Pierre Poilievre accuses Trudeau of 'lying' about conservatives in Foreign Interference Deposition
- In Reports
- 01:39 PM, Oct 17, 2024
- Myind Staff
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that some current and former Conservative parliamentarians were involved in or targeted by foreign interference. He criticised Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre for not agreeing to get a high-level security clearance. Poilievre responded sharply, asking for a list of names related to Trudeau's claims.
In a response, Poilievre accused Trudeau of "lying" and demanded that he make public the names of lawmakers who a review committee claimed had engaged in willful or inadvertent foreign influence. “Trudeau knowingly allowed Chinese influence. To save China, after India, Trudeau is now targeting Conservative party MPs over foreign interference,” he accused.
Trudeau's comments were given in Ottawa during his testimony before the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions. The next election, which must take place by October 2025, is predicted to be easily won by the Conservatives over Trudeau's Liberals.
Evidence of attempts by China and other countries to influence Canadian politics has already been presented to the investigation. Beijing has repeatedly denied this. “I have the names of a number of parliamentarians, former parliamentarians and or candidates in the Conservative Party … who are engaged, or are at high risk of, or for whom there is clear intelligence around foreign interference,” said Trudeau.
He seemed to soften his remarks a few seconds later, stating that the information regarding Conservative activities might be "shoddy or incomplete or just allegations from a single source." Although, he provided no other information.
Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party, has refused to apply for the security clearance required to read all of the intelligence that the investigation has uncovered, claiming that doing so would prohibit him from commenting on the public proceedings. According to Trudeau, he requested that the spy organisation Canadian Security Intelligence Service alert Poilievre to potential dangers among Conservative members. Poilievre’s decision not to get clearance for classified briefings was “bewildering to me and entirely lacks common sense,” Trudeau stated.
Poilievre accused Trudeau of lying in a statement. “My chief of staff has received classified briefings from the government. At no time has the government told me or my chief of staff of any current or former Conservative parliamentarian or candidate knowingly participating in foreign interference,” he said.
In September of last year, Trudeau claimed that Indian agents were "possibly" involved in Nijjar's murder, which severely strained relations between India and Canada. Trudeau's accusations were dismissed as "absurd" by New Delhi. India announced on Monday that it was withdrawing its high commissioner from Canada and expelling six Canadian diplomats after rejecting Ottawa's claims that the envoy was involved in an investigation into the murder of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar.
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