Liberal MPs look to protect Katie Telford

The slow grind of the story of alleged interference by Beijing’s communist government in Canadian elections continued this week.

The Prime Minister announced that he will appoint a special rapporteur to investigate these claims. This has placated few outside of Liberal partisans and a small group within the national media. Most everyone else is calling for a public inquiry or a judicial review.

Conservatives have been trying to get PROC – the Parlimentary committee for Procedure and House Affairs – to compel Trudeau’s Chief of Staff to testify. Katie Telford, according to some knowledgeable observers, would have been briefed by CSIS had Canada’s intelligence agency sought to inform the government about domestic electoral interference by a hostile foreign power. It is reported that CSIS briefed the government on China’s actions on two previous occasions.

The Liberals on the committee are employing stalling tactics, such as filibustering and even not showing up to meetings, to prevent the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff and longest running senior advisor from testifying before the committee.

For their part, Liberals seem to complain that it is unusual for staff to testify before Parliamentary committees. This is true and usually held as a courtesy by all parties. Indeed, as they argue, it is the politicians who accountable for the actions of their staff that act on their behalf. However, Telford has testified before committee during two previous occasions. Further, if she was briefed on foreign interference, she is a key witness that can provide insight on the government’s response.

She also wouldn’t be the first PMO Chief of Staff to testify before committee. All three Prime Ministerial Chiefs of Staff in the Harper government (Ian Brodie, Guy Giorno, and Nigel Wright) testified before various Parliamentary committees as I noted in 2019.

Telford could be of service to her government by testifying about whether she was briefed by CSIS. The Prime Minister maintains that he was not briefed on Liberal election candidates receiving funds from China. If so, this is concerning as this is what the supposed CSIS leaks allege. The Prime Minister is either wilfully ignorant about this affair, dangerously incompetent, or the allegations themselves are entirely work of fiction.

It would serve Canadians to find out one way or the other.

Kevin Vuong blasts Justin Trudeau over election interference

We don’t often hear from Independent MP Kevin Vuong. The Liberal Party of Canada disavowed Vuong as their candidate during the 2021 election in order to insulate themselves after some previous – but serious – allegations against the Toronto resident came to light during the campaign. Vuong ended up winning the election and now sits as an independent MP for the riding of Spadina–Fort York.

Today, during Question Period, Vuong stood up to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the alleged CCP election interference scheme currently dogging his former party.

“Mr. Speaker, foreign operatives have interfered in Canada’s electoral system and our democracy. Media and CSIS documents have indicated that members of the Liberal Party and caucus were involved. Money and instant on-demand supporters were used to get pro-China candidates elected, and anti-China ones defeated. Cabinet and PMO were well-briefed on the extent of foreign interference, yet nothing was done. Why is the Prime Minister eager to turn a blind eye to shady Liberal nominations, sketchy donations, and having pro-Beijing MPs in his own caucus? Will his personally-selected special rapporteur also be investigating the Liberal Party?

Independent MP Kevin Vuong during Question Period, March 8th, 2023

In response, the Prime Minister gave what has become his standard boilerplate response which you can watch below.

Vuong elicited cheers from the opposition benches whose members may have been surprised to hear a former Liberal take the gloves off to take on his former party.

The now independent MP was ejected as a candidate for the Liberal Party in 2021 after it came to light that he was facing a fine from the Canadian Forces for failing to disclose a previous criminal charge to his commanding officer. That charge had been withdrawn in 2019.

Of course, Vuong’s allegations of CCP interference have not been proven in any court. No charges are pending, and no criminal investigation has been confirmed.

It is still unknown if Justin Trudeau knew about Beijing’s efforts to fund the election campaigns of Liberal candidates during the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, though Global reports that PMO was briefed twice about these concerns.

Marc Garneau retires from Parliament

Marc Garneau is retiring from Parliament after almost 15 years. The Liberal MP marked his controlled descent onto terra firma in the House of Commons in 2008, elected as a Member of Parliament for the riding of Westmount–Ville-Marie (now Notre-Dame-de-Grace–Westmount) in Montreal. The former astronaut then slogged it out in opposition during Stephen Harper’s rise to a majority government in 2011 – until 2015 when the Liberals formed government under the leadership of Justin Trudeau.

The first Canadian in space launched his bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada against the low payload son of a former Prime Minister in 2012, but aborted when it became clear that Trudeau’s selection by Liberal members was following a single-stage-to-orbit trajectory.

In government, Garneau would go on to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Transport, but eventually found himself on the backbench in a push by the PM to renew the faces in cabinet and for superficial gender balance.

Garneau is a cautionary tale for anyone seeking office while relying on their resume to cement their success as a legislator. Though he had some success in cabinet, the navy captain had perhaps the most impressive credentials of any Parliamentarian, but was eventually jettisoned, with the Prime Minister favouring flash over sustained burn.

The Trudeau government’s style has been heavily focused on image in place of the substantive; it is a government concerned more about how their look will play on social media, rather than how their policy will find its foundation.

The former NASA shuttle mission specialist departs at a time when speculation is growing about the successor to Justin Trudeau.

The former private school teacher turned G7 leader is facing a new scandal in Parliament over the alleged interference of the Chinese Communist government during the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections. Beijing is alleged to have agitated and put resources toward the election of a Canadian government led by Justin Trudeau.

During what may be an election year, it is also during this part of the Parliamentary calendar when those who have options outside of elected life start to seriously consider their escape trajectory. This is especially true for ageing governments whose re-election isn’t as likely today as it was yesterday.

Trudeau is more likely than Garneau to be smarting over the loss of his Tik Tok account – now banned from the devices of Parliamentarians as a security risk posed by China. Indeed, Garneau is certainly a man out of time. As the Prime Minister’s image wanes, we may all yearn for an era of renewed substance.