GOLDSTEIN: Trudeau ignored foreign interference warnings from his own MPs

It warned Trudeau that China was engaging in interference at all levels of government

If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was going to take seriously foreign interference in Canada’s democratic institutions, it would have happened after he received the Aug. 30, 2019 annual report of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. (NSICOP)

After all, he created NSICOP in 2017.

It was chaired by fellow Liberal MP David McGuinty and its 10 members — MPs and Senators from across the political spectrum — received clearance from the government to view top-secret documents and hold classified briefings with Canada’s top security and intelligence officials.

It reviewed the work of seven government agencies charged with protecting Canadians from foreign interference, heard testimony from 17 government officials and reviewed 620 documents containing over 4,300 pages of classified material.

It emerged with a clear warning to Trudeau:

“Canada has been slow to react to the threat of foreign interference,” it told the PM in the heavily redacted version of the report made public.

“Foreign interference represents a significant threat to Canada’s society and fundamental institutions … There is work to be done … The government must do better. Canada’s long-term security depends on the integrity of its sovereignty in decision-making, strong and independent fundamental institutions, and the protection of the rights and freedoms of Canadians.

“The threat is real, if often hidden.  If it is not addressed in a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach, foreign interference will slowly erode … our system of democracy itself.”

The report cited China 69 times. (Russia was next at 61.)

It warned Trudeau that China was engaging in interference at all levels of government — federal, provincial, municipal and Indigenous — targeting three key areas — elections,  politicians and their staffs regardless of their political affiliation and sub-national areas of government.

It warned that China, through its National Intelligence Law,  compels all Chinese companies and citizens — “regardless of whether or not they are also citizens of other countries” — to co-operate with China’s intelligence and security agencies at home and abroad.

It said China’s targeting of the 1.8 million Canadians of Chinese origin in Canada, is the primary method by which it seeks to influence decision-making at all levels of government through “flattery, bribery … manipulation” and “threats” aimed at dissidents who speak out publicly against China.

Meanwhile, a lack of co-ordination among Canada’s security, intelligence and policing agencies means that when the vast majority of Canadian citizens of Chinese origin who are loyal to Canada report these threats and seek help, they often get conflicting and incoherent instructions from CSIS, the RCMP and local police forces about what to do.

The report also warned the seven government agencies responsible for countering foreign interference and security threats, led by CSIS and the RCMP, operate under different rules of engagement and often have conflicting views of what their priorities should be.

It said cabinet ministers focused too narrowly on election interference when communicating with the public, as opposed to the wholesale assault on Canadian democracy by China.

NSICOP made extensive findings of fact and recommendations to Trudeau to improve the accountability and effectiveness of security and intelligence efforts to combat foreign interference.

Many of the failings it cited developed prior to the Trudeau government.

But the concern is that Trudeau didn’t even respond to the report although he now acknowledges, “we have to do a better job on following up on those recommendations” while asking NSICOP to report to him again on the same issues.

See why we need an independent public inquiry?