Differing Response To Foreign Interference Reveals Vast Character Gulf Between Poilievre & Trudeau

By Spencer Fernando, Exclusive to the National Citizens Coalition

At a recent press conference, journalist Sam Cooper and Independent MP Kevin Vuong named some of the Parliamentarians (current & former), alleged to be involved in foreign interference efforts.

Among those named were Liberal MPs Mary Ng and Parm Bains, as well as current Senator Yuen Pau Woo and former Senator Victor Oh.

Please note, these are only allegations at this time and all individuals involved deny wrongdoing or participation in foreign interference.

While three of the four individuals named are linked to the Liberal Party (Senator Yuen Pau Woo was appointed on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau), Senator Victor Oh was appointed on the advice of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

And this illustrates a crucial contrast between Justin Trudeau and Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre.

While Justin Trudeau has been putting partisan interests first when it comes to foreign interference, Pierre Poilievre has been putting the country first.

Consider the fact that it’s widely believed there are Parliamentarians from multiple parties involved in foreign interference, either wittingly or unwittingly.

It is fair to assume some of those individuals are connected to the Conservative Party.

Therefore, the Conservative Party could face some political blowback, were all the names to be released.

Knowing this possibility, Pierre Poilievre is still calling for the names to be released.

Meanwhile, Justin Trudeau – knowing there are almost certainly Liberals involved in foreign interference – and knowing that he and his party would also face political blowback were the names released, refuses to do so.

This is a crucial distinction, because it speaks to the character and leadership style of both Poilievre and Trudeau.

Every party leader thinks of how to give their own party an advantage. After all, every party leader wants to win.

What separates leaders with character from leaders without character is where they draw the line, or whether they draw the line at all.

Pierre Poilievre is willing to accept some political damage to ensure Canadians are aware of which MPs/Senators have become part of foreign influence operations.

Justin Trudeau is not.

And this goes beyond just political advantage and disadvantage.

This is a serious national security issue.

At a time when hostile states like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are escalating their efforts to weaken free nations like Canada, we need a Prime Minister who puts national security above political gain.

By accepting the risk of political damage in order to reveal the names of those who are working on behalf of foreign states, Pierre Poilievre is doing what the Prime Minister should be doing: Putting Canada’s national interests ahead of his own interests.

This is yet another way in which Pierre Poilievre has passed a test of leadership where Justin Trudeau has failed.

We saw this following the October 7th, 2023 attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israel.

While all party leaders initially said the right things about standing with Canada’s Jewish community and standing with our allies, Justin Trudeau – and Jagmeet Singh – quickly began pandering to anti-Semitic sentiment in the hopes of exploiting division to boost their polling numbers.

By contrast, Pierre Poilievre has been consistent from the beginning, and has been a steadfast ally of the Jewish community and of Israel.

The key takeaway here, and the reason why an election is so critical, is that while there may be a gulf on policy between Pierre Poilievre and Justin Trudeau, there is also a vast gulf when it comes to character and leadership.

Spencer Fernando is one of the most popular and prolific political voices in Canada. He is a writer and campaign fellow for the National Citizens Coalition. Join the mailing list to receive his exclusive weekly columns in your inbox.

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