MP Kusie moves motion at OGGO Committee to begin study on the problematic vetting process that allowed a Nazi to be recognized in the House of Commons
MP Stephanie Kusie moved a motion at the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) to begin a study of the problematic vetting process that allowed a former soldier of a Nazi military unit to be recognized during the President of Ukraine’s special address to Parliament the previous Friday.
The intent of the motion (video available below) was to bring all parties who should have been involved in the vetting before Committee to explain the oversight that led to this embarrassing moment. Those called to testify would have included the RCMP, Sergeant at Arms, Parliamentary Protective Service, the Office of the Prime Minister, and many other departments that should have been included in the process for recognizing visitors in the gallery.
Although this study would have shone some much-needed light on the situation, the Bloc, NDP and Liberal members of this Committee voted in favour of adjourning debate, effectively killing the motion and possibility of further discussion. The committee wrote a non-binding letter to the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) to recommend they study this issue, despite their full schedule as they study the foreign interference scandal in Canada.
Throughout the debate at OGGO, the Liberal members chose to let the NPD and Bloc lead the discussion regarding adjournment proceedings and letter writing. However, once an amendment was suggested to send a report to the House, they suddenly became quite vocal. These members did not want this brought up in the House again, and used the excuse that it would “dictate” what other committees should do, despite this being a non-binding agreement. This is simply another attempt to lower accountability and is yet another example how Liberal members will try and use the right words without taking the right actions.
Conservatives hope that this issue will be studied properly in the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, but given what transpired at OGGO, we cannot count on it.