Poilievre would release names of MPs engaged in foreign interference

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OTTAWA — Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre would release the names of members of Parliament “deemed to have knowingly participated in foreign interference” should his party form government, his office says. 

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used his testimony before a federal inquiry on foreign interference to say he has the names “of a number of parliamentarians, former parliamentarians and/or candidates” within the Conservative party who intelligence shows “are engaged, or at high risk” of foreign interference. Trudeau said he was privy to the information because he is prime minister.

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Poilievre accused Trudeau of “lying” and challenged him to release the identities of the unnamed parliamentarians in a committee report that cites “troubling” intelligence about some being “‘semi-witting or witting’ participants in the efforts of foreign states to interfere in our politics.”

On Oct. 16 he issued a statement calling on Trudeau to release the names of “all MPs” known to have collaborated with foreign interference.

Poilievre has faced criticism from the governing Liberals, New Democrats, the Bloc Quebecois and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May for refusing to obtain the security clearance needed to receive classified briefings.

But Poilievre says the classified briefings would prevent him from sharing what he learns publicly. He has also said his chief of staff receives them.

Asked by the National Post whether Poilievre would release names should Conservatives form government, which many polls suggest may happen whenever a federal election is called, a spokesman said “yes.”

“For those who are deemed to have knowingly participated in foreign interference, yes,” wrote Poilievre spokesperson Sebastian Skamski. 

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He said Poilievre “will of course” take classified briefings once in the Prime Minister’s Office, adding that unlike Trudeau and his ministers, “he will actually read his intelligence briefing notes,” referring to an earlier statement the prime minister gave about preferring oral briefings to reading intelligence reports. 

“(Poilievre) will be upfront and honest with Canadians and be transparent about the threats posed by foreign interference, unlike Justin Trudeau who continues to hide and obstruct the truth for political gain,” Skamski said. 

“Justin Trudeau should release the names if he has nothing to hide.”

His office has not yet responded to questions about how a future Poilievre-led government might seek to release such information, given the sensitives around sharing top-secret information and the risks posed to those collecting it.

“Instead of making reckless proclamations, Mr. Poilievre should start by getting his security clearance so that he can get properly briefed on this matter,” wrote Gabriel Brunet, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc. 

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He said the Liberals created the committee in question in order to review the work of Canada’s intelligence agencies in a way that does not compromise national security. 

NDP public safety critic Alistar MacGregor said in a statement New Democrats would support releasing names “so long as it’s in a way that protects national security,” adding that releasing highly-sensitive information “shouldn’t be about political interests.”

 “Pierre Poilievre is refusing to do the responsible thing, the necessary thing, even though a number of compromised Conservative MPs and candidates are named in classified documents only available to him if he obtains that clearance,” the B.C. MP said on Tuesday. 

After the committee of parliamentarians with top-secret security clearance released their bombshell report back in June, divulging that some parliamentarians were wittingly involved in foreign interference, Opposition House leader Andrew Scheer wrote to Justice Marie-Josée Hogue asking the ongoing public inquiry on the issue to investigate the allegations. 

The government also supported expanding the commission’s terms of reference to probe the allegations.

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In his letter, Scheer asked Hogue to issue “a finding of fact” in each alleged case and that anyone found to have knowingly participated in foreign interference be named in a report to Parliament.

The commission later ruled it would not be in a position to identify those involved in the allegations for several reasons, including the fact that the allegations are based on classified information that could not be disclosed to the individuals in question because of the need to maintain confidentiality, meaning they would not be afforded the chance to respond according to “the rules of procedural fairness.”

Speaking at an unrelated housing announcement in Ottawa on Monday, Poilievre repeated how the Conservatives have asked Trudeau to release the names.

“We know he’d release the names if he had them. This is a prime minister who releases information on foreign interference whenever it suits his political purposes,” said Poilievre.

“We said, ‘we’ve got nothing to hide so name the names Mr. Trudeau,’ … so that all Canadians can hold them to account.”

Earlier this month Trudeau made a stunning announcement that the Canadian government had expelled six Indian diplomats, including its high commissioner, after India refused to work with Canadian authorities currently investigating allegations that Indian government agents were involved in crimes from murder to extortion.

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India has denied the allegations.

National Post
staylor@postmedia.com

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