Call for a Public Inquiry:
Mending Broken Trust
Foreign interference is exposing a battle for the very soul of our nation—our democracy and freedom. We can only win if Canada’s decision makers are committed to setting aside fear, pride and personal agendas with moral courage and integrity for the good of our nation.
A public inquiry is a good place to start.
For over thirty years, CSIS has been aware of intimidation tactics used by hostile foreign state actors toward diaspora communities in Canada. They’ve been briefing Canada’s governments on this problem for decades. Yet, there is still no specialized support measure in the system to protect targeted individuals. This is unconscionable.
Not only have we failed our immigrant Canadians, we’ve enabled hostile states to target Canada as an easy playing field through years of negligence. It’s one thing to have a CSIS Act and the bureaucracy to support it. It’s another thing to implement practical measures to tackle the problem. This is the government’s job.
But before we can move forward to fix the foreign interference problem, we must first bridge the chasm of broken trust.
Because to move forward, as Canadians, we need to regain trust that the government has the will and integrity to resolve the matter, otherwise, we can only expect optics of effort, stalling and inaction.
Canadians want a public inquiry because they want to know the truth about how the government has been handling threats to our democracy and freedom. They want to know the truth about electoral interference and if the allegations made by the CSIS leaks are accurate.
A public inquiry can help restore the people’s confidence in a democracy, where accountability is still alive, and restore confidence where trust may have been unduly lost.
Canadians cannot be expected to blindly accept the government’s when they say, “We’ve been doing a great job. But we can do more. Just trust us.”
Trust begins with respect.
Trudeau’s designation of David Johnston as Special Rapporteur has deep implications of underlying lack of respect for the Canadian people. A conflict of interest is a conflict of interest. Trying to fool Canadians into accepting a lesser ethical standard by blasting any opposition as a conspiracy theory, hyper-partisanship or an ad hominem attack, undermines the capacity of Canadians to distinguish between right and wrong and expect maturity and honesty in our leaders.
The Liberal government needs to understand that trust has been damaged.
A public inquiry is about restoring accountability so people can trust our democracy is a work in progress, not a shipwreck.
A public inquiry is a gift for the people, and a time of accountability for politicians.
As the government and opposition leaders come together to arrive at an agreement of a public process, I hope it will serve as a turning point to raise the bar of truth, integrity, accountability, and teachability in our Parliament.
What a public inquiry can do, if carried out with integrity and fortitude, is salvage the public’s trust that our democracy has not grown impotent in its capacity to hold governments to account.
An effective public inquiry will help the public feel like their engagement does matter.
An authentic public inquiry will remind Canadians that Canada belongs to the people and not to any one government or party.
These are the hallmarks of a strong democracy.
But for a public inquiry to yield more answers than what we’ve seen over the last several months, the conscience and patriotism of those who are called to testify must transcend any personal fear or agenda.
It’s about doing the right thing because you believe the long-term payoff for the greater good outweighs the adversity you might face for challenging the status quo.
This is moral courage.
Moral courage is the substance that built our democracy. We need to revitalize our democracy, at the very least, to a standard our veterans and fallen heroes fought and died for.
Canada is yearning for women and men of courage to help turn the page.
If we don’t turn the page, we will continue to enable a culture of excuses, abdication, unkept promises, entitlement, and self-serving agendas that stifle the halls of our parliament, legislatures and municipalities rather than compel action and real solutions that address the freedom, safety, and prosperity of the people.
An effective public inquiry is dependent on individuals who put our nation and people above personal gain and are willing to take risks to do the right thing.
This begins with our nation’s top leader.
Mr. Justin Trudeau, please do not pressure CSIS, your bureaucrats, or the opposition to fix the problems for which you are accountable.
Please do not prorogue Parliament or call an election to dodge accountability.
Please brace this hour like the Prime Minister of a glorious nation, because that is who you are.
I’m Nelly Shin, Former Member of Canada’s Parliament
From sea to sea to sea, May God keep our land strong and free.
Speech excerpt from: Foreign Interference: A Matter of Heart, Will and Action