Three years ago, Trudeau cried racism to block debates on the firing of the two scientists from the high security lab in Winnipeg. Now we know why.
Another case of Trudeau's deflection on a serious national security matter.
Post updated March 2, 2024 with corrections.
Photo: Prime Minister takes a seat during QP after replying, “We will always ensure we are working with our security agencies to keep Canadians safe, and we will not give in to pandering to anti-Asian racism,” when asked by MP Michael Barrett, “Will he bar scientists who are sent here from the Chinese government and the Chinese military from accessing sensitive Canadian research facilities?” May 26, 2021, House of Commons
Three years ago, Trudeau cried racism to block debates on the firing of the two scientists from the high security lab in Winnipeg. Now we know why. This is yet another case of Trudeau’s deflection of accountability on a serious national security matter.
I’d like to go back to May 26, 2021, when I was in the Chamber during Question Period. There was a series of exchanges between Conservative MPs Candice Bergen, Michael Barrett, and Pierre Paul-Hus, and the Prime Minister regarding two scientists connected to the CCP military and the transferring of deadly viruses from a high security lab in Winnipeg to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
I was appalled that Trudeau deferred to accusing Conservatives of stoking anti-Asian hate when the MPs were raising legitimate questions on a matter of national security.
Here is one of Trudeau's replies to the Hon. Candice Bergen.
"Yes, from the beginning of my career onwards, I have worked with many Chinese Canadians and indeed had fundraisers with them. The rise in anti-Asian racism we have been seeing over the past number of months should be of concern to everyone. I would recommend that the members of the Conservative Party, in their zeal to make personal attacks, not start to push too far into intolerance towards Canadians of diverse origins." —Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
👇Watch clips of the exchanges between Conservative MPs and the PM on May 26, 2021.
To express my disapproval of the Prime Minister's inappropriate reference to anti-Asian hate on an unrelated matter, and to prevent him from further trying to block dialogue on this national security issue, I stood twice in the Chamber the following day.
"To my shock, the Prime Minister conflated our legitimate concerns about national security with racism against Asian-Canadians. He spun an inflammatory narrative that implies Conservatives are stoking intolerance. By using this false narrative, he has cheapened and undermined the ongoing efforts to combat the rise of anti-Asian racism." —Nelly Shin, SO31 Statement, May 27, 2021, House of Commons
👇 Watch my statement below.
"In addition to the Prime Minister casting aspersions upon members of this House who are only trying to do their job, I find it offensive that the Prime Minister is diminishing the significance of the anti-Asian crisis in Canada by using it to deflect attention away from an unrelated political issue of national security. Canadians of Asian descent do not appreciate being used in this way, since they, too, are concerned about the national security of their country and want answers. They are not political shields. They are Canadians who expect their Prime Minister to address their questions separately, respectfully and with sincerity. The Prime Minister's remarks are provocative, divisive and destructive to the House, and I ask that the Prime Minister apologize." —Nelly Shin, Point of Order, May 27, 2021, House of Commons
👇 Watch my Point of Order below.
My Asian Canadian colleagues, MP Michael Chong and Kenny Chiu also made interventions in the Chamber that day to push back on Trudeau's inappropriate statements.
"Yesterday, in response to questions about China’s threats to Canada and the government’s Winnipeg lab, the Prime Minister suggested that by simply asking these questions, we were fomenting anti-Asian racism. Does the Prime Minister realize that when he conflates criticism of China with anti-Asian racism, he plays into Beijing’s propaganda? For example, China accused Canada and its allies of white supremacy simply for calling for the release of Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor two years ago. When will the Prime Minister quit playing into Beijing’s hand and answer questions about the government’s Winnipeg lab?" —Hon. Michael Chong, Question Period, House of Commons, May 27, 2021
"Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister suggested that asking questions about the threat from China's government is anti-Asian racism. I am an Asian-Canadian and I am deeply offended by this . . . Many critics of the CPP are of Asian descent themselves, either born as equal partners in Canada or having joined the equal partnership as immigrants." —Kenny Chiu, Statements by Members by Members, May 27, 2021
👇 Watch MP Chong and Mr. Chiu's interventions below.
No apology from the Prime Minister ever followed despite efforts from three Asian MPs to point out his inappropriate accusations of anti-Asian hate to deflect questions on the Winnipeg lab. Nevertheless, on a positive note, after MP Chong, Mr. Chiu and I pushed back, the PM no longer used anti-Asian hate as a tactic to further block discussions on the Winnipeg lab.
But under the guise of protecting classified national security secrets, the Liberal government failed to answer questions and tried to block the unredacted documents, on the firing of the two scientists, from reaching the hands of MPs.
Shortly after, the writ dropped on August 15, 2021 and Canada was headed to the polls for an early election, which was compromised with CCP foreign interference against Conservative candidates.
The documents tabled in the House of Commons on February 28, 2024 reveal the two fired scientists had an “extensive relationship” with the CCP and repeatedly lied about this to CSIS.
“Ms. Qiu initially denied knowing of or working with anyone who was involved in military research that is connected to the People’s Liberation Army of the PRC or any military research institutes,” according to CSIS. “It is clear that Ms. Qiu not only failed to inform her employer of these activities but made efforts to conceal her projects with PRC institutions.” —Robert Fife, Steven Chase, Marieke Walsh, Censored documents about Winnipeg scientists reveal threat to Canada’s security, Globe & Mail, February 28, 2024
The questions now remain:
How did the government lose track of the two fired scientists on their whereabouts?
Will anyone be held to account for the negligence that allowed for the security breaches?
How will the Canadian government capture and sort through the challenge of scientists in Canadian labs with ties to foreign dictators who could potentially weaponize our research data as military assets?
This is an exceptional case where our Canadian Security and Intelligence Service provided warnings that led to the removal of the scientists from the lab in 2019 and their dismissal in 2021. Yet, the Minister of Health deflects accountability under the guise of maintaining an arm's distance from the administration of PHAC. He has a difficult time affirming the veracity of the intelligence findings.
It is disheartening to see yet again a lack of accountability on a national security matter and denial of work that our Canadian Security Intelligence Service has done to bring this warning to the government four years ago.
Former CSIS and CSE agent, Phil Gurski, expresses the longstanding frustration of Canada’s intelligence community toward governments that don’t take them seriously.
"How can there have been an “inadequate understanding” when CSIS has been passing this message on for decades? Where is the acceptance of responsibility for incompetence? When will intelligence matter in government circles?" —Phil Gurski, President/CEO Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting, Winnipeg Lab: Government Lurching from Incompetence to Danger on National Security, March 1, 2024, Epoch Times
It all boils down to a dangerous disinterest in national security.
Related Posts on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/nellyshin_ca/status/1763414631081742720
https://twitter.com/nellyshin_ca/status/1763568757342192105
https://twitter.com/nellyshin_ca/status/1763573690623725985
https://twitter.com/nellyshin_ca/status/1763572481821147386
Related articles:
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-conservative-mps-of-asian-descent-blast-trudeaus-racism-claims
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-questioning-government-policy-on-china-is-not-fomenting-racism-mr/
https://tnc.news/2021/05/28/conservative-mps-condemn-trudeau-for-anti-asian-racism-accusations/
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-liberal-government-asks-court-to-stop-commons-obtaining-full-records/
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-winnipeg-scientists-fired-for-providing-confidential-information-to/
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/editorial/politics/nw-na-labs/winnipeg-scientists-doc.pdf
https://www.cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/minister-holland-discusses-release-of-winnipeg-lab-documents--february-28-2024?id=49f60389-04ea-46ac-aee7-2894c0e56b6c
https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/winnipeg-lab-government-lurching-from-incompetence-to-danger-on-national-security-5597892