The Commission on Foreign interference says Canadians want the names of MPs and senators compromised by Chinese agents, and punishment for the spies.
The commission in a report summarizing petitions it received from the public noted Canadians’ anger over a lack of transparency, per Blacklock’s Reporter.
“Concerns were voiced about the approach taken by Canada’s politicians to foreign interference issues including suggestions that they downplay Canadian Security Intelligence Service intelligence when it relates to politicians,” said the report.
Petitioners sought “public identification and punishment of compromised actors within Canada’s politicians.”
“Canada should investigate elected and appointed government officials and public servants who may be passively or actively engaged in foreign interference,” said the report.
“Dismay was expressed that the public had to rely on security intelligence leaks to get information about Canada’s fight against foreign interference. Regular public reporting on foreign interference threats and what is being done to address them was highlighted as a means to build trust.”
The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) in a Special Report last June 3 named parliamentarians in the pay of foreign embassies. Suspects include legislators who spied on colleagues, acted at the “direction of foreign officials” and leaked to a foreign agent “information learned in confidence from the government.”
The report outlined “particularly concerning examples of behaviour by a few parliamentarians,” it said.
“Some may be illegal.”
Cabinet has acknowledged it knows the identities of legislators mentioned in an uncensored version of the Committee report but refused to make them public.
The commission on Thursday said Canadians also seek a tip line where the general public may report suspicious activities.
“A number of submissions advocated for the creation and publication of secure channels that members of the Canadian public could use to report instances of foreign interference and those suspected of perpetrating it,” it wrote.
“People stressed the reporting options must be easy for members of the public to use.”
The RCMP already operate such a tip line, 1-800-420-5805. Then-Commissioner Brenda Lucki in 2021 testimony at the Commons Special Committee on Canada-China Relations said the Mounties received more than a hundred calls a day from Canadians alleging clandestine activities by Chinese Communist Party agents.
“We get an average 120 tips per day and we follow up obviously with all of them,” testified Lucki.
Asked for details of the nature of complaints, the commissioner replied, “I couldn’t share that with you, sorry.”
“Is the tendency more likely to be someone from a diplomatic mission, a visitor or a citizen?” asked Conservative MP John Williamson.
“If we have that information I couldn’t share that,” replied Lucki.