Watch out for MP Michael Chong

Or, hostages to fortune for the next government

Canadians who have been paying attention to the controversy over foreign interference will be very familiar with MP Michael Chong. He is the Conservative MP (and foreign affairs critic) who media reporting revealed in May 2023 was targeted by a Chinese official seeking intelligence about him that could be used in future operations against him and his family. The public revelation led, in quick order, to the expulsion of that diplomat from Canada and a first-ever classified briefing provided to Chong by CSIS about the foreign interference threat. MP Chong was in the sights of the People’s Republic of China because of his role in Parliament in launching a motion declaring China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority as a genocide, and his efforts to force the government to ban the Chinese telecom company Huawei from having any role in Canadian 5G networks.

MP Chong took the stand this morning for several hours at the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference.  It was a return visit by him to the Inquiry and largely covered what is by now familiar ground—intelligence dissemination failures; intelligence falling into black holes when it should have been on Ministers’ desks; failures by the Government to take seriously the threat posed by Chinese foreign interference; failures to properly inform Parliamentarians about the threat posed by foreign interference against them. Along the way, MP Chong got in his shots against the Trudeau government.

There is lots of information here for the Inquiry to mull over. They know it.

There is also lots to consider in his testimony as a possible preview for a future Conservative government. MP Chong is a heavy-hitter within the Conservative caucus. Should the Conservatives come to power in the next federal election he will no doubt occupy a senior Cabinet Minister portfolio—Foreign Affairs or maybe even the unloved job of Public Safety Minister. MP Chong’s critiques of the Trudeau government become, in effect, hostages to fortune—promises about how a Conservative government would do things differently.

Here is what I caught in his testimony.

First, he was pointedly and repeatedly critical about what he called the Trudeau government’s “issues management approach.” In essence, the critique is that the Liberal government is purely reactive, lacks a strategic or proactive bone in its body. Hostage to fortune = a future Conservative government will be less reactive and more strategic.

Second, MP Chong argued that the best way to deal with foreign interference is a strong practice of transparency and  ”sunshine.” Hostage to fortune = a future Conservative government will practice enlightened transparency.

Third, MP Chong argued that much more intelligence should be made public. It shouldn’t, in his view, be locked away in a black box. He did offer a caveat that of course not all intelligence should be revealed, but he thought more could be shared with Parliamentarians and the public.  Hostage to fortune = A future Conservative government will release more intelligence to Parliament and the public.

Fourth, he reminded the Inquiry that Ministers of the Crown have a solemn responsibility to protect Canadian national security and take threats to national security seriously as a fundamental duty. Hostage to fortune = a future Conservative government will elevate national security to a top priority

Finally, MP Chong expressed high faith in the importance of Parliament holding a government to account and having access to all the records it needs to perform that function. When asked whether he was concerned that Parliamentarians given access to classified information might breach secrecy in the House of Commons, he shot back with the rather absurd claim that the Prime Minister has also breached secrecy in the House by making a statement about Indian government involvement in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Hostage to Fortune= A future Conservative government will willingly share classified information with non-security-cleared Parliamentarians.  (I wouldn’t take that one to the bank).

Five hostages to fortune.  All good ones to my mind, save the last.  Let’s hope they turn up in the Conservative Party’s election campaign platform, with lots of substantive promises attached.

As an aside, we can all perhaps breathe a sigh of relief that there is no hint that MP Chong has borrowed any playbook from Trumpists in the United States about a “deep state” in action.  He is not critical about the intelligence community; does not harbour conspiratorial ideas about its power and influence.  He was even praising of Global Affairs’ disinformation unit, the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), for coming out with a public warning about a Chinese disinformation campaign that targeted him in August 2023.

Hostages to fortune, yes, and displays of statesmanship. Watch out for MP Chong.