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Minutes of Proceedings

44th Parliament, 1st Session
Meeting 96
Thursday, November 23, 2023, 11:07 a.m. to Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 1:04 p.m.
Presiding
Hon. Bardish Chagger, Chair (Liberal)

• Scott Aitchison for Eric Duncan (Conservative)
• John Aldag for Mark Gerretsen (Liberal)
• Jaime Battiste for Mark Gerretsen (Liberal)
• Chris Bittle for Sherry Romanado (Liberal)
• Laila Goodridge for Blaine Calkins (Conservative)
• Tom Kmiec for Luc Berthold (Conservative)
• Tom Kmiec for Blaine Calkins (Conservative)
• Viviane Lapointe for Mark Gerretsen (Liberal)
• Andréanne Larouche for Marie-Hélène Gaudreau (Bloc Québécois)
• Taleeb Noormohamed for Ruby Sahota (Liberal)
• Christine Normandin for Marie-Hélène Gaudreau (Bloc Québécois)
• Ryan Turnbull for Ruby Sahota (Liberal)
Library of Parliament
• Andre Barnes, Analyst
• Sarah Dodsworth, Analyst
Pursuant to the order of reference of Wednesday, May 10, 2023, the committee resumed consideration of the question of privilege related to the intimidation campaign against the member for Wellington—Halton Hills and other members.

At 11:14 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:09 p.m., the sitting resumed.

It was agreed, — That the committee proceed to sit in public.

At 12:37 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:45 p.m., the sitting resumed in public.

The committee resumed consideration of the motion, as amended, of Michael Cooper moved on Thursday, October 26, 2023, which read as follows:

That, in relation to its order of reference of Wednesday, May 10, 2023, concerning the intimidation campaign orchestrated by Wei Zhao against the Member for Wellington—Halton Hills and other Members, and in relation to its study on foreign election interference, the committee:

(a) acknowledge the failure of officials in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Liberal Party of Canada to provide relevant information to this Committee that they had indicated they would undertake to provide;

(b) direct the analysts and clerk to prepare, for the members of the committee, within three weeks, a report on all undertakings given by witnesses who have appeared during these studies and the status of those undertakings;

(c) direct the clerk to contact any witness who has not completely satisfied any undertaking referred to in the report prepared under paragraph (a) to request that it be satisfied within two weeks of the clerk’s request; and

(d) order the production, within three weeks, of:

(i) the July 2021 CSIS report entitled “People’s Republic of China Foreign Interference in Canada: A Critical National Security Threat” and the May 2021 CSIS issues management note sent to the then-Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness respecting the Beijing regime’s intention to target Members of this House, together with all records concerning the transmission to, distribution within, analysis of and handling by, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Privy Council Office, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, the Department of National Defence and the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, of this report, and

(ii) all other memoranda, briefing notes, e-mails, records of conversations, and any other relevant documents, including any drafts, which are in the possession of any government department or agency, including the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force, the Critical Election Incident Protocol Panel, any minister’s office, and the Prime Minister’s Office, containing information concerning

(A) planning or efforts by, or on behalf of, foreign governments or other foreign state actors to intimidate a Member of the House of Commons, or

(B) the matters raised by the Honourable Erin O’Toole in the House of Commons on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, and before the committee on Thursday, October 26, 2023, provided that

(iii) these documents be deposited without redaction, in both official languages, with the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel,

(iv) a copy of the documents shall also be deposited, in both official languages, with the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, with any proposed redaction of information which, in the government’s opinion, could reasonably be expected to compromise the identities of employees or sources or intelligence-collecting methods of Canadian or allied intelligence agencies,

(v) the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel shall promptly notify the committee whether the Office is satisfied that the documents were produced as ordered, and, if not, the Chair shall be instructed to present forthwith, on behalf of the committee, a report to the House outlining the material facts of the situation,

(vi) the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel shall assess the redactions proposed by the government, pursuant to paragraph (iv), to determine whether the Office agrees that the proposed redactions conform with the criteria set out in paragraph (iv) and

(A) if it agrees, it shall provide the documents, as redacted by the government pursuant to paragraph (iv), to the clerk of the committee, or

(B) if it disagrees with some or all of the proposed redactions, it shall provide a copy of the documents, redacted in the manner the Office determines would conform with the criteria set out in paragraph (iv), together with a report indicating the number, extent and nature of the government’s proposed redactions which were disagreed with, to the clerk of the committee, and

(vii) the clerk of the committee shall cause the redacted documents, provided by the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel pursuant to paragraph (vi), to be distributed to the members of the committee.

Amendment

Chris Bittle moved, — That that the motion be amended by deleting paragraph (a).

Debate arose thereon.

Motion

Jennifer O'Connell moved, — That the committee do now adjourn.

The question was put on the motion and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Chris Bittle, Terry Duguid, Stéphane Lauzon, Taleeb Noormohamed, Jennifer O'Connell — 5;

NAYS: Luc Berthold, Michael Cooper, Eric Duncan, Laila Goodridge, Matthew Green, Christine Normandin — 6.

At 12:31 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:36 p.m., the sitting resumed.

Motion

Ryan Turnbull moved, — That the sitting be suspended.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Luc Berthold, Chris Bittle, Michael Cooper, Terry Duguid, Eric Duncan, Laila Goodridge, Matthew Green, Stéphane Lauzon, Christine Normandin, Jennifer O'Connell, Ryan Turnbull — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

At 1:19 p.m., the Chair suspended the meeting until 11:00 a.m., on Tuesday, November 28, 2023.

At 11:06 a.m., on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, the sitting resumed in room 125-B, West Block Building.

The debate continued.

The question was put on the amendment of Chris Bittle and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Chris Bittle, Viviane Lapointe, Andréanne Larouche, Stéphane Lauzon, Sherry Romanado, Ruby Sahota — 6;

NAYS: Luc Berthold, Blaine Calkins, Michael Cooper, Eric Duncan, Matthew Green — 5.

Amendment

Sherry Romanado moved, — That the motion be amended by replacing the words in part (iii) with the following: “the departments and agencies tasked with gathering these documents apply redactions according to the Access to Information and Privacy Act, and".

Debate arose thereon.

At 1:03 p.m., the Chair suspended the meeting until 11:00 a.m., on Thursday November 30, 2023.

At 11:30 a.m., on Thursday, November 30, 2023, the sitting resumed in room 025-B, West Block Building.

The debate continued.

At 11:48 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 11:03 a.m., on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, the sitting resumed in room 025-B, West Block Building.

The debate continued.

Motion

Stéphane Lauzon moved, — That the debate be now adjourned.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Chris Bittle, Terry Duguid, Andréanne Larouche, Stéphane Lauzon, Sherry Romanado, Ruby Sahota — 6;

NAYS: Scott Aitchison, Luc Berthold, Blaine Calkins, Michael Cooper, Matthew Green — 5.

At 11:13 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 11:24 a.m., the sitting resumed in camera.

The committee commenced consideration of a draft report.

At 1:04 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.



Michael MacPherson
Clerk of the committee