Ottawa – POLITICS – Michael Chong, Conservative Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, released the following statement on the vote by Liberal and NDP MPs at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, to obstruct further investigation into the Trudeau government’s national security failures recently revealed in the Winnipeg lab documents:
“Today Liberal and NDP MPs voted together, at an emergency meeting of the Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics Committee, to obstruct our attempt to examine why national security breaches at the government’s Winnipeg lab went undetected for so long, why it took 10 months to secure the lab on July 5, 2019, and why it took three years for the government to hand over documents Parliament ordered be delivered in 2021.
“The Trudeau government covered up these national security breaches. First, it defied four orders of Parliament. Then, it sued the Speaker of the House of Commons. Finally, it called a snap election, which had the effect of dissolving the four orders. Every effort was made to prevent the release of the documents. Now the documents have finally been released, the government is again trying to cover things up, this time with the support of the NDP.
“The Winnipeg lab documents reveal that CSIS assessed a serious threat and danger to the security of Canada. The documents reveal that the government and military of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were able to penetrate our nation’s maximum-security laboratory that handles the world’s most dangerous viruses and pathogens. The documents show government scientists secretly collaborated with the PRC’s top military scientists in the field of biotechnology, bioweapons and bioterrorism. The documents also outline how sensitive information and materials were taken from the lab to help further the goals of the PRC – which are a direct threat to Canada and its allies.
“According to Open and Accountable Government, the Prime Minister is responsible for the “machinery of government” and has “special responsibility for national security”. The Winnipeg lab breaches are part of a larger failure by Prime Minister Trudeau to properly set up the machinery to protect national security. From appointing four national security advisors in a six-month period, to failing to protect our elections and Parliament from foreign interference, to taking years to protect sensitive research from espionage and national security threats, this Prime Minister and government have not been held accountable.
“It’s time for Parliament to step up and hold the government accountable. After three years, Parliament finally got the documents. This is a start, not an end. Parliament must now continue the work that was halted three years ago. It must hold hearings, hear from witnesses and produce a report with recommendations to the House.
“The Prime Minister and his government failed to protect the security of Canadians. Now, with the help of the NDP, they are seeking to cover up that failure. Common sense Conservatives will continue to fight to get to the truth and hold the Trudeau government accountable.”
