Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister Katie Telford arrives to appear as a witness at the Public Order Emergency Commission in Ottawa, on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a motion to compel his chief of staff to testify about foreign interference at a House of Commons committee will not be a confidence matter. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a motion to compel his chief of staff to testify about foreign interference at a parliamentary committee will not be considered a matter of confidence in the Liberal minority government.
There will be a vote later today on a Conservative motion to get Katie Telford to appear before the House of Commons ethics committee by mid-April.
The Liberals have filibustered another committee for weeks to prevent a similar motion from passing there, so the Conservatives brought a new motion before the entire House of Commons on Monday.
Trudeau says the Conservatives are turning the debate into a “political circus” and the government will not add to that by making the motion a confidence vote, which could have opened the door to an election.
Trudeau says he is happy to highlight what he argues is his government’s more serious approach, which includes appointing former governor general David Johnston as a special rapporteur to look into the matter.
The terms of reference to guide Johnston’s work will be released this morning.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2023.
