Hill Times NEWS: Feds have ‘duty to protect and warn’ parliamentarians from threats ‘in any form,’ says NDP MP Jenny Kwan
Hill Times NEWS: Feds have ‘duty to protect and warn’ parliamentarians from threats ‘in any form,’ says NDP MP Jenny Kwan
NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.) testified at the inquiry on Sept. 18, alongside Conservative MP Michael Chong (Wellington–Halton Hills, Ont.) and former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole. She told The Hill Times that regardless of party or position in Parliament, “the truth of the matter is we’re all exposed.”
Kwan said that all of her fellow witnesses that day also exemplified that threats to parliamentarians, their staff, and their families “could come in any way, in any form, and on any platform.”
Kwan said those threats could take the form of the malware attacks targeting members of IPAC, or more personal threats, including those aimed at Kwan or Chong and their families.
Last year, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) informed Chong that he and his family were targets of the Chinese government over his 2021 motion condemning Beijing’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims as a genocide. That information was only shared with Chong in May 2023 after the federal government confirmed reporting by The Globe and Mail about a leaked CSIS report detailing Beijing’s efforts to intimidate him and his family.
The following August, Global Affairs said it believed Chong had also been the target of a foreign disinformation campaign, which it suspected was directed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The heavily redacted report published on June 3 concluded that some elected officials—including a former MP connected with a foreign intelligence officer—are “semi-witting or witting” actors in foreign interference.
On June 10, the Bloc Québécois introduced a successful motion requesting that the terms of reference for the Hogue inquiry be further expanded to include the allegations raised in the NSICOP report.
The commission said it would work to “shed light on the facts” discussed in the NSICOP report. Still, Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue has since said the inquiry would be unable to disclose the identities of the implicated parliamentarians.
However, Kwan said she firmly believes that more follow-up and accountability are needed to disperse the “cloud of suspicion” the report has cast over every parliamentarian.
“This undermines not just me as an MP, but the entire institution, and I think those who want to sow chaos and disrupt our democratic institutions want that,” Kwan said. “This cannot be allowed to continue.”
While her privilege question called for PROC to study the report, Kwan also said conducting that study in tandem with a parallel Senate committee would be beneficial.
“I believe that is a path forward to address this cloud of suspicion,” Kwan said. “I think in that process we can balance transparency, accountability, and due process.” On Sept. 23, House Speaker Greg Fergus (Hull-Aylmer, Que.) ruled that he did not find that Kwan’s intervention met the threshold of a violation of privilege.
On Sept. 23, House Speaker Greg Fergus (Hull-Aylmer, Que.) ruled that he did not find that Kwan’s intervention met the threshold of a violation of privilege.
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August 7, 2026
New Democrats Renew Calls on Canada to Ban the RSS and Deny Entry to its Chief
OTTAWA —New Democrats are calling on the federal government to deny entry to the head of the fascist paramilitary organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Network (RSS) and are renewing past NDP calls on Canada to ban the RSS entirely.
NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Heather McPherson and NDP Immigration and Public Safety Critic Jenny Kwan today wrote to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Public Safety, and Immigration to urge action in advance of Mohan Bhagwat’s planned visit to Canada at the end of August.
“The RSS is an extremist group that advocates hate and violence towards religious minorities and marginalized in India and also engages in targeted intimidation of those who speak out against the organization in Canada,” said Heather McPherson, NDP Foreign Affairs Critic. “Multiple minority communities fear his presence in Canada could amplify hate and violence towards them and risk the safety of vulnerable individuals.”
In recent weeks, United Nations Human Rights experts have called on Canada to ensure members of the Sikh community are protected from violent threats by Hindutva extremist groups including the RSS.
“Canada must send a clear message that there is no place in this country for individuals who promote or enable hatred, violence, or intimidation against vulnerable communities or who are connected to activities that threaten Canada's security and democratic institutions. Pertinent sections of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act must be applied to protect Canadians and declare the IRSS and its members inadmissible,” said Jenny Kwan, NDP Critic for Public Safety and for Immigration.
New Democrats have long called on Canada to ban the RSS from Canada, place the RSS on the terrorist entities list, and impose sanctions on connected networks. Despite strong evidence of foreign interference and incitement to violence against Canadians, the Liberals have refused to take action on the RSS. Instead, in recent months the Carney government has grown closer to the Modi regime, causing members of several minority groups in Canada to say their safety no longer matters to the Liberal government.
On August 6, over 200 Canadian civil society organizations released a joint letter calling for Mohan Bhagwat to be denied entry to Canada.
