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For months, Trudeau’s Liberals have dismissed accusations of foreign interference in the election, only to apparently take them seriously as part of a strategy to nod to conspiracy theories about Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

Amid a partisan rebellion calling for his resignation, the prime minister told the Foreign Interference Commission. earlier this month which has the “names” of a “number” of Conservative MPs “who are involved in or are at high risk of” foreign interference. That revelation in itself was not too shocking, as a national security committee noted. reported in June that there were several MPs from multiple parties, including the Liberals, who could be “knowingly assisting” foreign governments.

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What was notable 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, nor to signal that he is now serious about national security, but to begin to lay the groundwork to demonstrate that it is Poilievre who has something to hide, without, of course, Of course, providing a wit of evidence.

The Conservative leader has so far refused to obtain the security clearance needed to view classified materials because he says it would limit his ability to speak out about foreign interference. By the way, the prime minister, his aides and law enforcement largely agree that a security clearance limits what can be said.

Former opposition leader Tom Mulcair agrees Poilievre made the right decision. “I think Poilievre did well not to tie his hands.” he said in June.

But rather than reveal the names himself (if anyone has the authority to do so, it’s Trudeau), the prime minister suggests that Poilievre is putting the country in danger.

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“I find the decision by the leader of the Conservative Party not to receive the authorization necessary to obtain those names and protect the integrity of his party baffling and completely lacking in common sense,” Trudeau said. He also called it “atrocious.”

How have the Liberals protected the integrity of their party, given that Trudeau knows the names of all the MPs and senators who allegedly participated in foreign interference? Apparently, Canadians shouldn’t worry about that.

A week after his testimony, Trudeau continued his insinuations about Poilievre, when saying in the House of Commons: “If you have nothing to hide, what are you afraid of? Why won’t you get your security clearances?

This is where the government begins to elevate the cruelty of its claims from merely partisan to encompassing the darkest corners of social media. Vast conspiracy theories There have been developments among Trudeau supporters over why Poilievre has not received a security clearance. These are completely unfounded and wild allegations that suggest there is a global conspiracy led by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. This is what liberal online peddlers say Poilievre is trying to hide.

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Now, the Prime Minister and his MPs have stopped short of repeating the most ridiculous elements of these claims, but it’s obvious to anyone who spends too much time online (guilty) that the Liberals are actually hailing the permanently unhinged Left.

But the most committed to the issue, the most willing to burn her own reputation, is the leader of the Liberal Chamber, Karina Gould, who released a video on Thursday It would be an understatement to call it extremely embarrassing.

After explaining in a very serious tone that just because someone is a member of Parliament does not mean they have security clearance, Gould begins to amplify his accusations. “Now I can only imagine why the reason he refuses to get this authorization is because he has something to hide,” he says. “Do you think you might not be able to pass a security clearance?” Gould asks, lending credence to conspiracy theories. “Does he know something and is trying to hide it, or is there something he is trying to protect?”

He then accuses Poilievre of putting “the lives of Canadians at risk to protect himself.”

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If this message isn’t for the online conspiracy theorists who remain among the last holdouts 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 MPs and senators accused of working with foreign powers pose such a threat, then name them.

The Liberals might have a smidge more credibility if their attacks on the opposition leader didn’t come after they tried so hard to downplay reports of Chinese election interference in multiple constituencies, even though the election result ultimately remained undecided. was affected. Trudeau has dismissed news reports that contain “clear falsehoods and inaccuracies” without fully explaining what they may be, and has blamed “anti-Asian racism” as the reason people are interested in foreign meddling in the first place.

If Poilievre had the names of those accused of working with foreign actors, it’s not clear he could really do much with the information anyway. In fact, that was one of the reasons Trudeau gave for failing to remove Han Dong as a candidate in the 2019 election after CSIS warned of possible Chinese interference in Dong’s nomination race. Security officials had, Trudeau testified In spring, “he specified that this was secret information that we could not share with the candidate in question.” The prime minister also complained that the intelligence information was not “credible enough.”

But suddenly, when the prime minister faces a caucus revolt, Canadians are supposed to believe that Poilievre might not even pass a security clearance and is putting their lives at risk, all without any evidence that support the accusation. . Do the Liberals realize that they are the party in government?

National Mail

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