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Joan Bryden
The Canadian Press
On Monday, Iain Stewart was criticized by opposition MPs after repeatedly refusing to explain why PHAC terminated the D’s employmentre Xiangguo Qiu et de son mari, Keding Cheng, en janvier.
Iain Stewart told the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations that he could not provide details due to confidentiality and “security concerns regarding the investigation” which is currently being conducted by the RCMP. .
He only indicated that PHAC has conducted its own investigation, that it is now complete and that the two scientists are no longer employed by the agency.
“I’m not free to discuss this further,” Iain Stewart has said repeatedly.
The two scientists were escorted out of the National Microbiology Laboratory in July 2019 for what was described as a possible violation of laboratory policies and on an administrative matter.
The laboratory is Canada’s most secure, designed to safely treat deadly contagious germs such as Ebola.
PHAC said their escorted outing had nothing to do with the fact that four months earlier Xiangguo Qiu was responsible for a shipment of Ebola and Henipah viruses to the Chinese Institute of Virology in Wuhan.
But opposition lawmakers have repeatedly tried to link the two events and then attempted to link them to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, which first surfaced in the Chinese province of Wuhan.
The Dr Guillaume Poliquin, head of the National Microbiology Laboratory, told the committee that Canada has never transferred coronavirus to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis asked if there had ever been a case in which a Canadian lab fired a scientist for a security breach or inappropriate virus transfer.
He got carried away when Iain Stewart replied that he was “not able to answer the question the way it was structured”.
“I am glad that you have a high level office in this country where you are supposed to be accountable to parliamentarians and to Canadians. Now answer that damn question, ”Garnett Genuis said.
“It’s such a great shame. ”
Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos interrupted Garnett Genuis’ questioning by recalling the rules, berating him for harassing the witness and violating decorum.
But at that point, committee chairman Geoff Regan briefly lost his internet connection during the virtual meeting, so MP Genuis, as vice chairman, took over. He rejected Peter Fragiskatos’ point of order and also rejected the suggestion of another Liberal MP to briefly suspend the meeting until the technical issues could be resolved.
Garnett Genuis eventually ceded the chair to another MP after New Democrat Jack Harris said it was inappropriate for him to act as chair while continuing his questions and dealing with points of order on his own conduct.
Iain Stewart later told the committee that he was sorry that his refusal to provide details “caused stress and sadness.” This is the legal opinion that was provided to me in preparation for this session. ”
Bloc Québécois MP Stéphane Bergeron warned Iain Stewart that he could be found guilty of contempt of Parliament if he continued to refuse to provide details. If the details are too delicate to be revealed publicly, Stéphane Bergeron suggested that they could instead be provided confidentially to committee members.
Iain Stewart mentioned that he would consult legal counsel regarding this alternative.
Tory MP John Williamson suggested there are other reasons Iain Stewart refused to answer questions on this “and it is just bureaucratic nonsense, incompetence, wrongdoing in the ministry. “.
The committee finally accepted a motion from MP Genuis asking Iain Stewart to explain to members, in confidence if he so wishes, by 2 p.m. Friday, why the two scientists were fired.
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