I think we need to be consistent on that. Russian diplomats, often spies, were expelled following the 2014 invasion, and even later. Even this government did that.
Why not do it after 2022, while Russia is at war with a European country, and not a small country? Ukraine is the largest country in Europe with a special relationship with Canada. I find it hard to understand why this isn't being done, especially since the majority of these so-called diplomats in Canada, in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal, are not diplomats interested in diplomacy.
They are officers of the various Russian intelligence agencies that have expanded under Vladimir Putin. These are people who consider themselves disinformation warriors. I think our services, as well as the U.S. services, don't necessarily understand that. I think they don't understand the extent to which Russia has mobilized its entire government to influence our debates through various information strategies. They don't necessarily use the old KGB or their foreign intelligence services. This is done by the Kremlin, often using private sector companies.
We understand what it is about. They are ambassadors, and they are former diplomats who now act as information warriors. We need action. Mr. Ling is right to suggest that we call it what it is. If it is interference, it must be acknowledged and stated publicly. What Russia is looking for in Canada and in other countries isn't diplomacy; it's the large-scale conventional war in Ukraine and the information war here.