The Federal Liberals are moving forward in a special, all-party, security-scrutinized commission to review documents related to the dismissal of two scientists from the National Microbiology Laboratory – even if the Conservatives continue to reject the plan.
House of Representatives leader Mark Holland said on Wednesday that the NDP had agreed to the idea and hoped the Tories and the Quebec bloc would also be involved.
The members of the ad-hoc commission will be able to see unedited documents, but an independent panel of three former judges, chosen jointly by the parties, will have the final say on what materials can be published without compromising national security.
The Conservatives rejected the proposal last December, arguing that the documents should be submitted to a regular committee of deputies.
According to an order from the House of Commons passed by opposition parties last spring – due to liberal government objections – the documents will be screened by the parliamentary secretary for potential national security issues, but commission members will reserve the right to release whatever material they choose. .
In a January letter, Hollande called on the Conservatives to reconsider the federal proposal, citing articles by several experts who support the government’s view that national security will be threatened by compliance with opposition demands.
The leader of the government in the House of Commons, Mark Holland. (Adrian Wilde / Canadian Press)
Hollande said Wednesday that the government’s planned party-wide commission respects the Conservatives’ desire to be able to see the full documents and challenge any revisions.
“If they do not back down, then I must question the authenticity of their request,” he said in an interview.
“On the one hand, you cannot say that you want to see documents, but then refuse to see them. You can’t say you want to be able to challenge edits, but you refuse to take part in a process that would challenge edits. “
Hollande said the Conservatives’ refusal to participate would lead him to conclude that the party wants to “keep it alive for political and party purposes, instead of having a real interest in seeing what the truth is.”
Xiangguo Qiu and her husband Keding Cheng. (Governor-General’s Innovation Awards)
Conservative MP Michael Chong, the party’s outside critic, said late Wednesday that the Tories would not join the commission and accused the Liberals of bypassing parliament with NDP support.
“It is clear that the Liberals are panicking and hiding something by setting up this extra-parliamentary committee. We will continue our efforts to include these documents in a parliamentary committee.”
There was no immediate comment from the Bloc.
Opposition parties believe the documents will shed light on why scientists Xiangguo Qiu and her husband Keding Cheng were escorted by the National Microbiological Laboratory in Winnipeg in July 2019 and subsequently fired in January 2021.
They also want to see documents related to the transfer, observed by Qiu, of the deadly Ebola and Henipah viruses to the Chinese Institute of Virology in Wuhan in March 2019.
Hollande said the government wanted the planned commission to begin work “as soon as possible”, but the timing would depend on how soon the Conservatives and the bloc decide whether to participate.
Given that the Liberals and the NDP represent a majority of the members of the House of Commons, it would be “appropriate to continue” without the other two parties, he said.
“Obviously I sincerely hope we get more participation.”
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