Ottawa, ON – Canada’s democracy has never been more vulnerable to foreign interference. From interference in our elections to threats, harassment and violence targeting our citizens, foreign interference is a serious and growing threat to our national security. For this reason, Common Sense Conservatives sought unanimous consent on a motion today which would’ve assisted in swiftly passing Bill C-70 and implementing measures to protect our democracy and our people ahead of the next federal election.
This motion should have had the full support of all parties in the House of Commons. After all, Canadians deserve to have their elections protected from coercive, clandestine and corrupt foreign interference threat activities of authoritarian states. However, Jagmeet Singh’s NDP decided to shut down this motion and obstruct the clear path laid out to pass this foreign interference law.
As a result of this, it is now uncertain whether this law will be passed quickly enough so that it can be fully implemented in time for the next federal election. This was a shameful decision by the NDP which could seriously harm efforts to protect Canadians and our elections. Apparently, Jagmeet Singh and the NDP do not think that foreign interference is a serious issue that warrants swift passage of this law, and would rather play political games, delaying protections for Canadians from the interference of hostile states. It is now clearer than ever that Jagmeet Singh is an unserious leader whose party is incapable of good judgment on matters of grave national importance such as this. Common Sense Conservatives will continue to work to ensure Canadians can head to the next election with confidence that it will be protected from threats, intimidation and other interference from foreign states.