could make this a priority. But no, it's still somehow a bickering match about security clearances. Crazy.
The
conservativecriminal party of Canada has some explaining to do.JT just needs to announce who's on the list and I'm willing to bet we'll see why exactly PP doesn't want a background check done on him.
When questioned by Conservative Party lawyer Nando De Luca, Trudeau also said the names of Liberal parliamentarians and individuals from other parties are on the list of parliamentarians at risk of being compromised by foreign interference.
Wow, what a cudgel.
It's an unusual axe to choose to grind during testimony. Take it from two former CSIS directors:
Richard Fadden and Ward Elcock — two former CSIS directors — told CBC News' Power & Politics on Wednesday that Trudeau probably shouldn't have taken such a partisan turn in his testimony.
"He lapsed into really extreme partisanship when he made this accusation and he made it in terms that could not help but enrage the Conservative leader. So that was his objective. I think it worked," Fadden told host David Cochrane.
"Did it advance the cause of national security? Did it advance the interest of the inquiry and the commissioners' work? I'm not so sure."