Can alleged parliamentarian colluders face consequences? CSIS chief weighs in

The CSIS chief says political leaders could take steps to ensure parliamentarians accused of helping foreign states face consequences, even if they don’t face criminal prosecution.

Canada’s spy chief says that political leaders could take steps to make sure parliamentarians accused of cooperating with foreign governments face consequences, even if they don’t face criminal prosecution.

David Vigneault, the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), suggested to a parliamentary committee Thursday that party leaders could disallow any of their MPs suspected of collusion from running for the party again, or expel them from caucus over the allegations they cooperated with foreign states like China and India.

“If you’re not able to find accountability and create an element of deterrence through a judicial process then there are other mechanisms that have been referred to including for the leaders to have the information and make decisions,” Vigneault told the House of Commons’ public safety committee.

“It’s not going to be (a) judicial process, it’s not going to be someone charged by a court of law, but it’s someone who may not be allowed to run, may not be allowed to sit in caucus.”

Vigneault’s testimony came days after a report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) alleged that sitting federal politicians are “witting” participants in foreign interference schemes. The report did not name names, and the Liberal government is resisting revealing their identities, citing concerns about sharing intelligence information.

The allegations are staggering, and the Liberal government is once again under pressure to respond to revelations of foreign interference campaigns. But at a committee meeting early Thursday morning, Liberal MP Jennifer O’Connell heckled opposition members who demanded the names of the parliamentarians accused of colluding with foreign governments.

O’Connell shouted at Conservative MP Frank Caputo, as he pressed Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc to identify alleged conspirators. Later, she yelled “boohoo, get over it” when another Conservative MP Garnett Genius asked the committee chair to intervene.

O’Connell, MP for Pickering-Uxbridge, previously sat on NSICOP until 2021, and accused the Conservatives of alleging a “coverup” despite the committee’s public findings.