House Committee Votes Against Producing Documents Presented to Trudeau of CCP’s Interference in 2019 Federal Election

An amended motion is passed to instead ask for documents from 'relevant government departments and agencies'

Conservative member of Parliament Michael Cooper holds a press conference in Ottawa on Feb. 26, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

A House of Commons committee consisting of a majority Liberal and NDP MPs has voted against producing documents related to Beijing’s interference in Canada’s 2019 federal election that were presented to the prime minister and some cabinet members in January.  Instead, an amended motion was passed that asks for presentation of documents in possession of “relevant government departments and agencies.”

The motion, introduced by Conservative MP Michael Cooper before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) on Nov. 14, stems from a Nov. 7 article published by Global News that reported intelligence officials warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several cabinet members in a series of briefings and memos in January that Beijing had been allegedly targeting Canada with an extensive campaign of foreign interference, including during the federal election in 2019.

Cooper said the motion would need consensus from committee members, among several requirements, to schedule “immediately” at least four meetings to recall intelligence agencies and invite cabinet ministers including Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic Leblanc, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, and Deputy Minister of National Defence Jody Thomas, to testify before PROC with regards to the “alarming” report.

In addition, the motion stipulates that the committee order the production of:

“1) all relevant briefing notes, memorandums, and documents presented to Prime Minister and members of cabinet referred to in the report, and

“2) all relevant memorandums, briefing notes and documents concerning Chinese Communist Party interference in Canadian elections, which are in the possession of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, the Office of the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and the Office of the Minister of Public Safety.”

‘Cover Up’

Liberal MP Greg Fergus proposed changing the wording of the order to “all relevant briefing notes, memorandums and documents which are in possession of the relevant government departments and agencies.”

“I thought that was a little bit more elegant and perhaps somewhat broader than what was mentioned,” the Liberal MP said.

Cooper countered that Fergus’s amendment “completely removes the essence, the heart” of what his motion intends to do.

“It appears on its face that the reason for the amendment and the significant change in wording is an effort on the part of the Liberals to cover up what the prime minister knew, what ministers were briefed on, and what they failed to do as a result,” he said.

The committee, which has a majority of Liberal and NDP MPs, proceeded to vote 6–5 in favour of Fergus’s amendment. The relevant departments and agencies tasked with gathering the documents were also asked to apply redaction according to the Access to Information and Privacy Act.

Fergus also seconded the proposal by fellow Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull to have the documents submitted “as soon as possible but not to exceed 30 days,” but the committee voted in favour of Conservative MP John Nater’s suggestion to replace that with “no later than 14 days.”

The original motion requested the documents to be submitted within one week and that the Office of Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel make redactions to documents to “protect the identities of employees or sources of Canadian Security Intelligence Service, or allied intelligence agencies.”

‘New Revelations’

The Global News report said that, according to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Chinese Consulate in Toronto covertly directed a large transfer of funds to a clandestine network of at least 11 candidates running in the 2019 election, as well as many Beijing operatives working as their campaign staffers.

It also said the briefings alleged that a Toronto Chinese Consulate official directed a campaign staffer to control and monitor the meetings of the candidate the staffer was working for.

“Canadians deserve answers, and yet nothing appears to have been done on the part of the prime minister or on the part of the government despite evidence of interference by Chinese consulate officials,” Cooper said.

“No one has been expelled from Canada. No one has been charged. There are no apparent investigations being undertaken, and there has been no action taken on the part of the government to respond legislatively.”

Fergus questioned “where the fire was,” considering PROC has already agreed to tackle the issue of foreign election interference, and that the committee is currently undertaking the studies of “parliamentary precinct” security and “hybrid functioning of our parliament.”

“What I don’t understand is why we have to have these meetings immediately, and they will take precedence over other topics,” he said.

PROC started its study of foreign election interference on Nov. 1 and has since heard testimonies from officials of Canada’s Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force, which consists of CSIS, Global Affairs, RCMP, and Communications Security Establishment.

Cooper argued that his motion is based on “new revelations” in the Global report.

“What is new are certain facts pertaining to the funneling of at least $250,000 directed by the Chinese Consulate in Toronto to at least 11 candidates; about a coordinated effort to install agents within campaigns to try to control the activities, candidates, including who they meet with; placing agents in MP offices, corrupting Canadian officials; and mounting an aggressive intimidation campaign against elected officials,” he said.

“Again, what is new is that the prime minister was briefed about this—and members of his cabinet—in January 2022.”

The committee meeting was paused for half an hour after the first hour, after which Cooper returned to say his party was “prepared to compromise” in order to move forward with the investigation.

“From a scheduling standpoint, the Liberals seem very insistent on completing the two outstanding studies, so we’re prepared to get both studies finished. At the same time, we’re amenable to shorten the witness list.”

The original motion includes also inviting Vincent Rigby and David Morrison, both former national security advisers to Trudeau; Daniel Stanton, former CSIS officer; Dennis Molinaro, former CSIS senior analyst; and David Mulroney, former Canadian ambassador to China.

NDP MP Rachel Blaney said there are “too many witnesses,” and suggested hearing from the core list and then deciding who the next witness will be.

Peter Wilson contributed to this report.