LIVE UPDATES: Trudeau testifies on foreign interference in Canada's elections
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with other Liberal cabinet ministers, will testify on the final day of public hearings for the Foreign Interference Commission.
On the final day of the Foreign Interference Commission, the inquiry will hear testimony from several key Liberal members of Parliament, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself.
Previous testimony and evidence presented to the commission raised questions over what Trudeau knew in relation to China's attempts to meddle in Canada's elections.
Trudeau claims he was never given information on China's election interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections, but CSIS documents shown at the Foreign Interference Commission show otherwise.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 9, 2024
Who's lying?https://t.co/vD78U4ZuZQpic.twitter.com/kMPorswVXL
Documents provided by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service suggest the prime minister was informed about the Chinese Communist Party interference, but Trudeau has stated otherwise.
The full list of Liberals testifying on April 9 includes:
- Defence Minister Bill Blair
- Government House Leader Karina Gould
- Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Watch live coverage of the Foreign Interference Commission in the video above, or follow along with updates from Sheila Gunn Reid on X or on the page below:
Today at the Foreign Interference Commission, senior cabinet ministers are expected to testify. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will testify in the afternoon.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Currently testifying, Karina Gould, at the time the Minister of Democratic institutions. pic.twitter.com/HyifSYXg12
Gould is currently going through her mandate letter which I admittedly have never read.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
It says that political fundraisers must be held in "publicly available spaces" and "advertised in advance."
This is not how the Liberals operate. AT ALL pic.twitter.com/xlNnaOw7BB
Gould says she worked closely and in collaboration with the opposition parties in the lead-up to the 2019 PRC-contaminated election as early as the fall of 2017. pic.twitter.com/uERQpWXJOY
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Gould tells Erin O'Toole's lawyer she had robust conversations with FB/Microsoft/Google/Twitter about a voluntary agreement to censor misinformation.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
But she never spoke to WeChat.
Why? They had no office in Canada, and she worried about Russia, although all the intelligence… pic.twitter.com/VWWVRqTy1k
Gould tells Nando DeLuca, the lawyer for the CPC, that she was not told about problems in the Don Valley North nomination of Han Dong, although she is shown a top-secret document showing she was on October 29, 2019. pic.twitter.com/ldLhfuA8ka
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Gould is shown a document which details at least 7 briefings she was given specifically on PRC interference.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Despite the document's title, she tries to explain these breifings were about foreign interference more broadly.
And then blames Harper for the Liberals allowing the… pic.twitter.com/7AstdDL55l
This is mind-blowing. It has to be a lie. Karina Gould can't be this clueless.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Gould, at the time the minister in charge of elections and combatting foreign interference, claims she has never heard about the influence tactic of the PRC threatening the families of dissidents and… pic.twitter.com/wGYZgRZAaX
Gould explains that her mandate was to make it easier for people to vote because the Conservatives made it harder by strengthening ID laws.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
The second example of "Harper did it!" on the stand today pic.twitter.com/6e8rWz3RYs
I have more clips to cut of Karina Gould however Bill Blair is now taking the stand at the foreign interference commission.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
He was Minister of Public Safety during the last election.
Bill Blair denies reporting based on CSIS leaks that he delayed signing off on a warrant to surveil Liberal power broker Michael Chan. https://t.co/IgVhBlm93P pic.twitter.com/QoCVLavgS3
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Blair says he was unconcerned about foreign interference in Don Valley North, re: Han Dong. pic.twitter.com/xsDOg6g6vx
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Gould says nomination irregularities were the problem of the Liberal Party and the RCMP (but we know they flatly ignored what happened in DVN and advised Trudeau to do nothing).
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Why? they didn't have time to replace Han Dong as a candidate, not that they wanted to,anyway. pic.twitter.com/S4WRQD3TbA
Dominic LeBlanc, minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, says he only learned about "granular" details of foreign interference, including the CCP attacking the Conservatives for being "anti-China" (as per the notes), after CSIS leaked them to the media. pic.twitter.com/gJNxba59GG
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Gould says it is "inappropriate" to question the partisanship of elections officials who "protect Canada" but who also didn't do anything to stop foreign interference in the last two elections. pic.twitter.com/1nco1SGVy5
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Dominic LeBlanc says he first heard about the PRC's allegations of targeting Kenny Chiu and Erin O'Toole after the CSIS leaks to the media.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Again I ask: what is it you people do around here? pic.twitter.com/o0tSVHp4SW
Again, like the PMO staff and Gould earlier, LeBlanc denies being briefed about Don Valley North, even though documents say he was.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
He says he only heard about it in the media after a whistleblower from CSIS leaked it. pic.twitter.com/svOxzq8kxC
When asked what sort of meaningful consultation she undertook with the opposition parties on the make-up of the Panel of Five, Gould couldn't say because there was none.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
It was a hand-selected panel that, as we heard in previous testimony, was designed not to act on foreign… pic.twitter.com/KESl06OBSO
What is happening? A lawyer for the Bloc Quebecois, out of nowhere, is getting five minutes to ask about the Chinese police stations. This is unexpected.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
I'll clip and post in full.
Trudeau is up in 12 minutes at the foreign interference commission.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
A lawyer for the Bloc Quebecois comes out of nowhere to ask LeBlanc about the Chinese police stations in Canadian cities that were investigated by the RCMP as sites of foreign meddling and intimidation.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
LeBlanc claims to know nothing.
What is it we pay him for, again? pic.twitter.com/7rbWO67Vgj
Trudeau in 5, guys.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Trudeau was briefed in 2017 about the threat of foreign interference by the PRC.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Says he was very aware of the ways countries can meddle in Canadian politics. pic.twitter.com/C5p4gVv2FL
Trudeau explains how he was informed in September 2019 that there was serious CCP hanky panky in Han Dong's nomination in DVN.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
But he didn't do anything, obviously. He said he saw no proof of anything - except all those foreign nationals showing up on a bus to vote for Han… pic.twitter.com/wjZ4DMAcEO
Trudeau appears to not take high level security briefings all that seriously.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
If you want him to know something, don't expect him to read it. You'll have to tell him and hope it worms its way into his brain. pic.twitter.com/MLJGn5hDCF
In a rare moment of self-awareness, Trudeau realizes he might sound like an idiot, thanks to a previous answer that indicated he doesn't seem to take his security briefs all that seriously. pic.twitter.com/0aljgaDwJq
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Trudeau can't seem to get his brain in gear to remember when or why he was briefed on foreign interference. It's sad how unserious he is about such a serious matter. He can't the dates straight at all and you can tell he was well prepared to testify today, he has notes in front… pic.twitter.com/bCgVTt183t
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Trudeau was asked about Kenny Chiu, who said that he felt like he was drowning in foreign interference and that all the government did was watch.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Trudeau answers by blaming Harper and then goes on a seven-minute monologue about nothing.
Imagine he was told to write a book… pic.twitter.com/F2qTU8tkjF
Commissioner Hogue asked Trudeau what investigation he had undertaken to determine if Liberal Han Dong had received CCP help through foreign national mandarin speaking high school students who were bused in to vote in his nomination.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
"We are not a forensic organization," he… pic.twitter.com/PjjB3TVNll
All Trudeau did was waste time.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Another example of Trudeau running out of the clock is when he wastes 2 minutes talking about why he remembers this note taken by Katie Telford.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Honest to God, shame on anyone who voted for this kook. pic.twitter.com/xEwJKjhczi
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