Conservatives Call on Ottawa to Allow MPs Review Confidential Public Safety Agreement With China
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Conservatives are requesting a copy of the agreement Ottawa signed with Beijing on cooperation between law enforcement agencies and for intelligence sharing, saying such agreements should be subject to parliamentary scrutiny if they are being kept confidential to the public.
Although other MOUs that were signed during Carney’s China trip have been made public, the agreement on law enforcement cooperation has been kept confidential by the government.
In his letter, Caputo asked whether the agreement would be made public. He also asked whether the agreement “on matters of intelligence sharing” would be made available for parliamentarians to review.
“Memoranda with the People’s Republic of China, especially on matters related to public safety, should be subject to adequate oversight and parliamentary scrutiny,” Caputo wrote.
“Allowing Parliamentarians to review the provisions outlined in the MOU is this government’s and your personal duty to Canadians just as it is central to my responsibility as the Shadow Minister for Public Safety.”
“Our law enforcement agencies will increase cooperation to better combat narcotics trafficking, transnational and cybercrime, synthetic drugs and money laundering – and create safer communities for people in both of our countries,” the PMO said.
Public Safety Canada has directed questions about the agreement to the RCMP.
A spokesperson with the RCMP told The Epoch Times that the MOU is not a public document, adding that the RCMP is “committed to working in partnership with both domestic and foreign agencies to keep Canadians safe and secure and to protect Canadian interests at home and abroad.”
“This MOU demonstrates a renewed commitment to cooperation between our two agencies to address a number of shared concerns, notably criminal activities in the fentanyl trade,” the spokesperson said.
Cooper asked Anandasangaree, who was testifying before the committee, why Ottawa has agreed to pursue such cooperation with Beijing, when the Chinese regime has engaged in transnational repression targeting Chinese diaspora communities in Canada, has “shown no respect for Canada’s sovereignty,” and has threatened the safety and security of Canadians.
Anandasangaree told MPs that Ottawa has agreed to cooperate with Beijing out of a need to diversify its trade relationships away from the United States, and that law enforcement agencies in the two countries would cooperate on issues such as curtailing fentanyl and its precursors coming into Canada.
