Green Party Leader Elizabeth May She said she had reviewed a top-secret parliamentary report Foreign interference And there is no “list” of sitting MPs who are “disloyal” to Canada.
“I can say that I am not worried about anybody in the House of Commons,” May told reporters on Tuesday.
The Greens leader has a security clearance and has demanded to read the full version of the National Security Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) report, which contains shocking allegations that MPs “knowingly” or “semi-knowingly” worked with foreign governments.
May discussed the NSICOP document on Tuesday – the same day Parliament voted to expand a public inquiry into foreign interference to include allegations of collusion; a move criticised by some national security experts as a “delaying tactic”.
The government has come under increasing pressure to release the names of MPs since the redacted NSICOP report was released last Monday, which does not include the identities of any MPs or whether they are members of the House of Commons or the Senate.
The Conservatives have called for their identities to be released, but the Liberals say they cannot because they are bound by Canada's Official Secrets Act.
May said: “Having personally read the full unabridged report of the MPs’ National Security Intelligence Committee … I am extremely relieved.”
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However, she did mention a former MP named in the document who May said the report accused of “actively sharing privileged information with foreign agents.”
May believes the person should be named and held accountable.
“This individual was fully aware of the circumstances and knew about them. This individual is a former MP who was not named in the report and should be fully investigated and prosecuted,” May said.
The Greens leader said she knew which foreign government the former MP was reportedly working for but could not reveal the country due to national security concerns.
May declined to answer questions about how many MPs were named in the NSICOP report, saying only that the number was “very small”.
““The small number of people named may have been influenced. They are the beneficiaries of foreign government interference in the nomination campaign,” she said.
May also explained why she voted against a Bloc Quebecois motion for a public inquiry into foreign electoral interference to expand its mandate and look into allegations of collusion between MPs and other states, calling it “all window dressing and no substance.”
The Liberals, Conservatives and New Democrats all support the measure.
Last month, an inquiry led by Quebec judge Marie-Josée Hogue released interim findings outlining “troubling events” in the two recent elections that undermined Canadian voters' rights but did not change the outcomes of the elections themselves.
Hogg's findings describe “sophisticated, pervasive and persistent” Chinese attempts to interfere in Canada's democratic institutions.
The commissioners are expected to submit their final report by the end of the year, but it is unclear whether the motion will result in an extension given the already tight timeline.
“(Judge Hogg) will shortly be issuing a public notice of the terms of reference and the next phase of the commission's work,” Foreign Interference Commission spokesman Michael Tansey said in a statement to Global News.
May said the latest development was “throwing a hot potato into the wrong pot”.
She and Green Party colleague Mike Morrice were the only MPs to vote against the Bloc Quebecois motion.
Stephanie Carvin, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University, also questioned how effective the measure would be, calling it a “delaying tactic.”
“(Hogg) is unlikely to do the dirty work of identifying the culprit or dealing with the matter. In my opinion, it's just delaying the issue,” Carvin said.
Bloc Quebec leader Yves-Francois Blanchet defended the move and criticized May's decision to discuss the unabridged NSICOP report, which he said in French went against the advice of national security authorities.
Blanchett said he was in the process of applying for a security clearance to be able to read the full report.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he plans to read the document as well, as he has a security clearance, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has refused to receive such a briefing.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Pliyev of “choosing ignorance in order to play partisan politics.”
“Elizabeth May took on her responsibilities as leader of her party, obtained security clearance and did her job. Mr. Pliyev should do the same,” Trudeau said Tuesday.
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