The former Conservative leader said the Liberal government ignored warnings from Canada's security agencies that China had allegedly interfered in the 2021 federal election.
“We must realize that Canada has been like the frog in a pot of boiling water,” he told a parliamentary committee on Thursday.
Foreign interference has been a persistent issue in Ottawa over the past year amid reporting from The Globe and Mail and Global News on allegations of Chinese meddling in Canada. The prime minister’s national security adviser told MPs at the committee meeting that in 2021, the memo was sent to deputy ministers with Public Safety Canada, Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence but
“Multiple governments of both stripes ignored our intelligence agencies who’ve been warning about the heat in the water from China.” As stories broke, so did revelations that Beijing attempted to target sitting politicians, including Chong, and that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service was aware of China’s alleged attempts to disrupt specific candidates’ campaigns but that
The prime minister’s national security adviser told MPs at the committee meeting that in 2021, the memo was sent to deputy ministers with Public Safety Canada, Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence but The inquiry began on Sept. 18 and is scheduled to release an interim report in Feb. 2024 followed by a final report in December 2024.“We must realize that Canada has been like the frog in a pot of boiling water,” he told a parliamentary committee on Thursday.
“The fact that we are learning years after the fact about some of the risks they were briefed on only due to leaks and good reporting should trouble Canadians,” he said, also referencing reports of Chinese attempts to influence the 2019 federal election.Foreign interference has been a persistent issue in Ottawa over the past year amid reporting from The Globe and Mail and Global News on allegations of Chinese meddling in Canada.
Johnston concluded further investigation would be best served by public hearings but not an inquiry because the latter would involve publicly discussing classified information that should not be shared.Then-public safety minister Bill Blair, in June, blamed CSIS director David Vigneault for not giving him a memo about the alleged targeting of Chong and his family.
The Liberal government has promised to implement a foreign agents registry but has not provided a timeline for that initiative. He called on the chair of the public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections, Quebec judge Marie-Josée Hogue, to use the inquiry to answer why the government did not do more to stop the alleged attempted interference and why it didn’t alert Canadian politicians that China had allegedly targeted their campaigns.
The Liberal government appointed former governor general David Johnton as special rapporteur to study foreign election interference allegations. That report concluded, among other things,, that it has been slow to respond to Chinese efforts, and that foreign actors can act in legal “grey zones.”Johnston concluded further investigation would be best served by public hearings but not an inquiry because the latter would involve publicly discussing classified information that should not be shared.
The Liberal government has promised to implement a foreign agents registry but has not provided a timeline for that initiative. He called on the chair of the public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections, Quebec judge Marie-Josée Hogue, to use the inquiry to answer why the government did not do more to stop the alleged attempted interference and why it didn’t alert Canadian politicians that China had allegedly targeted their campaigns.
The Liberal government appointed former governor general David Johnton as special rapporteur to study foreign election interference allegations. That report concluded, among other things,, that it has been slow to respond to Chinese efforts, and that foreign actors can act in legal “grey zones.”Ontario police warn of escaped African serval cat, say it can attack pets
He said the important economic opportunities with China posed significant challenges for both Liberal and Conservative governments to balance the risk of China’s aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy. O’Toole, who resigned his seat in June, said the Liberal government’s failure to alert Tory MP Michael Chong, NDP MP Jenny Kwan and himself that China attempted to interfere in the 2021 federal election and specifically targeted their campaigns was “the largest breakdown of accountability” between intelligence services and members of Parliament of which he was aware.
O’Toole has been clear in the past he believes any interference did not affect the outcome of the election, but he said CSIS must tell MPs if they are being targeted because interference can disrupt that person’s ability to work as an MP and could, he said, affect the safety of their families.
He said the important economic opportunities with China posed significant challenges for both Liberal and Conservative governments to balance the risk of China’s aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy. O’Toole, who resigned his seat in June, said the Liberal government’s failure to alert Tory MP Michael Chong, NDP MP Jenny Kwan and himself that China attempted to interfere in the 2021 federal election and specifically targeted their campaigns was “the largest breakdown of accountability” between intelligence services and members of Parliament of which he was aware.
O’Toole has been clear in the past he believes any interference did not affect the outcome of the election, but he said CSIS must tell MPs if they are being targeted because interference can disrupt that person’s ability to work as an MP and could, he said, affect the safety of their families.
O’Toole condemned the Liberal government’s handling of security issues during his testimony on Thursday but said the process ahead must be non-partisan. “Multiple governments of both stripes ignored our intelligence agencies who’ve been warning about the heat in the water from China.” As stories broke, so did revelations that Beijing attempted to target sitting politicians, including Chong, and that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service was aware of China’s alleged attempts to disrupt specific candidates’ campaigns but that
The prime minister’s national security adviser told MPs at the committee meeting that in 2021, the memo was sent to deputy ministers with Public Safety Canada, Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence but The inquiry began on Sept. 18 and is scheduled to release an interim report in Feb. 2024 followed by a final report in December 2024.“We must realize that Canada has been like the frog in a pot of boiling water,” he told a parliamentary committee on Thursday.
“The fact that we are learning years after the fact about some of the risks they were briefed on only due to leaks and good reporting should trouble Canadians,” he said, also referencing reports of Chinese attempts to influence the 2019 federal election.Foreign interference has been a persistent issue in Ottawa over the past year amid reporting from The Globe and Mail and Global News on allegations of Chinese meddling in Canada.
The prime minister’s national security adviser told MPs at the committee meeting that in 2021, the memo was sent to deputy ministers with Public Safety Canada, Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence but The inquiry began on Sept. 18 and is scheduled to release an interim report in Feb. 2024 followed by a final report in December 2024.“We must realize that Canada has been like the frog in a pot of boiling water,” he told a parliamentary committee on Thursday.
“The fact that we are learning years after the fact about some of the risks they were briefed on only due to leaks and good reporting should trouble Canadians,” he said, also referencing reports of Chinese attempts to influence the 2019 federal election.Foreign interference has been a persistent issue in Ottawa over the past year amid reporting from The Globe and Mail and Global News on allegations of Chinese meddling in Canada.
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