MP Report June 22,  2021

MP Update  June 22,  2021

Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) Documents

Canada’s Parliamentary democracy was designed with checks and balances intended to ensure transparency and accountability of the federal government, but the Trudeau government is preventing these essential functions in a matter of grave concern.

Since March, Conservatives have led the issuance of four Parliamentary orders requiring the Trudeau government to hand over documents regarding the transfer of dangerous viruses from the Winnipeg National Microbiology Laboratory to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and the subsequent firing of two government scientists.

Despite, these four orders, Trudeau continues to refuse to release the documents.

Canada’s security services have been warning the government about the risks of research cooperation with Communist China an yet Canadians are left wondering how two scientists with deep connections to the Chinese military were able to obtain high-level Canadian security clearances to conduct work with dangerous viruses.

Last week, the Speaker of the House of Commons found that the Trudeau government breached parliamentary privilege when it refused to produce House ordered documents.

 

Following the Speakers ruling, our Conservative House Leader moved a motion to call the president of PHAC to the House to be admonished by the Speaker and renewed the order for the government to release the documents to the Law Clerk.

 

Thursday afternoon, I was proud to stand in the House to vote with a majority of members supporting the Conservative motion:

“That the House find the Public Health Agency of Canada to be in contempt for its failure to obey the order of the House, adopted on June 2, 2021, as well as the orders of the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations, adopted on March 31 and May 10, 2021, and, accordingly, order its President to attend at the bar of the House, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions on the second sitting day following the adoption of this order, for the purposes of (a) receiving, on behalf of the Agency, an admonishment delivered by the Speaker; and (b) delivering up the documents ordered by the House, on June 2, 2021, to be produced, so that they may be deposited with the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel under the terms of that order.”

My Conservative colleagues and I continue to demand that the Trudeau government provide the documents required to expose the truth in this scandal and fight for sound policies and decisions to secure Canada’s future.

I can be reached at Mel.Arnold@parl.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-665-5040.