Conservative leader Erin O’Toole explained Thursday that Conservative members are stepping down at once
of this committee which includes deputies and senators from all parties.
According to Mr. O’Toole, this committee is used as a tool
by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to prevent opposition parties from finding out why the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) terminated the employment of scientists Xiangguo Qiu and Keding Cheng last January.
National security experts interviewed by CBC believed that the double dismissal could reveal a case of espionage.
Conservatives will never be complicit in liberal corruption
Mr. O’Toole said.
Health Minister Patty Hajdu accused the Conservatives of carrying out a political contest within a framework of national security.
But soon after, all opposition parties joined forces to pass a Conservative motion declaring that theASPC is in contempt of Parliament by refusing to obey a House order to produce unredacted documents relating to the dismissal of the two scientists.
In July 2019, the pair of scientists were escorted out of the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, for what public health called possible breaches of security protocols
.
PHAC president called to testify
The motion also summons the president of theASPC, Iain Stewart, to appear before the House of Commons on Monday, to be reprimanded by the President and to produce the documents.
Calling someone to the bar of the House is a procedure rarely used to essentially point the finger at someone who has committed an attack on the dignity or authority of Parliament
, according to the Third Edition of House of Commons Procedure and Practice.
Both Mr Stewart and Ms Hajdu said the firing of the scientists had nothing to do with Xiangguo Qiu overseeing an Ebola and Henipah virus shipment to the Chinese Institute of Virology in Wuhan in March 2019.
They also said there was no link to the virus responsible for COVID-19, which first appeared in China’s Wuhan province and which some believe may have been accidentally released by the institute of virology.
Nonetheless, opposition parties continue to suspect a link and demand to see unredacted documents relating to both the transfer of the virus to the Wuhan institute and the subsequent layoffs.
Ms. Hajdu continued to argue Thursday that the National Security Committee is the body appropriate
to review the documents.
Once again we see Conservatives playing with national security and on this side of the House we never will.
, she told the Commons.
Mr. O’Toole countered that the National Security Committee is not authorized by law to review ongoing investigations
.
The Liberal government, citing national security concerns, defied an ordinance passed by the House of Commons, which called on it to hand over to the Special Committee on China-Canada Relations all unredacted documents related to the dismissals.
Instead, the Public Health Agency of Canada turned the documents over to the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, whose members have maximum security clearance and are bound to secrecy.
This makes Mr. O’Toole say that the Liberals want to cover up the incident which caused the firing of the two scientists.
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