The leaders of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Bloc Québécois do not believe that Justin Trudeau wishes to appoint a truly independent “special rapporteur” to shed light on allegations of Chinese interference in Canada.
” [Le premier ministre] wants a process that is secret and controlled,” Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said Tuesday morning.
Even before knowing the identity of the person chosen to occupy this new position announced Monday evening, he argues that the Liberals will try to protect theirs by appointing someone “with gray hair, who seems reasonable, but who is linked to the liberals and there to protect theestablishment liberal”.
Like the other opposition party leaders, Pierre Poilievre maintains his demand for an independent public inquiry, but accepts that his deputies participate in the parliamentary committees responsible for examining this question behind closed doors.
Faced with intense pressure to launch such an investigation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a series of measures on Monday to protect democratic institutions from foreign interference. He justified himself by saying that the opinions of experts differ on the relevance of such a forum.
The Liberal government will rely in particular on an “independent special rapporteur” to determine whether a public inquiry is necessary. This rapporteur may make recommendations aimed at other institutions. Justin Trudeau also announced consultations for the creation of a public register of foreign agents, as well as an order to the Committee of Parliamentarians on National Security and Intelligence (CPSNR) to examine this question, in particular.
Application expected
The prime minister did not announce who would be appointed to the post of special rapporteur, only that he would be an “eminent Canadian” and that his work could begin in the coming weeks. He promised to consult the opposition parties.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, demanded that this person be appointed by parliament, currently in a minority situation, and not by the Trudeau government. “The Prime Minister can consult us in a bogus way,” he said.
Mr. Blanchet accuses the Prime Minister of wanting to choose a candidate whom he knows in advance is opposed to the holding of an independent public inquiry. If Parliament were to validate the candidacy of the future special rapporteur, the Liberal government would have to secure the support of at least one opposition party.
On the contrary, the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Jagmeet Singh, said he trusted the Liberal government to appoint an independent rapporteur. This, even if he wishes to be consulted.
“In general, when the government appoints [quelqu’un], from experience, the people appointed are people who do important work and who take their duties seriously. So we are confident in this question of appointment, ”said Mr. Singh in a press scrum.
In his opinion, the aspect of transparency is still lacking in the formula presented, for lack of a public inquiry. However, he did not want to say whether he could reconsider his agreement with the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC) if the special rapporteur concluded that such an investigation is not necessary. According to this agreement, the NDP agrees to keep the PLC in power until 2025, under certain conditions.
The leader of the Green Party of Canada, Elizabeth May, also said this morning that she expects to be consulted by the government on the appointment of a special rapporteur. His party has only two members elected to the House of Commons, too few to be included in the motion of a parliamentary committee which called for a commissioner chosen unanimously by the recognized parties to lead a public inquiry.