ETHI Committee Report

Introduction

The Conservative Party of Canada thanks the Clerk, Analysts, and committee staff for their hard work and support throughout the course of this study.

This supplementary report provides additional context for sections of the report which were suppressed for partisan purposes by the Liberal, New Democratic Party, and Bloc Québécois Members of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (the “Committee”).

Conservatives note that the Liberal government knew the Communist Party of China was interfering in Canada’s democracy for years and had they not been the beneficiary of this foreign interference the Liberals may have taken action, rather than reacting to sustained public and political pressure.

Disinformation Campaigns

Kenny Chiu, former Conservative Member of Parliament for Steveston–Richmond East between 2019 and 2021, said it was precisely a PRC-orchestrated misinformation campaign against his bill for a foreign influence registry15 that cost him his defeat in the last election. While that is a subjective observation, he said he was told in 2019 by supporters in the Chinese diaspora that they had been told not to vote for him. He also described how he was given the cold shoulder in many of the Chinese media after he introduced his bill on the foreign influence registry. In relation to his experience in British Columbia, Mr. Chiu stated:

In 2015, I had an opportunity to sit down with the consul general [of the PRC] in Vancouver. I believe that she was trying to size me up back then.

In 2019, they decided that I was completely beyond hope. The information that I got from my Chinese supporters has been that they've told people not to vote for me, but there is no active campaign against me that I can observe.

Mr. Chiu also believes his opponent was the beneficiary of the disinformation. His opponent, Parm Bains M.P. Steveston—Richmond East sat on the Committee throughout this study. When asked if he believes his opponent is in a conflict of interest, Mr. Chiu replied:

That is a question, I think, better answered by my opponent, who is sitting here at the meeting.

Mr. Bains had no response.

The irony is not lost on Conservatives that the beneficiary of a foreign interference campaign of disinformation perpetrated by the Communist Party of China would partake in a committee study pertaining to the very foreign interference campaign that helped him get elected.

This reinforces the fact that this Liberal government has an utter disregard for ethics and conflicts of interest.

Foreign Influence through the Trudeau Foundation

Conservatives note that many questions remain unanswered surrounding the $140,000 donation to the Trudeau Foundation by two cutouts for the Communist Party of China.

It is clear, through testimony heard by the Committee from current and former Members of the Trudeau foundation that the foundation had no bylaws for foreign interference, no oversight of donations, and no due diligence done of donations. Seemingly, it was the perfect conduit for a foreign dictatorship to influence Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The interference operation was proven successful as the two cutouts had direct access to the Prime Minister within five months of the donation.

Recommendations

1. That the Government of Canada undertake a forensic audit of the Trudeau Foundation.

Dissent from the Recommendations of the Main Report

Recommendation 16: Conservatives believe that this recommendation endorses the regulation or censorship of the online speech of Canadians in contravention of their Charter right to free expression. We are also concerned that this may stifle the right of the press to freely report on matters which the Government of the day may choose to label as disinformation in need of regulation or censorship.

Conservatives believe that efforts should instead be focused directly on targeting disinformation sponsored by hostile foreign states, in a manner that does not abridge free expression or freedom of the press.

As such Conservatives dissent from Recommendation 16 as contained in the Committee’s main report.