Thank you for that important question, Mr. Berthold.
Following the 19th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing, the Chinese government significantly changed its approach in China and around the world. Then there was the Uighur genocide and the building of the islands in the South China Sea.
They've taken a strategic approach to procurement around the world in terms of public safety, intelligence, energy, critical minerals, and so on. It took a long time for the West to react.
That is why I proposed the creation of a special committee on Canada-China relations. That is also why we must take a more serious approach to elections, as well as to the protection of our democracy and our institutions.
There have been leaks and articles in The Globe and Mail and on Global News. This has been worrisome for our intelligence services for a few decades now. Unfortunately, we only looked at the benefits in terms of the economy and international trade, but not the concerns around human rights and international security.
We need to take a non-partisan approach, if we can, and put more resources into our intelligence services. There needs to be a serious approach to the risk to members of Parliament and senators.
That is why the work done by your committee is so important.