How will Canadians view the NSICOP report findings? | Power Play with Vassy Kapelos

a stark contradiction two party leaders getting top secret briefings on the same National Security report coming to Canadians with seemingly opposite assessments both green party leader Elizabeth May and NDP leader jug meet Singh got briefings on a report actually they read the full unredacted report from parliamentarians with top secret national security clearance which alleges some of their own colleagues have wittingly aided foreign States but Elizabeth May came out of reading the redacted report relieved to say that she didn’t think that there were traitors in the House of Commons jug meet sing there as you heard said something very different the front bench is back to try and make sense of all of this for you joining us this evening former BC Premier Christy Clark she’s now a senior advisor with Bennett Jones CTV News political analyst and former Toronto mayor John Tori and CTV News political analyst and former NDP leader Tom mare they’re both here as well hi everybody good to see you Tom we had spoken uh right after Elizabeth May initially uh came out with her sense that she was you know completely relieved how are Canadians to make sense of hearing the exact opposite from the next leader who read the same report well they can at least be relieved that the members of parliament almost unanimously except for the two green party members voted to send this whole issue to a competent respected judge Madame Justice ug who is doing this full inquiry right now into the part that began with interference by foreign countries in Canadian elections they’ve handed this to her and said please take a look at it and see how this fits in I think that sing was on to something very important there he put the emphasis in his remarks on what the government knew and when the government knew it and you know what vashy in the grand scheme of things and whenever something like this goes sou you’re wondering why has it been almost 20 months that the Liberals have been doing everything they can to keep a lid on this thing giving it to David Johnston trying to rag the puck stalling finally getting a commission of inquiry refusing to give documents to Madame Justice Oak so she can do her job properly why all that because they’re afraid of the answer to that question what they what did they know about foreign interference Canadian elections and why did they know it and why did they do nothing about it if that’s the case what did they know about people in Parliament working foreign on behalf and perhaps giving secrets to foreign governments to the detriment of Canada that is something that is defined in the criminal code sing is right on that as well with regard to Elizabeth may your guess is as good as mine I mean if the whole purpose of avoiding the McCarthyism of saying we know that just because their names are here that they did something wrong was to make sure that somebody competent with experience and expertise could weigh it how is it possible that she came out saying well we’ve avoided that problem because I Elizabeth may have now looked at this and there’s nothing to see here move along and I’ll even vote against sending it to the judge it makes no sense to me but at least they made the right decision and we’re going to get some answers I believe from Madame Justice o if they ever give her all the documents well there’s a couple of ifs there too Christy because Madame o has to sort of say I would like to expand the Mandate of the inquiry and seek that request from the government now the government has said that they will grant it if she does but she has she has yet to make that that formal request and Tom earlier said like she’s got a really tight timeline that she’s already said is too short so I think there’s still a big question mark over whether that inquiry will be able to produce something you know definitive basically different than what we’ve got from enop and all these and the other two leaders Christy what do you think the what we heard from jug meet Singh and what we heard from Elizabeth May does to the conversation around this well I think it just confuses everything further I mean I agree with what with what Tom said on this I think I I think we have to trust that Justice Hogue is going to do a good job on it I I you know I’m always suspicious of just throwing names out there from having politicians throw the names out there but probably their opponents and say look they’re guilty I would really much rather have a respected person like justice H who has access to the information when she gets access to all the information which is vital be the one that tells us you know who might be cause who might be a problem or who was a problem and who wasn’t because I think you know people’s reputations are at stake here and it’s it’s important that this be done properly equally though it is important that we don’t allow anyone who has you know who has been colluding with a foreign government to run in the next election that’s quite a possibility here if we never if we don’t get an answer to this before the election is finally called we may end up with some of those same people who have been credibly accused of collusion with foreign governments running again with the support I presume of those foreign governments another time that’s what I’m worried about and you know bottom line is this government delayed and delayed and delayed getting this uh getting to this point we should have the answers by now it’s a shame that we don’t I do hope we get them before the next election and before nominations uh before nominations of candidates commence two questions for you John is the government’s response in sending this to the O require inquiry and saying that it’s up to the RCP to investigate sufficient given what we’ve heard from jug beat Singh and Elizabeth May and what do you make of the pressure now building on the leader of the conservatives Pierre PV to take the to do the same thing that Mr Singh and Miss May did and read the report well I’ll kind of say aox on all their houses because I think people have been playing politics with this and I think in the government’s case if they’re serious and is serious about referring it to the justice for her examination then they should be finding a way even if they have to meet together maybe it’s time when we have the reputation of parliament at stake we have the reputation of us as a G7 democracy for goodness sake you have headlines in the American Press talking about allegations of treason in Canada I mean this is not good for our country it’s not good for Parliament and so I think they have an obligation to meet together and decide that she’s going to get as much information as she needs right away I’m more concerned about time I mean I agree with what chrisy said people shouldn’t be allowed to run in the next election if they have committed you know misconduct but at the same time I don’t want them in Parliament either and you know Jag meet Singh and I I look I I I accept the fact it’s possible two people can read the same report and draw very different conclusions it happens all the time but when he makes reference quite explicitly to criminal conduct or conduct he believes to be criminal he’s a lawyer then I worry about that too so I just think that it’s time for some adult behavior on the part of the party leaders They’re all playing politics with it and Mr PV should read the report he should read the report I mean there is absolutely no reason I can possibly think of why he shouldn’t do what the others have done and read the report Tom you were saying earlier today to my colleague Marcia that that you wouldn’t have taken you wouldn’t read the report and so you understand that he’s not why no as leader of the official opposition I would have never put myself in that sort of bind I would have never constrained myself in any way shape or form and all you have to do to understand why it would have been more difficult for pier PV you have Elizabeth May there talking constantly about the fact that she had top secret clearance Mr Sing a little bit more prudent in he let out but he let out a lot and you’re not supposed to talk about this at all take take an example we had you know Mr Harper’s government on the ropes over a senate Scandal just imagine if the conservatives had called me said look we’ll show you all the receipts and everything in the Senate to file but then you’re not going to be allowed to talk about it I think my answer would have been thanks but no thanks I think PV is doing the exact right thing he is part of the institution he is the leader of his Majesty’s loyal opposition he has a specific role to hold the government to account and he’s doing he does it on a daily basis probably more enthusiastic ically than the Liberals like but he’s doing his job and I think it would be a big mistake for him in any way to constrain himself to rope himself in to put any limits on what he’s allowed to do there are those who are saying oh it’s probably because there are conservatives who are on that list you know are mentioned in the report you know what that might well be right but I don’t think that that’s his primary motivation I think he’s doing it so that he can continue to to do his job as leader of the official opposition but might there kind of the converse be true as well Christie if there are conservatives named should he want to know so that he can take some action in his own party I think that’s what the other opposition parties are saying yeah I mean I I I look I I Tom is right he there’s no percentage political percentage in him getting out there and not being able to comment on it but on the other hand it is it may be true that there I don’t know there could be members of his C but you know I I think that all of the parties have probably done some forensic forensic accounting around this and if they have there are people if there are people that they suspect of having been involved with this they know who they are already so um you know I would presume that political the political leaders are going to take if there’s none of this becomes public before the next election political leaders are going to make sure that the people that they suspect have been involved in this will not be running again if they’re doing if they’re doing their job because none of them want this information to come out after the next election when they’ve confirmed people who have betrayed our country as candidates for their party so I know a lot of that sounds sort of like you’re putting the putting the I don’t know the fox in charge of the hen house but I think the realistic expectation is they they probably all suspect if there are people in their caucus who’ve done this exactly who they are and I think they’re going to police themselves accordingly but Tom’s right there’s no political percentage in paev going and reading this why are we talking about political percentage here when why are we talking about political percentage here when the reputation of the country and of Parliament and of our democratic system is at stake I mean I understand what Tom is saying but at the same time I mean is somebody said yesterday I think it was a liberal it didn’t matter who said it that the entire Parliament is under uh suspicion so if people don’t read the report uh and and I understand why that would put them in a bit of a box if they did read it then I guess that means a whole bunch of people are Under Suspicion and not understanding what chrisy said is probably true that there’s been some forensic examination done of all this it still means far more people are Under Suspicion and all the members of parliament sit there kind of looking at each other and this is not a satisfactory situation I don’t know how we can possibly accept it nor can we accept even referring it to the justice and thinking maybe 9 or 12 months from now she’ll give us an answer on this because she may not even have an answer I Me Maybe there needs to be a police investigation or a security agency investigation but to me just to sort of you know sh nothing to see here or whatever or that we can’t afford as a matter of political percentages to to really get at this and have everybody sit down and talk about it as adults I think there’s far more at stake than that

Panellists discuss the varying political reactions to the NSICOP report and how this could change Canadians’ trust in federal leaders.

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