Canadian Conservatives probe Liberals about 2 fired scientists, potential security breach in 2019

The Canada-China Committee in 2019 could have done exactly the same job as the Ad Hoc Committee did, and we could have had the documents three years ago. The CSIS assessments released yesterday make it clear the PRC is and was actively recruiting top Canadian scientists to plunder Canada's research and intellectual property. The assessments also make clear that the PRC wants to weaponize this civilian research for military purposes against us and our allies. Knowing what we know now, will the government halt all collaboration between the Winnipeg National Microbiology Laboratory and any entities and individuals in the People's Republic of China? The Honourable Minister for Health. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I want to say that an attack on our national security by foreign nations, be it China or Russia, represents an attack on democracy and represents a direct attack on every member of this House, and that I share his outrage that China or any country would attempt to interfere in our process. The Public Health Agency, which is one of the most respected agencies in the world, hired two Canadian citizens who were eminent and well-known scientists in Canada, who lied. It is the Public Health Agency that discovered that, it is the Public Health Agency that fired them, and that's why there's now an RCMP investigation about their actions. The documents, Mr. Speaker, reveal a shocking disregard for Canada's national security. They reveal a government that is completely asleep at the switch on national security and the machinery of government. They reveal government employees collaborating with Beijing's government and with the biological weapons unit of the People's Liberation Army. Equally shocking are the Health Minister's comments. He said yesterday there was no evidence of actual breaches at the lab and no sensitive information actually left the country. The documents say otherwise. Does the Minister stand by those comments? Two Canadian scientists in question were well-known for their work in virology and had spent their time working on health treatments for those that were suffering from viruses. Their collaboration, there is absolutely no evidence of the thing that the member opposite is suggesting, and I do not think that it is at all appropriate to suggest that they were involved with weaponization or things of this nature. They have all the documents. They can see all the information. We have waived all the normal considerations, not only of national security, Mr. Speaker, but of employee relationships that normally are kept confidential. It was our government that did that. That's why they have this information. Mr. Speaker, scientists working with Ebola at Canada's only level four lab collaborated with the People's Republic of China Army Major General. Sadly, this story does not end there. Dr. Chu was able to gain access to the lab for students from China, and it gets worse. A scientist from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, the research arm of the PLA, known to work on biology-enabled warfare. How did so many citizens from a hostile superpower gain access to Canada's top lab? Is it because the Prime Minister admires China's basic dictatorship? The Minister of Health, Mr. Sun will attempt to national security concerns to play partisan games. I think that's unfortunate. Let me just give an example. With respect to Ebola, the exchange of Ebola in 2019 was done in the context of trying to work with China and other countries on finding solutions to Ebola, which exists in so many different parts of the country. At that moment in time in 2019, the relationship with China was in a different place. The information that was shared was through legitimate channels. It has nothing to do with this issue. It was absolutely known and handled with complete control. I think it's very, very important to not mischaracterize national security for partisan interest.