Former Chief of the Asia-Pacific Unit, Canadian Security Intelligence Service Michel Juneau-Katsuya waits to appear before the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics about foreign interference, Friday, March 31, 2023 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – The former deputy chief of staff to Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper says the Liberal government isn’t doing enough to combat foreign interference, echoing similar testimony from experts who study the matter.
Jenni Byrne, who was also the Conservatives’ campaign manager in the 2015 election, is testifying today at a House of Commons committee.
She says the government is too soft on China and is turning a blind eye to the country’s alleged meddling in Canada’s democracy.
Other witnesses have also said the government could be doing more to tackle foreign interference, like creating a foreign agent registry or holding an independent public inquiry into the matter.
Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a former intelligence officer with Canada’s spy agency, says both Conservatives and Liberals haven’t done enough – and the current government should expel more Chinese diplomats.
The Liberal government expelled a Chinese diplomat earlier this week who CSIS alleged was involved in a plot to intimidate a Conservative MP and his relatives in Hong Kong in 2021.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2023.
