Conservative MP Michael Chong says it’s “astonishing” to him that the prime minister has not implemented a more effective reporting system between Canada’s spy agency and the government in the event of foreign interference attempts and threats from foreign actors on Canadian officials.
Chong says he discovered this week after it was reported in the Globe and Mail that he and his family were targeted by a Chinese diplomat in 2021.
He says he was never told about the specific threats at the time, but rather briefed by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) more broadly about foreign interference in Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said neither he nor the public safety minister at the time knew of the alleged threats against Chong until they were reported in the media this week.
“I find it absolutely astonishing that neither the prime minister nor the public safety minister knew that a Canadian MP was being targeted by (China),” Chong told CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos in an interview airing Sunday.
Chong said he finds it “alarming” that CSIS shared the relevant information about the reported threats with certain levels of government, namely the Privy Council Office and the national security and intelligence advisor, but not with the prime minister.
“I find that very, very disconcerting that the prime minister would not set up the processes within government, the machinery of government, in such a way as to be informed about these critical threats,” Chong said.
He added it makes him question what other pertinent national security information is not shared with the prime minister.
He acknowledged there are many reasons CSIS may have decided not to elevate the information to the prime minister because it didn’t meet the bar of briefing him on it, but that he doesn’t accept that excuse in this instance.
“That might be a charitable way of explaining this for a prime minister that has been prime minister for six months,” Chong said. “But for a prime minister that's been in power for almost eight years, in a country which has been buffeted by countless foreign interference and national security threats, that's inexcusable.”
The prime minister said Friday that the incident has prompted him to direct security agencies to make changes to their reporting processes.
"It's obvious now that those processes need to be changed," Trudeau told reporters. “Which is why I said clearly: from now moving forward, any threat, whether it's serious, or credible, or not, to a member of parliament, or their family, particularly from foreign sources, needs to be elevated to higher levels than it was.”
The Canadian Press reported Saturday that the government is still investigating why CSIS never told the prime minister or a cabinet minister that a foreign actor was allegedly threatening an MP, and why the spy agency never told Chong that he was being targeted.
Chong said CSIS told him this week several other MPs have also been targeted by China, but the agency did not say how many, and would not name names.
“Since 2021, CSIS has provided dozens of defensive briefings to elected officials,” CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca Friday. “These defensive briefings are provided to promote awareness of state-sponsored foreign interference and to strengthen individual security practices and protect Canadians and their interests.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has since summoned the Chinese ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, over the affair. However, the diplomat who allegedly targeted Chong has not been expelled from Canada. Joly said she is reviewing the possible consequences of doing so.
"We're assessing the consequences that we'd be facing, in case of diplomatic expulsion, because there will be consequences," Joly said Thursday.
Meanwhile, China has denied any involvement in foreign interference in Canadian politics. Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning described the allegations that a Chinese diplomat targeted a Canadian MP as a "groundless smear."
Correction:
Backstory:
