Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre grilled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on foreign election interference and Chinese police stations on Monday during Question Period..On Monday, a new CSIS report revealed that China views Canada as a ‘high priority’ for interference. The report warned that Beijing is the "foremost perpetrator" of foreign interference in Canada..On Monday a new report by seen by The Globe and Mail revealed that Chinese intelligence targeted Canadian MPs for condemning China’s oppression of Uyghurs.."Today we learned that Beijing worked to punish a family member of a parliamentarian here in this house for a vote," Poilievre said.."The intelligence organization of the government was aware of this for two years, but the prime minister didn't tell the member in question. It was a diplomat who is still on the website of the Chinese Consulate in Toronto."."Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely unacceptable to see anyone being intimidated, especially a member of parliament in this house, and we are following up on this matter on the report published today," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.."I asked different security experts to monitor the situation. This is something obviously that we need to take seriously and that's what we're doing. Thank you.". Conservative leader Pierre PoilievreConservative leader Pierre Poilievre .Poilievre said you can't vote in the interest of Canada while family members are threatened as a consequence of those votes and it is unacceptable.."As the prime minister said, which is why it's so strange that he accepted it. His government produced a briefing note which exposed these threats to the MPs family two years ago," Poilievre said.."And yet the diplomat that worked to punish a Canadian MP's family is still in Canada when the prime minister could have expelled him. Why didn't he expel this diplomat.".The report, People's Republic of China Foreign Interference in Canada: a critical National Security Threat, lists several examples of Chinese influence operations aimed at the opposition Conservative Party, The Globe and Mail reported..To counter foreign interference in the 2019 Federal Election, the Government of Canada created the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force, composed of officials from CSE, CSIS, RCMP, and GAC. As members of the SITE Task Force, CSIS was involved in efforts to "raise awareness and assess foreign interference threats against the 2019 and 2021 Federal Elections.".The federal government said the RCMP provided law enforcement expertise. The SITE Task Force continues their work as threats to democratic institutions, such as foreign interference and disinformation, have not abated..Trudeau said it is "absolutely unacceptable" for any Canadian to be subjected to intimidation by a foreign power, particularly threats against family and families of members of parliament.."That's why as reports came out this morning, I immediately asked officials to follow up on these new reports. And to get to the bottom of this," Trudeau said.."I also asked for on the political and judicial side to the members of question. We're going to continue to make sure this is taken extremely seriously.".Poilievre slammed Trudeau and said what he was saying was "just false."."He didn't immediately take action. He took action after the media found out about it," Poilievre said.."His government has known that a Canadian MP had his family threatened because that MP voted for human rights in the House of Commons. He knew about that. For two years, he did exactly nothing.".Poilievre said the same diplomat that orchestrated these threats against the MP's family still works in the Toronto Consulate of Beijing.."Even though the prime minister has the power to expel him. Will he expel him today?" Poilievre asked the Speaker of the House..Trudeau said he followed up immediately with top officials when the report was released "to get all the information on this file"."What happened, who was informed and who was not informed to make sure that we were following up in an appropriate way. This is absolutely unacceptable, and it shouldn't have happened," Trudeau said..However, Poilievre said Trudeau did accept it, for two years.."The same briefing note indicates two years ago that Beijing saw Canada as uniquely vulnerable to its interference because we have no foreign interference laws to stop them the same laws that exist in the United States and Australia to force those paid by foreign dictatorships to register or not in existence here in Canada," Poilievre said.."Now CSIS warned him about this in the summer of 2021. On what date do we get a foreign interference and influence registry to protect Canadians against these abuses?".Trudeau replied: "We put in place many mechanisms to ensure the Canadians and our institutions are protected from foreign interference and we are continuing to step up to add more."."We are right now looking to establish a foreign agent registry making sure through consultations with potentially impacted communities that it's done the right way. That's what we will continue to do," Trudeau said..Poilievre replied and once again slammed Trudeau and said his response was "more administrative and bureaucratic mumbo jumbo to conceal his inaction."."It is now required that you will register if you lobby for the food bank, but it is not required to register if you do paid work on behalf of a foreign dictatorship to influence Canadian politics," Poilievre said.."But let's move over to police stations his public safety claim is that all Beijing's police stations have been closed. Today two of those police stations reportedly said no, they're open. They're operating right here in Canada. Why is the prime minister allowing a foreign dictatorship to run police stations on our soil?".The nine-page document, reported by the Globe and Mail, is the latest example of the warnings published by Canada's security service in recent years that lay out a problem and a solution.."It's marked top secret and for Canadian eyes only," The Globe and Mail reported.."Threat actors almost certainly perceive their activities in Canada to be low-risk and high-reward," the report said..The report presented a "baseline for understanding the intent, motives and scope" of Beijing's interference in Canada.
