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shell Revelations about alleged foreign interference in Canada by China and allegations that the Prime Minister was briefed and veterans affairs minister Lawrence McCauley on doing better for veterans and calls for his resignation I'm Mercedes Stevenson welcome to the from so-called Chinese police stations on Canadian soil to allegations of illicit funding in election campaigns with Beijing targeting Canada is our this week Canada stopped to remember our fallen and our veterans but Advocates say many vets are falling through the cracks what is the minister willing to the opposition wants a parliamentary committee to investigate allegations that were first reported by global news a foreign interference by China in the I think it's very troubling that the Prime Minister has known about allegations of foreign interference in Canadian elections since last January and he hasn't take any action I haven't seen any evidence of action from this government to protect our democracy from that kind of foreign interference I think Justin Trudeau needs to explain why he knew and why he did nothing the prime minister has not confirmed that he was briefed about allegations of Chinese interference back in January of 2022 but he says he is concerned about foreign actors operating on Canadian soil and insists his government is taking action we have taken significant measures to strengthen our the Integrity of our elections processes and our systems and to invest in the fight against election interference against foreign interference of our democracy and the allegations of foreign interference by China comes as the government is set to announce its long-awaited indo-pacific strategy and as the Prime Minister launches an extended trip to the region joining me now to talk about all of this is Global News investigative reporter Sam Cooper he broke the story former Canadian ambassador to China David mulrooney and National Security expert Akshay Singh thank you all for joining us a topic of great interest to Canadians and of great concern Sam not everyone is familiar with this incredible story that you broke which is very concerning can you walk us through what you found out from your sources about Chinese interference in the 2019 election I gathered from Canadian intelligence sources that in early 2022 senior Canadian officials including the Prime Minister were briefed on some very concerning and long-running ceases probes the most stunning allegation was that Chinese Consulate officials in Toronto directed a large clandestine transfer of funds to influence the 2019 federal election the transfer was run allegedly into a network of uh witting in some cases Affiliates of the Chinese Communist party and that this included at least 11 Federal candidates and numerous candidate staffers and so other allegations in these reports brief to the Prime Minister were that the Chinese Communist Party specifically targeted Canadian MPS who had voted in ways that uh worried Beijing such as the 2021 vote about a declaration of a genocide in xinjiang some of those MPS allegedly that voted in favor of that declaration were targeted by Chinese intelligence to discover if there were companies in their writings that could be leveraged for economic links to China a last extremely concerning allegation is uh against the so-called covert Global Fox Hunt operations run by Beijing the allegations are that Chinese police are running secret operations on Canadian soil to repatriate through force and coercion in some cases Chinese citizens that Beijing wants to bring back to that nation that seems pretty alarming and the Prime Minister and and cabinet knew about this actually what's what's your response as a national security expert does this come as a surprise to you I think what's new in these allegations is the depth of what's happening in the extent to which they're actually taking place in the country I think one thing that Sam's pointed out which I would like to uh make sure that I point out as well is that it's not just about elections uh obviously foreign interference is a much broader problem that spans multiple issues for example in the case of force repatriotation of individuals back to China or targeting of diaspora groups so in my opinion what we're seeing the allegations is somewhat analogous to what some of our partners have seen for example the FBI United States and in Australia you know David you were Canada's ambassador to China not were you surprised to hear that the Prime Minister and key members of his cabinet have been briefed on this threat but it doesn't seem like there's been any explicit changes to laws or at least nothing they've talked about publicly to not so much surprised although I was deeply impressed by the report that Sam has has brought to the table as discouraged because as has been noted this story has been growing for two decades cesus has been bringing report after report forward about Chinese interference operations Chinese efforts to cultivate with Elites in politics in academics in journalism and the introduction of money into a Canadian election campaigns what's astonishing about this latest report is its size ambition and complexity to run this through 11 different campaigns is is astounding to be able to do that and to control it and then what's most disturbing is to conduct This research against MPS who have had the courage to speak out against China's genocide in xinjiang and to threaten them economically it's it's frightening because it probably works since some cases and I I think we need to be taking a very deep deep look at what China is doing to bring a threat to our autonomy as a country to our ability to operate independently I had a conversation with a very senior liberal staffer whose identity we won't disclose but they said well you know people are going after the story and the conservatives are going after the story and absolutely China is a threat but if you want to win in in Canada you have to be very careful what you say and part of what you talked about Sam were disinformation operations um and the way that the Chinese Canadian Community was being targeted and often threatened and you addressed that when you talked about operation fox hunting which basically are alleged to be coerced repatriations of Chinese citizens who are wanted by the Chinese government in Beijing that are happening on Canadian soil what you have is just an incredible story and I know how hard it is to get sources like this to talk to you so why do you think it is that these intelligent sources think this information needs to come out now well we've seen over the years uh one or two important we can call them leaks from Canadian intelligence that make it into journalism the journalists responsibly Source the information and I think that information is coming out in fact I know I've been told there's a great deal of frustration in Canadian police and intelligence that for some reason uh China the interference threat from China which is by the way according to these briefs bigger than any country in the world more aggressive is not being actively countered by policy on Parliament Hill that in fact has been recommended by parliamentarians to this government so I to me it only makes sense that deeply frustrated and concerned for their country's future officers sources are coming forward with information to me and you're exactly right about the the targeting of critics who stand up and and for example a source or a person a former MP Kenny Chu was targeted because he raised a foreign agent registration bill in 2021 to deal with this problem and he was then subsequently targeted by this very election interference Network and that's the threat right there well and I want to be fair because I mentioned the liberal staffer who I was speaking to but the conservatives were also implicated in your reporting as well it why is China running these kinds of significant operations here and according to sources targeting us more than they are targeting other countries at the end of the day what's the Communist Party of China and the government of China want is to legitimize its regime and to ensure the stability of the Communist Party of China's rule what that means is making sure that there are no voices out there either domestically or internationally contributing Chinese government policy or perhaps criticizing the government of China and it's very important for those countries that are immediately in the orbit of the United States for example Canada to be on board with what China is trying to do it's a tactic that China's use very successfully for example through engagements in Europe through the 16 plus 1 and 17 plus one framework they negotiate very well bilaterally they don't like it when countries come together to try and push back against Chinese aggression internationally and Canada as an important member of NATO and the five eyes has a voice that could be lent to legitimize what China is trying to do internationally and some of the interference that you're seeing in Canada is probably linked to that they want Canadians to speak up positively about China internationally and domestically and they don't want us to challenge them on things like economic coercion and human rights violations well and David what's your thoughts on on the government's response to this I mean are are they falling into that trap and we've already fallen into the Trap and and the problem is uh is twofold one that like Australia and the United States and Germany and Britain and others we are targets for this kind of interference and I'd say that one of China's objectives is actually has mentioned is to split countries away from the United States but our particular problem is we're not just another one of those countries where alongside the United States we are we benefit from the closest possible relationship with the United States but one that also depends on our reliability and our reliability is now being called into question and we can see to me the level of aggressiveness was most evident in before this latest report in the Hmong Wong Joe case where the the CFO of Huawei was arrested and and held for extradition hearings uh pending possible extradition to the United States of course our two Canadian citizens the two Michaels were essentially kidnapped by the Chinese state but this was China saying Canada increasingly we're going to tell you how you can use your laws and we're going to tell you which laws apply to uh the world and and which laws we're exempt from so it was a direct effort not just to get Hmong Joe back but to signal in future do not apply your Expedition treaty to people we consider to be important the whole objective is to reduce our autonomy and to make us much more likely to look over our shoulders to check in with China to exempt China from things that should apply to China and so the the Peril for Canada is significant and I don't think the government has picked up on that and I don't think it's inclined to act Sam we just have a few moments left but if the government were to act what are your sources saying would be the most important actions for them to take to try to insulate Canada well I understand that again former MP Kenny choose a bill which would call for a Ford for an agent registry that so if you're working under the table for a hostile regime you need to declare that would protect democracy that's step one sources say we need to go further and if you are working for a foreign nation and you don't declare you face jail this would uh this would put the laws in place so that uh cesus and the RCP have a prosecutorial end game for this modern complex foreign interference that uh the evidence I'm seeing is it's a vast campaign targeting Canada deeply Sam phenomenal and Incredibly courageous reporting we know there's more to come from you on this file we look forward to hearing it thank you to you and to Akshay and David for up next the minister of Veterans Affairs Lawrence McCauley responds to calls for veterans disability claims are supposed to be processed within 16 weeks and assessed but the current Veterans Affairs Canada wait times are much longer than that on average it's 43 weeks and even those who do have access are often saying that they feel abandoned and forgotten by Canada Global News found that a vac employee repeatedly offered medical assistance in dying to a veteran with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD now the VAC employees union and some veterans Advocates are calling for the minister of Veterans Affairs to resign with the workers calling for his resignation I think it's it's as well warranted and frankly as a member as advisory committee I would I would suggest the same so you think the minister should resign Bruce joining me now is the Minister of Veterans Affairs Lawrence McCauley I know this is uh it's a bit of an awkward and tough way to start an interview but you're an experienced politician I haven't seen veterans and Veterans Affairs employees this angry since Julian fantino do you think you should while my responsibility of course is to serve veterans and I can tell you that I'd met with the union and many union the last number of years that I've been in Veterans Affairs and I will continue but my job is to make sure we provide the services for veterans and the employees be in place to provide that service and that's what I am doing and that's what I will continue to do I guess they feel that you're not doing that though I mean when I watched her testimony at Parliament a committee I noticed you passed a lot to the deputy Minister and officials and what I've heard from some veterans in some employees is look he's the minister it's his responsibility why isn't he taking that on the chin and dealing with this well of course as you know Mercedes it's when I found about this out about this issue immediately I contacted my deputy and asked him to make sure he conducted an investigation and and that's what he did and of course with that too we put an information process in place an education program in fact at Veterans Affairs to make sure that front line Veterans Affairs staff understood that we have no business whatsoever dealing with made we cannot a veteran can bring up what they wish but it's not if some veteran brings it up they're instructed to bring it to their supervisor that's what the situation is and will continue to be but the staff needs to know that and they will where is that investigation because I know when you testified you said you believed that this was a one-off there's lots of veterans who are worried that this is a broader a broader problem so what have you done to conduct that investigation and how are you able to know that this is an isolated case and and assuage the fears of veterans out there well of course the only way you can deal with this issue would of course instruct the the deputy to conduct the investigation and also when it's done that the and the education program for the front line workers is delivered and to make sure that the that the investigation is public after this done and that will take place so we will be able to look at the investigation veterans will the media will and assess how you determined that there was this has only happened once or twice this is the investigation and the investigation is ongoing the investigation has found from what I know about the investigation it's the responsibility of the department and the deputy to come conduct the investigation and they're doing that to my knowledge at this time there is one isolated case totally and completely unacceptable and we have to make sure that veterans feel fully comfortable coming to Veterans Affairs and I might add that they do at the moment and we do not want issues to make sure they don't feel comfortable because they deserve these these programs are put in place and to make sure that veterans can live as quality of life as possible do you think that veterans feel confident coming to Veterans Affairs when it takes 43 weeks on average to process their claims particularly in this economy where things are really expensive and some folks who have a disability claim like that might not be able to work that could be a really stressful financial situation I can understand fully the as I indicated when I was appointed minister of Veterans Affairs the backlog was totally unacceptable at that time it was over I think something like 57 weeks the actual backlog today over 16 weeks is it's down to 25 weeks not good enough at all but the average according to the veterans Ombudsman is 43 weeks if you take into account the applications we received yesterday and a few days ago but that but isn't that fair isn't it from the time that a process applications and what we have to read and what we have to meet and what I indicated when I became Minister Deputy of Veterans Affairs that we would put a program in place to make sure we met the national standards uh in in two years now we're going to be a little bit delayed on that but we hope to have it down to 16 weeks by next spring or that would be 80 of the applications uh processed by 16 weeks that is where we said we were going and that's where we will end up next year I mean your government has been in power for seven years there were a lot of a lot of promises that were made to veterans that were either broken or ignored that they'd never have to fight their own government in court again that they would go back to the original pension system that you would hit 16 weeks and what struck me about the made case and how veterans reacted was they actually believed in some cases this is that the government thought it would be cheaper what that says about how veterans feel they're being treated about how they've been alienated not just by the government but by Canadian Society how do you address that and make them feel confident in what you're saying you need them to feel confident to do to trust Veterans Affairs and to trust you as the minister to take care of them well of course I want to make sure that happens but it's important to realize when we form government the previous government had fired one-third of the Veterans Affairs staff and and that cut benefits to Veterans close nine offices we had a hard start without any question we it was indicated at the time by perhaps even by your media I don't know who did but it was take 10 years to get back to where we should be we are now back to full staff and and that is so important what I committed to do when I became Minister was to make sure we as I said to meet the National Standard by we will have it by next spring or summer it will be 16 weeks for 80 percent of the applications and you're confident that that is going to happen this spring yes I am confident and the process has continued to come it's not a success Mercedes it's not a success but it's we're on the right track and the only time it will be a success is when we get to the National Standard not by next summer we expect to have that vitally important for veterans because really when you look at it with our government compared to the previous government we put two billion dollars a year extra into the pockets of veterans every year each year two billion dollars more and that's important sorry where's that number from exactly from the government but what's what where's the two billion that's going about it goes in into benefits that veteran receives is that because you increase their benefit through there's more veterans applying and of course more veterans applying right and people are aging right who thought in Afghanistan when you get the offices open which they're all closed and you get the staff back people feel confident about coming to Veterans Affairs and and we have the process in place in order to meet what we committed to meet and we will but it's also important that we have all the other programs one last question I wanted to ask you is about caseworkers who play such an important role because they actually meet with the veterans they know the veterans they help them navigate the system we have been hearing from caseworkers and from veterans Charities like vets Canada that there's a real shortage there and I saw a press release from your government saying that you were going to increase funding to maintain the current levels but will you increase the number of caseworkers in the system who are able to deal with these situations so veterans aren't waiting so long but we have to make sure with case managers is we have enough for people to make sure that they can meet the commitment that we made and that's to meet the National Standard by next spring or summer and we will does that mean hiring more yeah at the moment we are basically on track to do that and we will continue to make sure I will continue to make sure that we have the appropriate number of people in place to do that vitally important vitally important for the veterans because Mr McCauley thank you for joining us up next we reflect on Canadian veterans with a West block tradition honoring those who have served our country and on Friday Canadians paused to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country on Remembrance Day in Ottawa a powerful image the veterans parade was back for the first time since we here at the West block would like to thank all of our beloved veterans and those who are still serving in uniform for all you have done and continue to do for our country we see you and we appreciate you we leave you today with images of Canadians remembering I'll see you right here next Sunday
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