, The Globe and Mail revealed that China had targeted Mr. Chong and family members in Hong Kong ahead of the 2021 election, with those malevolent efforts continuing to this spring.
Here is what did not take place at the committee: hours of pointless filibustering, smirking condescension, or thinly veiled accusations of racism. The contrast with the clownish antics of government MPs in committees this spring could hardly be more embarrassing for Canadians, accustomed to sniffing at the often mindless partisanship of U.S. politics.
If the Prime Minister is worried about inadvertently setting up modern-day internment camps, he should stop fretting. No one is asking him to compile a list of foreign nationals, or of Canadians born in other countries. The laws on the books in other countries would only require the registration of persons acting at the behest of foreign powers. And a registry would be a useful tool to protect diaspora communities in Canada.
That seemed to be a sign that the Liberals were, after months of foot-dragging, finally taking the issue of foreign interference seriously. Mr. Trudeau’s comments in Singapore, unfortunately, point in the opposite direction, namely that the government will continue to resist action until such resistance is untenable.