The notes of the meeting show that while the premier wanted to know more so his government could respond with policies and legislation, the CSIS official explained his agency reported only to “one client”: the federal government.
Otherwise, CSIS was prohibited by law from disclosing classified intelligence, the official said. “The province doesn’t know what the province doesn’t know,” the official added, according to notes taken by the premier’s staff.
The meeting highlighted what some see as a critical weakness in Canada’s fight against foreign interference: although provincial and municipal governments are key targets of China, they are not in the intelligence loop.
Justin Trudeau sits idly by while Conservative premiers promote for-profit clinics
NDP Health critic Don Davies issued the following statement:
NDP frustrated by Liberals’ fossil fuel subsidies plan
NDP Critic for Climate Change and Environment, Laurel Collins, made the following statement:
Interviewed by Anne Penman for The House’s summer series, Backbencher’s Backyards. Despite someone yelling “You don’t belong here Jenny Kwan. Communist pig, go home!" while Jenny and Anne were discussing the impact of foreign interference and racism, "I know in my heart that this is not a true reflection of Van East.”
Federal government must uphold its human rights obligations and secure a landfill search
Leah Gazan, the MP for Winnipeg Centre and NDP Critic for Women and Gender Equality, released the following statement:
As opposition, the NDP has tried to make Parliament work for Canadians. This is in direct contrast in both substance and style to the Conservatives.
The supply-and-confidence agreement reached with the Liberals over a year ago was an exchange of promises. Under ordinary conditions, the NDP wouldn’t fold Parliament for the sake of an election if the Liberals agreed to implement some key NDP policies. The national dental plan is a direct result of that agreement: making Parliament work for Canadians.
The NDP has seen a small rise in polling numbers, but if an election were to be called this fall—or in a year from now—its actions would certainly be viewed positively by Canadians. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s stature has risen as a direct result.
In an election, the Liberals would find it less than easy to condemn the NDP, with whom they have been partners. Many political disagreements make the relationship between the NDP and the Conservatives difficult. The stance on women’s abortion rights being one of them.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says while the federal government is "not there yet" when it comes to launching some form of public inquiry into foreign interference, "constructive and collaborative" conversations are continuing — with more scheduled in the days ahead.
The minister taking the lead on the file told reporters that he met with senior officials from the Privy Council Office on Monday, has plans to meet again "in the next couple of days" with opposition party House leaders, and spoke to an opposition party leader over the weekend.
"We have made significant progress," LeBlanc said during a press conference in New Brunswick.
The decision to close applications sends "the wrong message" to Ukrainian people and the international community, NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said in a statement Friday.
She also chided the government for delays in announcing a long-awaited plan to offer permanent residency to Ukrainians with family tries to Canada, which Fraser first promised more than a year ago.
Fraser said last month that the program would launch soon, but he has yet to make an announcement.
New Democrats welcome the federal government’s changes to Canada's lifeboat scheme that will clear a pathway to Permanent Residency for Hong Kongers in Canada. The NDP has called on the Minister of Immigration to remove the education requirement that restricted Hong Kongers from a pathway to permanent residency right at the start. Alongside advocates for Hong Kongers, I had pointed out that the restrictive 5-year graduation rule meant that many Hong Kongers would not be eligible under the program. Hong Kongers have contacted me and were extremely anxious that they would face deportation especially at a time when the Hong Kong police is escalating their hunt by placing a million-dollar bounty for the arrest of prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activists that fled abroad in search of safety.
New Democrats have opposed the imposition of the draconian National Security Law since its installation by the Hong Kong government that violated the Sino-British Joint Declaration of One Country, the Two Systems Rule, and the United Nations Charter of Human Rights.
The NDP urges the federal government to take further action by lifting the criminal record check requirements for individuals accused of violating the National Security Law or in the very minimum substitute that requirement with an alternate means to satisfy public safety concerns. This is an essential component to ensure the pathway to safety is workable on the ground for Hong Kongers.”
On June 30, two NDP members of Parliament sent a letter with an urgent request for a briefing on the case to federal ministers responsible for foreign affairs, immigration and public safety.
In a copy of the letter provided to CTV News, MPs Heather McPherson and Jenny Kwan wrote that they “are alarmed by this case and its implications not just for Noura, but for all human rights defenders seeking safety in Canada.
Is it this government’s position that human rights advocacy, including opposing brutal dictatorships that torture their citizens renders a person inadmissible for permanent residency?”
Five days later, Aljizawi was granted permanent residency on July 5. Since her case became public, Aljizawi says she’s heard from three other democracy activists who are facing scrutiny under Section 34.
Kwan, the NDP’s immigration critic, says that Aljizawi’s high profile added pressure on the government to act. But the MP says she also worries that lesser known human rights activists under similar suspicion will not be protected.
Kwan says immigration officials need to reassess how they use Section 34 in evaluating the applications of human rights defenders