close
close

Trudeau Liberals Agree With Conspiracy Theories in Poilievre Attack

Trudeau Liberals Agree With Conspiracy Theories in Poilievre Attack

This is when the government has hit rock bottom

Receive the latest news from Carson Jerema directly in your inbox

Article content

For months, the Trudeau Liberals have dismissed allegations of foreign interference in the election but seemingly taken them seriously as part of a strategy to nod to conspiracy theories about Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

Amid a party revolt calling for his departure, the prime minister told the Foreign Interference Commission earlier this month that he has the “names” of a “number” of Conservative parliamentarians “involved in, or at high risk of” foreign interference. That revelation itself wasn’t too shocking, as a national security committee reported in June that there were several MPs from multiple parties, including the Liberals, who may have been ‘knowingly assisting’ foreign governments.

Advertisement 2

Article content

What was striking was the intensity and level of opportunism of the partisan attack, even by the standards of the ever-partisan Trudeau. No, the purpose of the Prime Minister’s comments was not to reveal new information, or to indicate that he is now taking national security seriously, but to begin to lay the foundation for the claim that it is Poilievre who has something to hide, without of course, with a hint of evidence.

The conservative leader has so far refused to get the necessary security clearance to view classified material because, he says, this would limit his ability to speak about foreign interference. Moreover, the Prime Minister, his aides and law enforcement agencies all largely agree that a security clearance does determine what you can say.

Former opposition leader Tom Mulcair agrees Poilievre made the right decision. ‘I think Poilievre was wise not to tie his hands’ he said in June.

But instead of releasing the names himself – if anyone has the authority to do so, it is Trudeau – the prime minister is suggesting that Poilievre is endangering the country.

Article content

Advertisement 3

Article content

“The decision by the leader of the Conservative Party not to obtain the necessary permission to obtain those names and protect the integrity of his party is, to me, baffling and completely common sense,” Trudeau said. He also called it “egregious.”

How have the Liberals protected the integrity of their party, given that Trudeau knows the names of all MPs and senators alleged to have participated in foreign interference? Canadians apparently don’t have to worry about that.

A week after his testimony, Trudeau continued his insinuations about Poilievre, when he said in the House of Commons: “If he has nothing to hide, what is he afraid of? Why can’t he get his security clearances?”

This is where the government begins to elevate the brutality of its claims from merely partisan to embracing the dark corners of social media. Vast conspiracy theories Questions have arisen among Trudeau supporters as to why Poilievre has not been given a security clearance. These are completely unfounded and outrageous allegations that indicate that there is a global conspiracy led by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. This is what online liberal nonsense mongers say Poilievre is trying to hide.

Advertisement 4

Article content

Now the Prime Minister and his MPs have not repeated the more ridiculous elements of these claims, but it is clear to anyone who spends far too much time online (guiltily) that the Liberals are indeed nodding to the permanently unhinged left.

But the one most committed to this piece, the one most willing to torch his own reputation, is Liberal House Leader Karina Gould. released a video on Thursday that to call it extremely embarrassing would be an understatement.

After explaining in a very serious tone that just because someone is an MP does not mean he or she has a security clearance, Gould begins to sharpen her accusations. “Now I can only imagine why the reason he refuses to get this permission is because he has something to hide,” she says. “Does he think he might not be able to pass a security clearance?” Gould asks, lending credence to the conspiracy theories. “Or does he know something and is trying to hide it, or is there something he’s trying to protect?”

She then accuses Poilievre of “endangering the lives of Canadians to protect themselves.”

Advertisement 5

Article content

If this message isn’t for online conspiracy theorists who are among the last remnants of liberal support, then who is it for? If there are genuine concerns about Poilievre’s ability to pass a security clearance, say them out loud. If the parliamentarians and senators accused of working with foreign powers pose such a threat, name them.

The Liberals might have a little more credibility if their attacks on the opposition leader didn’t come after they went to such lengths to downplay reports of Chinese election interference to multiple rioters, even though the outcome of the election was ultimately left unaffected. Trudeau has dismissed news reports that contain “obvious falsehoods and inaccuracies,” without fully explaining what they might be, and has blamed “anti-Asian racism” as the reason why people are interested in foreign interference in the first place .

If Poilievre had the names of those accused of working with foreign actors, it’s not clear he could do much with the information at all. In fact, that was one of the reasons why Trudeau gave for not removing Han Dong as a candidate in the 2019 elections after CSIS warned of possible Chinese interference in Dong’s nomination race. Security officials did, Trudeau testified in the spring “specified that it was classified information that we were not allowed to share with the candidate in question.” The Prime Minister also complained that the intelligence was not ‘sufficiently credible’.

But suddenly, when the Prime Minister faces a caucus revolt, Canadians are expected to believe that Poilievre might not even pass a security clearance and that he is endangering their lives, all without any evidence to back up the accusation. . Do the Liberals realize that they are the party in government?

National Post

Recommended by Editorial

Article content

Receive the latest news from Carson Jerema directly in your inbox