Foreign Affairs Committee on Feb. 7th, 2024

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Yes.

We have sent, since October 7, non-lethal equipment, including night vision goggles and protective gear. That was through Canadian companies sending them to Israeli companies.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Thank you, Minister.

We now go to MP Chong.

You have five minutes.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

I'll give my time to MP Hoback, Mr. Chair, if you will permit it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Go ahead, MP Hoback.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister, thank you for being here this afternoon.

Michael Spavor alleges that the GSRP bears some responsibility for his wrongful detention. The report from the NSIRA concluded that the global security reporting program operates under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. However, there is no legal guidance, risk assessment, security protocol or sufficient training to ensure the 30-plus GAC officers in the GSRP operate within international law. This report came out in 2020.

Has anything changed in that regard? Is there any accuracy to what this report is saying?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

I'll be super-frank. When we talk about Michael Kovrig not abiding by the Vienna convention, we're falling into China's narrative. I'm very mad that you and the Conservative Party would raise this question, because we fought to get the two Michaels back. We got them—

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

That's not what I said.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Let me finish.

I'll answer your question, but I refuse the premise of the question. It's not partisan, guys.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

It is.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

No, it's not.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

It comes out of the mechanisms of—

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Randy, these two Canadians were arbitrarily jailed in China, and every single day was a day they shouldn't have been jailed.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

It's not me saying that. It's Michael Spavor saying that. Do you understand that?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

I'll get to the GSRP.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Okay.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Really, you can ask me questions about the GSRP. That's no problem, but please don't get into the narrative of China saying that because he was a GSRP officer, he was not abiding by the Vienna convention and they were therefore allowed to jail him. I'm sorry, but this is—

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Minister, this is Michael Spavor. He's a victim making the allegations. It's not the Conservative Party.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

I'm sorry, but this is going against our national interest and—

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

I have to ask you, then, why you waited three years to release the report.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

This is a problem when it comes to dealing with arbitrary detention, but the GSRP—

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Why did you wait three years to release the report?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Allow the minister to respond, please.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Yes, we just saw it in December 2023. It was written in 2020, so why, for three years—

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

I'm sorry, but Michael Kovrig—

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

—did you hold on to this report?