Information & Ethics committee  We have a report from CSIS that says the Trudeau Foundation was used as part of a foreign influence operation. We have no mechanisms in place at the foundation to prevent it being used in a foreign influence operation, yet when Mr. Trudeau was here, he said that it was impossible for there to have been a foreign influence operation carried out using the foundation.

Information & Ethics committee  Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(h) and the motion adopted by the committee on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, the committee has resumed its study of foreign interference and threats to the integrity of democratic institutions, intellectual property and the Canadian state. I would like to welcome our witness today. From the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, we have Mr. Edward Johnson, chair of the board of the foundation. We will be having votes in about 50 minutes. Can I have the committee's consent to get through Mr. Johnson's five-minute comments and then perhaps the first round?

Democratic Institutions  Speaker, the Prime Minister expects us to believe that the dictatorship in Beijing donated $140,000 to the Trudeau Foundation to influence him but he knew nothing about it, even though it was his brother who arranged it. He would have us believe that Trudeau Foundation donors paid for the Prime Minister's vacations but he knew nothing about it.

Democratic Institutions  Who will decide if it is necessary? The decision will be made by a former director of the Trudeau Foundation, which received an illegal donation from the regime in Beijing. I can already guess what the special rapporteur's response will be and how much credibility he has. Yesterday, we gave every member of the House an unique opportunity to vote in favour of a independent national inquiry on foreign interference.

Democratic Institutions  As an expert, he can look at all of the options, obviously. With regard to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, it is an independent foundation in which the Prime Minister has no personal interest.

Privilege  Canadians themselves can only contribute $5,000 to their own campaigns and yet Liberals think that it is okay for the Trudeau Foundation to receive $200,000 from two businessmen identified as being linked to the Communist government in China. That is utter, absolute nonsense. For those listening at home, the House ethics committee is probing a $200,000 donation given to the charity by two men with links to the Chinese Communist government.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  CSIS believes that those donations were part of that influence from Beijing, and given the fact that Mr. Johnston was a board member of the Trudeau foundation that received that money, do you see a another conflict of interest there, other than just the friendship one?

Privilege  Next we have the telecommunications contract for border services and protections for the Prime Minister awarded to a company using products from Hytera, a Chinese company. Then we have the Trudeau Foundation, the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg and the illegal police stations. Let us not forget the delayed release of the two Michaels and the threats to an MP and his family.

Privilege  Johnston, to get to the bottom of what is happening with foreign interference and all of the stuff that is happening with the Trudeau Foundation? Is an independent public inquiry the only way to get to the bottom of what is happening here?

Privilege  I also agree that troubling facts keep emerging, what with the secret police stations, the contributions to Liberal candidates, the strange donations to the Trudeau Foundation, and now these threats against a member of Parliament, who was not informed for two years. There is nothing more important in a democracy than getting to the whole truth so that Canadians can trust our institutions and the electoral process.

Privilege  Are we afraid of an open inquiry into foreign interference that is not headed by a former member of the Trudeau Foundation? Are we afraid of sending very bad actors who threaten our very own MPs packing? Why did it take two years and two weeks? Why are we afraid of shutting down and stamping out Beijing police stations, with force if need be?

Privilege  These members voted against a national inquiry on the matter of foreign interference in elections because they already appointed a friend, a former member of the Trudeau Foundation, to tell Canadians whether an inquiry is needed. Yesterday, they voted against that inquiry, as well as a foreign agent registry. A foreign agent registry is something the U.S. and Australia have.

Privilege  I appreciate the question, but, of course, the member knows very well that our position is that we should have a public inquiry. If it had been called right off the bat instead of having an appointment of the Trudeau Foundation as special rapporteur, maybe we would not be in this place right now.

Privilege  We saw it with the elections and with the $125-million endowment it gave to a foundation several years ago out of the public purse—our money. I am talking about the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, of course. The foundation is having major problems, especially on the tax front. For many years, the foundation has failed to meet the criteria for a charitable organization, and things are only going to get worse, because the criteria are increasing and the foundation is not doing anything to improve.

Privilege  Madam Speaker, it just stretches credulity to think that, when a so-called Chinese philanthropist showed up at the Trudeau Foundation to give it $140,000, they did not have their own agenda. They did have an agenda, which was to influence the Prime Minister to be soft on China. That is why I said in my speech that this is Neville Chamberlain-level appeasement, weakness and incompetence.