Rick Perkins moved, — That the Committee, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), undertake a study concerning the contract awarded to Sinclair Technologies, which is owned by Norsat International, a subsidiary of Chinese telecommunications firm Hytera, a partly state-owned enterprise by the Communist Party Government of the People’s Republic of China, to build and maintain a radio frequency filtering system for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Whereas, China’s people’s National Congress passed the National Intelligence Law in 2017 to compel all Chinese nationals, at home and abroad, to collaborate with agents of the Chinese state on request, to further Chinese state interests by purloining confidential data and engaging in compromise of infrastructure around the world; and Whereas a Quebec firm with Canadian technology was not selected in the bidding process by the RCMP; and whereas the acquisition of Norsat by Hystera in 2017 did not undergo a national security review and section 2 of the Canada Investment Act requiring the protection of Canada’s national security was ignored by the Government; and whereas the Canada Investment Act further defines a State-owned enterprise as an entity that is controlled or influenced, directly or indirectly, by a government or agency; and whereas,

(a) the Committee hold the necessary number of meetings to examine in detail how the Canada Investment Act process failed national security, that this study is prioritized by the committee and the first meeting takes place on Tuesday December 13 and Wednesday December 14, 2022

(b) the Committee invite

(i) the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry,

(ii) the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety,

(iii) the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister of Public Services and Procurement,

(iv) the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, former Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility,

(v) Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Brenda Lucki,

(vi) Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore,

(vii) Jody Thomas, National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister,

(viii) senior officials of the Communications Security Establishment,

(ix) senior officials of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and

(x) Aimee Chan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sinclair Technologies;

(c) the Committee order the production of all relevant briefing notes, memorandums and documents which are in the possession of the Department of Industry, the Department of Public Works and Government Services, the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Communications Security Establishment and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, provided that

(i) these documents shall be deposited with the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, in both official languages, within four weeks of the adoption of this Order,

(ii) a copy of these documents shall also be deposited with the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, in both official languages, within four weeks of the adoption of this Order, with any proposed redaction of information which, in the government’s opinion, could reasonably be expected to compromise national security,

(iii) the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel shall promptly thereafter notify the Chair whether it is satisfied the requested 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,

(iv) the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel shall provide the documents, as redacted pursuant to subparagraph (ii), to the Clerk of the Committee who shall distribute them to the members of the Committee and publish them on the Committee’s website forthwith,

(v) the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel shall discuss with the Committee, at an in camera meeting, within two weeks of the redacted documents being distributed pursuant to subparagraph (iv), whether they agree with the redactions proposed by the government pursuant to subparagraph (ii), and

(vi) the Committee may, after hearing from the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, pursuant to subparagraph (v), accept the proposed redactions, or reject some or all the proposed redactions and request the production of those unredacted documents in the manner to be determined by the Committee. .

Debate arose thereon.

At 11:45 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:05 p.m., the sitting resumed.

Sébastien Lemire moved, — That the motion be amended by replacing all of the words after the words “Royal Canadian Mounted Police” with the following: “and that the committee invite as soon as possible, the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety”.

Rick Perkins moved, — That the amendment be amended by adding after the word “Safety” the following: “and the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry”.

Debate arose thereon.

After debate, the question was put on the motion, as amended, and it was agreed to.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

That the Committee, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), undertake a study concerning the contract awarded to Sinclair Technologies, which is owned by Norsat International, a subsidiary of Chinese telecommunications firm Hytera, a partly state-owned enterprise by the Communist Party Government of the People’s Republic of China, to build and maintain a radio frequency filtering system for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and that the committee invite as soon as possible, the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety.

On motion of Sébastien Lemire, it was agreed, — That the Committee, as soon as possible, invite the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, to answer any questions that the members of the Committee deem relevant.